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WaterWorks Centre & Middlesex Filter Beds, Lammas Road (off Lea Bridge Road), Leyton, London E10 7QB
WaterWorks nature reserve opening times
Winter: 08:00 - 16:00
Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: 08:00 - 15:00
Christmas Day : Closed
Summer: 08:00 - 18:30
Middlesex Filter Beds
Never sleeps, open 24/7
Come and explore these amazing open spaces and natures reserves in the capital
Contact us
03000 030 610
Facilities
The WaterWorks Centre and Café is currently closed. The nature reserve and Waterworks Fields are still open to people adhering to the national or local restrictions when they apply.
We're reviewing the future of the WaterWorks Centre at present and it will remain closed whilst this review is carried out.
Middlesex Filter Beds
There are some exciting works taking place on Middlesex Filter Beds to rewet the beds. You can see the update here.
Out and about on the reserve there’s even more to see, because over 500 varieties of plants and one quarter of Britain’s butterfly species have been recorded here.
The WaterWorks Centre nature reserve has become a unique wildlife haven and a fantastic area for all the family just a few miles from central London. Previously known as the Essex Filter Beds, over 150 years ago it began supplying the surrounding boroughs with much needed clean water.
The WaterWorks Centre nature reserve has one of the largest bird hides in London offering close-up views across a series of filter beds, each with its own unique character.
The WaterWorks Field, as the area was once known was originally part of Leyton Marshes. By 1933 the site was used for recreation, mainly football pitches. Lee Valley Regional Park acquired the site on 26 July 1969, and it was then converted to a pitch and putt until 2003 when the WaterWorks Centre was built and the pitch and putt upgraded to an 18-hole, 3-par golf course, which operated until its closure in 2012. The site was used as a campsite during London 2012 Olympics and continued to provide camping during the Shell Expo at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and occasional events.
Since the closure of the golf course, infrastructure was removed and a more relaxed management of the site was adopted, there still remains a few of the bunkers around the periphery of the site which now act as basking point for insects and reptiles.
There is a small fenced off area which is used for dog agility classes at weekends and Forest Schools during the week.
The site links to Hackney Marshes over Friends bridge and to Walthamstow Marshes along the park pathway
Please be advised there is no swimming at this site. See more on our water safety policy here.
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This ten acre haven for wildlife is a short walk from the neighboring WaterWorks Centre nature reserve.
Built by the East London WaterWorks Company in the mid 1800’s they demonstrate how previously industrial areas can become valuable habitats for wildlife.
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