| Hackney Marshes | |
|---|---|
 TheRiver Lea passing through Hackney Marshes | |
  Hackney Marshes Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ375845 |
| • Charing Cross | 6 mi (9.7 km) SW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E9, E10 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°33′25″N0°01′48″W / 51.557°N 0.030°W /51.557; -0.030 | |
Hackney Marshes is an area of open space in London'sLower Lea Valley, lying on the western bank of theRiver Lea. It takes its name from its position on the eastern boundary ofHackney, the principal part of theLondon Borough of Hackney, and from its origin as an area of truemarsh.
The marshes were extensively drained frommedieval times onwards, and rubble was dumped here from buildings damaged by air raids duringWorld War II, raising the level of the ground.
The principal area of the marsh lies belowLea Bridge Road between theOld River Lea, and the Hackney Cut – an artificial channel of theLee Navigation, dug about 1770, to avoid a loop in the natural watercourse. The southern extent is marked by theA12; although the industrial land aroundHackney Wick Stadium was originally an extension of the marsh, it now forms a part of theOlympic Park for the2012 Summer Olympics.
Hackney Marsh is one of the largest areas of common land in Greater London, with 136.01 hectares (336.1 acres) of protected commons.[1]
The river itself was always an important waterway, being navigable toHertfordshire; the Marsh was formed by the periodic flooding of the river, and so formed useful pasture, but could not be occupied permanently. Before the 10th century, the estuary of the river came as far asHackney Wick, crossed atOld Ford. Marsh Road, the continuation ofHomerton High Street, led to the marshes, and thence toTemple Mills. TheRomans appear to have built a significant stone causeway across the marshes here; a periodical, theAmbulator of 1774, noted
there have been discovered within the last few years the remains of a great causeway of stone, which, by the Roman coins found there, would appear to have been one of the famous highways made by the Romans[2]
The river forms a natural boundary, so in 527 AD it formed the boundary between theSaxon kingdoms ofEssex andMiddlesex. In the 9th century, it formed a part of theDanelaw boundary and reputedly,King Alfred stranded an invadingViking fleet here in 895 AD. This was achieved by draining the river where it met theRiver Thames, but the increased drainage affected river navigability, until it was restored in the 17th century.
Bymedieval times, both sides had becomecounties inEngland, and attempts were made to control the flow of water through the marshes. Mills were established including theKnights Templar mill atTemple Mills. Much of the marsh was 'owned' by the Templars and used for pasture. When the Templars were abolished, the land passed to theKnights Hospitaller, and thence to theCrown during theReformation, when monastic lands were seized. At this time, much of the land was associated with theHackney village of LowerHomerton and with the large manor house atHackney Wick.
Around 1770, the river was straightened by the construction of the Hackney Cut, now forming the western extent of the marsh. The natural watercourse passes to the east over theMiddlesex Filter Beds Weir, just belowLea Bridge Road. A nature reserve occupies the former Middlesex Filter beds on the island between the two watercourses.
By 1795, the former Templar mills were being used for preparing lead (submerged in urine, and heated by decaying cow dung, the lead was converted to lead oxide, and then finely ground to form a pigment for white, yellow and redlead paint). A new watermill was established on the Crown land of the marshes byPrince Rupert for an improved method of boring guns, however the secret died with him in 1682 and the enterprise collapsed.[3]
At the end of the 19th centuryHackney suffered from increased demand for building land, both for housing and to extend the factories inHomerton. The marshes had always suffered periodic flooding from theLea but with the introduction ofmains sewerage a flood relief sewer was constructed beneath the marshes. Most common and Lammas lands were then preserved by anAct of Parliament and passed to the control of theMetropolitan Board of Works, but the marsh remained excluded from the MBW scheme because many of the lammas rights were still exercised, predominantly grazing. This was a period of increasing arguments between landowners and groups, such as the Eton Manor Mission,[4] who were trying to use the marsh for recreation. The 337 acres (1.36 km2) of marshes were finally preserved by theLondon County Council in 1890, by purchasing the rights and landowners' interests for £75,000. They opened to the public in 1893 by the Chairman of the LCC,Sir John Hutton and were formally dedicated in 1894.[5] The LCC undertook further flood prevention, straightening some of the bends in the River by introducing four 'cuts', the old channels being retained to form islands.[6]
There were few houses on the marshes, but a notable exception was the White House Inn, by a bridge on the old road toLeyton. Originally built as part of a Lea fishery scheme, the pub is now long gone but a bridge remains, rebuilt to supplyanti-aircraft batteries duringWorld War II.
In the Marshes towards Hackney Wick were low public houses, the haunt of highwaymen and their Dulcineas. Dick Turpin[7] was a constant guest at the "White House," or "Tyler's Ferry," near Joe Sowter's cock-pit at Temple Mills; and few police-officers were bold enough to approach the spot.[2]
Small areas of the marsh have been taken for housing and sports fields and others added. 35.5 acres (144,000 m2) were taken in 1915 to build the 'National Projectile Factory'; afterWorld War I, in 1922 this site was used to create theMabley Green recreation ground. A further 22.5 acres (91,000 m2) were taken in 1937 for the building of theKingsmead Estate.[8]Hackney Power Station was situated to the north west of the marshes, across theLee Navigation, and operated between 1901 and 1976.
Between the 1970s and 1990s, a camping site was situated at the north end of the Marshes, adjacent to Cow Bridge, at one point branded as Tent City.[9][10]
TheLesney die cast model factory was built on theHomerton side of theLee Navigation in the 1940s, having success for many years with theirMatchbox brand. The factory was a major local employer and closed in 1990.
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In 1881, men fromHomerton College, then still in the London area, founded the Glyn Cricket Club. Members of the cricket club then decided to form a football section to keep fit during the winter months, this football section was to become the famous Clapton Orient Football Club which for thirty years played its home games at Millfields Road Stadium (1900–1930). In 1946 the Club was renamedLeyton Orient and their home ground is now theMatchroom Stadium in Brisbane Road, Leyton, E10 5NF.
Today the marshes provide many pleasant walks, in reach of the inner city, but the most famous use of Hackney Marshes is forSunday league football,[11] with 88 full-sizefootball pitches marked out. On a typical Sunday, over 100 matches are played by amateur teams in several local leagues, such as theHackney and Leyton Sunday League and theCamden Sunday League.
In 2006 there was a dispute between theLondon Borough of Hackney andNike, Inc. over the company's use of the borough logo on their sportswear. The dispute was settled with payment of £300,000 going to support local youth sports groups.[12]
The annualHackney Half marathon, taking place in May, starts and finishes at the marshes.[13]
Part of theLondon Olympic park for theSummer Olympics of 2012 was built on Hackney Marshes. This caused some controversy with local residents' groups,[14][15] who expressed concerns that East Marsh was to be tarmacked and used as a disabledcoach park for the games. This was a temporary measure.
Arena Fields, however, was lost to the Olympic Park and its site will become part of the legacyQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park permanently. This area is to be replaced by parkland of comparable size and value on the Hackney side at the end of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It will not be possible to reinstate the loss of mature and varied trees or to compensate for the disruption caused to wildlife by construction.
The natural course of the River Lea forms the borough boundary withWaltham Forest andNewham (except for East Marsh, which lies between the river andTemple Mills). The Olympic plans included upgrading this watercourse and improving public access. TheOlympic Park lies south of theA12, on industrial land around the formerHackney Stadium.
Oh it really is a wery pretty garden
AndChingford to the eastward could be seen;
'Wiv a ladder and some glasses,
You could see to 'Ackney Marshes,
If it wasn't for the 'ouses in between.
The area is not well served by public rail transport, although has many bus services. Access to the Olympic Park is served by Stratford.
Lea Bridge station is the closest rail station to the Marshes. It is one stop away from Stratford.
The nearestLondon Overground station areHackney Wick andHomerton, which are about a twenty-minute walk away. At about thirty minutes walking time, the nearestLondon Underground stations areLeyton andStratford.Stratford International is also aEurostar andNational Rail station. (International trains are not currently stopping here).
Nearby,Hackney Wick is on theCapital Ring walking route, much of which is accessible to cyclists. TheRiver Lea and local canals have a tow path which is accessible for both walking and cycling. TheRiver Lea provides a continuous route toHertfordshire andBedfordshire via theLea Valley Path for the particularly determined.
Leyton Marsh and theWalthamstow MarshesSSSI are located to the north of Hackney Marshes, and are part of theLee Valley Regional Park.
Neighbouring areas of London. | |
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