THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
89
year for the purpose of "Protection of Water," and for these payments the com-
panies at the present time draw about 55,000,000 gallons of water daily.
By "The Lee Valley Drainage Act, 1892" (55 & 56 Vic., cap. 102) "The Lee
Valley Drainage Commissioners "were appointed, with power to carry out certain
works to prevent floods in the lower district.
The navigable portion of the Lea, partly along the natural river and partly in
made channel, extends from the Town Mill Bridge in Hertford to the Thames,
and is available for craft coming from the lower part of the river and the Medway
through Bow Creek, and from the upper part of the Thames through the Lime-
house Cut, and also from the junction of the River Stort, at Hoddesdon. The
Stort is navigable up to Bishop's Stortford, a distance of 13 miles, with a total
rise of 93ft. with fifteen locks. The length of the navigable Lee is 273/4 miles,
with a total fall of 109ft., and nineteen locks intervening. These locks are calcu-
lated to admit barges of 90ft. in length to any point, and of the following widths :
from Hertford to Enfield Lock and the Stort, 13ft. 3in. wide—from Enfield Lock
to Ponder's End, 16ft. wide—thence to Old Ford, 18ft. wide, and from Old Ford
to the Thames, 20ft wide. The draught of water above Enfield Lock is 4ft. 6in.,
and below that point it is 6ft.
Since 1850 the locks from Ponder's End to the Thames have all been renewed
or reconstructed ; they are of brick and stone. Above Enfield Lock are five new
and wider ones, built of brick and stone, and eight old ones with brick upper and
lower ends, and wooden sides.
Mr. Walter Crouch, being specially well acquainted with the district, kindly
undertook the "conductorship" of the excursion up to Lea Bridge, and during
the journey exhibited many plans, maps, and engravings of the course of the old
river and the buildings which formerly stood near its banks. Mr. Crouch's ex-
positions were given at intervals as each spot of interest was passed, but he has
kindly thrown his notes together, and we print them as a continuous narrative for
convenience of reference. A rumour floated about on board of a conspiracy of
Major Flower and others relating to the issue by the Club, at some future time, of
a more complete epitome of the history and topography of the lower Lea. Its
history has never been written, and a paper on the subject, well illustrated, would
be a welcome addition to the many topographical memoirs already published in
our journal :
NOTES ON THE RIVER LEA. BROMLEY—BOW—OLD FORD.
By Walter Crouch.
A bit of good advice was given by the Marquess of Salisbury a few years ago,
when he told politicians to "study large-scale maps." On board this vessel,
which bears his name, I would repeat this advice to all who are wishful to under-
stand the art and craft of the River Lea and its navigation.
In geological times the whole of this tract was a shallow sea, or gigantic
estuary. liven a thousand years ago the Lea was of larger proportion than
now ; for in the days of King Alfred, the Danes took their ships up toward
Hertford ; and the Channelsea was probably the current the king then
utilised, by means of a cut made to divert the waters, and so strand the Danish
vessels.
In later times the tract was often flooded, as we know from monkish
records, some notes of which I gave at our second West Ham meeting