| Lea Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Below Lea Bridge, the flow of the river continues over the head of theMiddlesex Filter Beds Weir.Hackney Cut continues the navigation to the right. The island between contains a nature reserve in the former filter beds. | |
  Lea Bridge Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 29,710 (Both Lea Bridge wards 2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TQ355865 |
| • Charing Cross | 7 mi (11.3 km) SW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E5, E10 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°33′44″N0°02′44″W / 51.5621°N 0.0456°W /51.5621; -0.0456 | |
Lea Bridge is a district in theLondon Borough of Hackney and theLondon Borough of Waltham Forest inLondon,England. It lies 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast ofCharing Cross.
The area it takes its name from a bridge built over theRiver Lea in either 1745 – or sometime after 1757 – and theLea Bridge Road which leads through the area and across the bridge. The bridge also gives its name to a ward in Waltham Forest (Lea Bridge) on the eastern,Leyton, bank of the river, and to a ward in Hackney on the Western side of the river, also called Lea Bridge ward. The boundary between the two boroughs runs down the middle of the river at this point.
Within Hackney,Lea Bridge Road forms the customary boundary betweenUpper andLower Clapton.
| Jeremy's Ferry Bridge, River Lee Act 1778 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to continue and enlarge the Term and Powers of an Act, made in the Thirtieth Year of the Reign of King George the Second, for building a Bridge over the River Lea, at or near a Place called Jeremy's Ferry; and for making, repairing and widening Roads, from thence into the great Roads at Snaresbrook, in the County of Essex, and at Clapton, in the County of Middlesex. |
| Citation | 18 Geo. 3. c. 10 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 March 1778 |
| Commencement | 20 November 1777[a] |
| Repealed | 1 January 1827 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Metropolis Roads Act 1826 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
In 1582Mill Fields Lane ran fromClapton toJeremy's Ferry in theLeyton Marshes. At the same spot a timber bridge was built in either 1745,[2] or sometime after 1757.[3] After this, the road became known asLea Bridge Road, with a tollgate at the Clapton end. A toll house was built on the west bank of the river in 1757, and the bridge rebuilt in iron in 1820–1. Tolls continued to be levied until 1872.[citation needed]
Clapton Orient played at theLea Bridge Stadium between 1930 and 1937 before moving toBrisbane Road. The stadium was also used forspeedway and was the home track of theLea Bridge speedway team. It was demolished in the 1970s and a housing estate built on the site.
There are few crossing points for the Lea Marshes. The nearest major river crossing to the south is atHackney Wick and to the north atTottenham Hale.
The area contains large amounts of open space, dominated by the Millfieldsrecreation grounds, one of the largest parks in Hackney, which in 2023 was awarded theGreen Flag Award to mark the high standard of the park environment and its maintenance.[4] Along the southern border of the park sits the former coal-firedMillfields power station, now used as electrical sub-stations on the London Ring, and recently upgraded.[5] This was built in 1901, well before the creation of theNational Grid in 1938, a period when power had to be generated near to the consumer. It provided electric street lighting throughout the thenMetropolitan Borough of Hackney.
Lea Bridge gives ready access to the lower reaches of the extensiveLee Valley Park, which stretches for about 42 kilometres (26.1 mi) on both banks of the river. Next to the south side of the bridge is apub, the "Princess of Wales" and a Grade *II listed Victorian Old Schoolhouse, built in 1841,[6] which provided free education for the children of "transient boatmen and bargees",[7] now flats. To the south are theHackney Marshes, and beyond Leyton Marsh to the north are theWalthamstow Marshes and Nature Reserve. Also to the south is theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park, site of the2012 Olympic Games.
Below the bridge, the river flows over theMiddlesex Filter Beds Weir, marking the boundary withLeyton and providing the supply for the formerEast London Waterworks Company. The old Middlesex Filter Beds have been converted into a nature reserve, and on the Leyton side the corresponding Essex Filter Beds are now a reserve for birds.[8] The Lee Navigation continues south in an artificial channel known as 'Hackney Cut', to the next lock atOld Ford (about 1.7 miles), where the natural channel rejoins the Navigation after its 2 miles (3.2 km) meander towards Leyton.
To the North of the river is an ice rink, which got a planning application granted (in October 2020) to demolish and replace with a double pad ice rink and other leisure facilities. There is also Oxbow Island, created by the meandering of the river, along the north bank, which is one of the remaining areas of wild land and wildlife in the area and is the responsibility of theCanal & River Trust.
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The local station for Lea Bridge isLea Bridge railway station on theLea Valley lines. Also close by isClapton railway station on the Liverpool Street to Chingford line. Lea Bridge Road is well served by buses having seven bus routes in total, two of which are night routes, and one 24-hour route. Buses in the area include routes55, 56, 58 and W19, with the addition ofnight routes N38, N55 and 24-hour operated route 158.[9] More recently, there is now a 308 bus which comes from Lea Bridge roundabout and turns into Chatsworth Road, going to Stratford.
From Lea Bridge roundabout intersection with Upper and Lower Clapton roads, a number of buses travel south through Hackney, and to the city, and to the north through Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington.
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