River Lea Maritime Heritage

The inland-waterway heritage of the River Lea (or Lee), which runs from Bedfordshire to the Thames at Bow Creek and Bow Locks in east London. The Lee Navigation, improved under acts from 1739 and extended through the 19th century, carried grain, gunpowder from the Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey, and timber to London by barge. Sites such as Three Mills (Bromley-by-Bow) and Bow Creek mark the tidal junction; the navigation is now a managed leisure and heritage route under the Canal and River Trust.