WaterWorks Nature Reserve, Lee Valley Park London

The beautiful site of the former Essex Filter Beds is an area of semi-natural habitats on the banks of the River Lea in East London. In 1852, three years after London’s worst Cholera outbreak and the consequent demand for cleaner, safer water, the East London WaterWorks Company constructed the six Middlesex Filter Beds in order to provide the surrounding areas with purified water, in later years these were augmented by another 19, seven of which are now the WaterWorks Nature Reserve; formerly Essex Filter Beds. In 1969, after over 100 years in operation, the Middlesex Filter Beds had become outdated and were replaced by the new Coppermills Water Treatment Works located in Walthamstow. Thames Water became responsible for the beds in 1974 but nature had already taken over and plants as well as other wildlife, had begun to colonise the abandoned site.

The site has been leased to the Regional Park since 1988. Each disused filter bed is managed so as to provide a variety of habitats for wildlife including open water, reed beds and wet woodland. Altogether, over 60 different species of bird have been recorded including Snipe, Reed Warblers and Sparrowhawk. The wetland areas are ideal for amphibians such as toads, frogs and newts all of which breed here. A variety of damselflies and dragonflies are also common throughout the summer months. The filter beds are an important part of our industrial heritage and future plans include a possible submission for a heritage award.