Lower Lea Walk

Brownfield Estate, Poplar

A walk with Philip Boyle and Tom Cordell

Saturday 10th August 1100hrs

Starting at All Saints DLR station

Book ticket, Docomomo UK non-members, £20

Book Ticket, Docomomo UK members, free

The river Lea has for centuries been a key transport artery for the London, both as a waterway, and more recently as a corridor for rail and road links. This has biased its development towards industry, but not to the exclusion of other land uses, including some innovative housing schemes from the post-world war two era. The river also provides an essential part of London’s water management system, incorporating reservoirs providing water for millions of homes, and extensive defences from flooding.

This walk is focussing on the lower Lea south of Bow. We will start on the west side of the river, looking at the remains of the pioneering Festival of Britain live architecture exhibition in Poplar, and Goldfinger’s Brownfield Estate - including the controversially altered Balfron Tower. We had also planned to look at the remains of the Smithsons Robin Hood Gardens, but it is likely that this building will be fully demolished by the date of the tour. We will also look at the 1960s transport infrastucture of the East Cross Route that carves its way through London alongside the Lea, and see the Blackwall Tunnel with its Terry Farrell designed ventilation shafts.

We’re then going to look at Bob Giles’ derelict but listed Bromley Hall school, and the neighbouring Trampery - an interesting attempt to create spaces for small creative businesses in the area. And then we will cross the river, seeing an innovative 1930s reinforced concrete bridge over the Limehouse Cut, see the remains of the Bromley by Bow gasworks before exploring an almost bucolic 1980s industrial estate.