Walthamstow Wetlands

In 1852, the East London Waterworks Company was granted permission to develop the Walthamstow reservoirs on marshland adjoining the River Lea, with construction taking place between 1863 and 1904, growing in scale and height as the needs of London grew. By 1863, the first stage of the reservoirs development was completed with the construction of Reservoir Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Collectively they occupied just under 18 hectares of land and were all laboriously hand-dug by teams of 'navvies'. In 1866, a drought in London and serious problems with water quality resulting in a cholera epidemic drove the second phase of constructionReservoir Nos. 4 and 5 were now added. With London's fast-growing…

There are two Victorian industrial structures on the site, including the Coppermill which gives its name to nearby Coppermill Lane, Coppermill Stream, and the Coppermills Water Treatment Works.

Constructed in 1894, the Marine Engine House, previously named the Ferry Lane Pumping Station, was built during the development of the reservoir complex. The structure is relatively complex in form, but consists primarily of a two-storey building with a single storey building attached to its northern side. To the west of this is a further single storey building which includes, on its western side, the base of a now-demolished chimney stack. The Marine Engine House is constructed throughout in brick and architecturally is in the simplified Italianate style much used for Victorian industrial buildings, with semi-circular heads to all of the principal door and window openings. Roofs are…