Welcome to the Lee Valley park website

Formerly the Essex Filter Beds, the Waterworks Nature Reserve is an urban treasure located just a few miles from the city of London. Now over 150 years old, the site was once home to the East London Waterworks Company which provided drinking water to the surrounding boroughs until the site was shut down in the late 1970’s.  In 1986 the site was officially handed over to Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and has been managed as a nature reserve ever since.  In 2002, one of the largest bird hides was built over the central well head providing a fantastic ‘Close Up On Wildlife’ experience. Over 500 species of plants, 25 species of breeding birds and a quarter of all British butterflies have been recorded on the reserve. There is an interpretation area within the Visitor Centre providing information on the wildlife and history of the Filter Beds.