Waltham Abbey

Canals today : Lee Navigation and River Lea

As can be seen from the above heading, there is a choice of spelling: Lee or Lea but, as far as the boater is concerned, it is all one straight forward navigation.

After calling at nearby shops for the usual paper, milk and bread (Oh, and plus a couple of pastries for breakfast!) we set off. The weather was not as bright as yesterday but comfortably warm and dry, albeit mostly overcast.

Cow Bridge

As can be see from the photo, Cow Bridge is now complete - it was still being finished when we came this way two years ago. Shame that it was designed with such an inelegant use of the earlier abutments that look as if someone just hacked away the previous span.

Just after Pond Lane Bridge we passed a CaRT weed gatherer and one of the crew was unwrapping pollution booms. She told us a bit more about the incident yesterday although we are still not clear. She indicated that they think the oil was tipped in near Tottenham Lock (further up) but they had to clean up at the next lock down, which is beyond the junction where we joined the Lee Navigation. Another boater also warned us about problems with dead swans but in the end we saw no problem at all.

Yet more new developments - it does seem that most construction is housing and that there is a lot of it. In most cases it is high density, high rise.

Anchor and Hope Pub

When we came this way in 2012, we noticed the Anchor and Hope pub, surrounded by much larger more recent buildings. Built in the early twentieth century (although there had been a pub here before) it survived the last war when most pf the surrounding area was devastated. Last time we had to take care in passing as a large number of boats were moored with the crew enjoying a drink. This time there were none!

Emily House

Emily House, alongside, also looks much older than most other buildings but Google yielded no information about its past. (Looking back at March 2012, it seems that we found out rather more that time!)

We called at Lee Valley Marina as we needed to replace the missing cover for our chimney as well as a new Witch's Hat, but they do not really stock chandlery. Fortunately neither are urgent.

Markfield Beam Engine Museum

It might have been interesting to visit the Markfield Beam Engine Museum but, according to Nicholsons, it is only open on the second Sunday each month!

More re-development taking place bit it is a bit sad to see housing so badly maintained that it is better to replace rather than retain.

Where did these come from?!?

We had doped to fill with water at Stonebridge Lock but a boat came up in the lock with us (but was there first!) only to fill up - she lives on a mooring just below the lock - and a boat coming down was already attached to the tap, which is notoriously slow, so we just used the disposal facilities and continued. In the end it took until Waltham Town Lock before we found a working tap.

At Ponders End Lock we discovered that old signs are never removed, they just fade away! We might have been here some time if we had waited for British Waterways staff to appear!

Often, when non-towpath side waterfronts are re-developed, the builders insist on adding bollards or mooring posts - often accompanied by the obligatory large No Mooring notice! Said notice was not necessary here as, if you look closely, these mooring posts do not have the cross bitts which means that they are almost totally useless for mooring!

We stopped at the Visitor Mooring below Enfield Lock. Last time we noticed Government Row, terraced houses just above the lock, but did not realise their history. This time, after a little research earlier in the year and helped by a canal forum, we knew a little more.

River Lea

Across the River Lea and what is now called Enfield Island, was once the famous small arms factory making the eponymous rifles used by many infantryman. The factory closed some time ago but has been re-developed into offices and housing, with a mixture of conversion of old buildings and new ones to complement.

In the middle is a water feature - our researches did not resolve whether this ever had an industrial function as its connection to the canal is rather convoluted. Despite this, the centrepiece is an old narrowboat (re-painted to look as if it once worked for here) as well as a fake pair of lock gates!

Several buildings incorporated the original columns which are described on an information board, "The iron roof supporting columns cleverly double as drainpipes, taking water from the boxed valleys (gutters) to the drains. These columns once held the brackets that supported the overhead line shafting. Power was originally transferred from a steam engine via the shafting to work the factory machinery through a system of belts and pulleys." Some remained until the 1960's.

We were a bit concerned with this sign at Ramney Marsh Lock - paddles were locked partially open at both ends but Christine recruited a couple of lads eating their chicken nuggets beside the lock who helped to open the top gates!

Waltham Town Lock

Above Waltham Town Lock just a solitary boat was moored - we are well passed the densely packed mooring now - so it was straight forward to find somewhere for the night.

 

To Adam and anyone else interested, our previous trip this way was March 2012 and can be found in our earlier blogposts.

10.5 miles - 7 locks