Lee Valley Regional Park has a rich and diverse history from the garden created by E.A. Bowles at Myddelton House (1865 to 1954), the
remains of
an Augustinian Abbey
founded by King Henry II in 1177 and the hatching of a plot to assassinate King Charles II at Rye House Gatehouse to
the largest tidal mill left standing in Britain, a corn mill once owned by The Knights of St John of Jerusalem, and the building of a famous triplane by the Edwardian aviator A.V. Roe at Walthamstow Marshes.
Each of our unique sites has its own history and is worth discovering for yourself.
Sites around Lee Valley Regional Park
Springfield Park
“No more beautiful landscape of meadows, forest, hill and water is to be found so near London, in so small a space…” so wrote Benjamin Clarke, describing the view from the Park in 1894 and it’s still the place to take in the view today!
You can see the massive expanse of the reservoirs which supply London with drinking water and the winding route of the River Lee Navigation. The park is a Regionally Important Geological Site and it has even been suggested that Christopher Wren lived nearby and 18th century maps refer to the park as ‘Wren’s Park’.
The Markfield Beam Engine & Museum
Well worth a visit to admire the machine which played such a vital role in the history of the area. You’ll see the Wood Bros. Victorian Beam Engine in action and the building which houses this incredible machine was built in 1886.
Contact: Markfield Road, South Tottenham, London Borough of Haringey, London N15 4RB. Tel: 020 8800 7061.
The Old Coppermill
There’s been a mill on this site for centuries. They were used to grind corn, roll paper, grind gunpowder and make linseed oil. The present building is grade II listed and dates from the 1800’s when barges carrying copper ingots travelled from Wales, were unloaded with the crane and jib (still there today) rolled into thin sheets and stamped out to produce penny and halfpenny tokens.