London's Lesser Known Rivers - River Ching
The Ching joins the River Lea near Costco in South Chingford
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The Ching flows past the old Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium
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The River Ching, tributary of the Lea, originates in Connaught Water, Epping Forest, and joins the River Lea in South Chingford by the Banbury Reservoir just a little north of Walthamstow. A small tributary the Cuckoo Brook which joins the Ching near Connaught Water (it comes from Sewardstonebury a small hamlet in the north east of Epping Forest). The river runs through Chingford, however the name of the river is in fact a back-formation from the name of that area, rather than the town being named after the river. How the settlement got its name is not so certain : Ching is an Old English word for King – so possibly “King's Ford”, but the accepted version is “Shingly Ford”.
The Ching is walkable via footpaths most of the way apart from a culvert from Morrisons in South Chingford to the North Circular and the stretch from there to the Lea can be viewed fairly easily but there is no path.
Chingford is the focus of a study by Thames Water to reduce the amount of pollution entering the River Ching from local homes. When household plumbing is wrongly connected it can have a damaging impact on the environment.Wastewater from washing machines, showers, sinks and dishwashers can end up in rivers instead of the local sewage treatment works. The company's pollution prevention team is targeting areas of the borough with information about misconnections, to find out whether residents become more aware of the problem and take action to help improve things where in some areas it is thought the problem could affect up to one in ten houses.Obviously, what ends up in the Ching has a knock on effect on the Lea and ultimately the River Thames.
From Connaught Water the river runs a small distance down to Rangers Road (A1069) which is where we begin the photographic journey down to the River Lea. Beware as this the footpath through these woods can get quite muddy. The River initially defines the boundary between the London Borough of Waltham Forest and Essex until Whitehall Plain where it defines the boundary between the London Borough of Waltham Forest and London Borough of Redbridge down to Chingford Hatch. Confused? Look at a map!
The Ching is walkable via footpaths most of the way apart from a culvert from Morrisons in South Chingford to the North Circular and the stretch from there to the Lea can be viewed fairly easily but there is no path.
Chingford is the focus of a study by Thames Water to reduce the amount of pollution entering the River Ching from local homes. When household plumbing is wrongly connected it can have a damaging impact on the environment.Wastewater from washing machines, showers, sinks and dishwashers can end up in rivers instead of the local sewage treatment works. The company's pollution prevention team is targeting areas of the borough with information about misconnections, to find out whether residents become more aware of the problem and take action to help improve things where in some areas it is thought the problem could affect up to one in ten houses.Obviously, what ends up in the Ching has a knock on effect on the Lea and ultimately the River Thames.
From Connaught Water the river runs a small distance down to Rangers Road (A1069) which is where we begin the photographic journey down to the River Lea. Beware as this the footpath through these woods can get quite muddy. The River initially defines the boundary between the London Borough of Waltham Forest and Essex until Whitehall Plain where it defines the boundary between the London Borough of Waltham Forest and London Borough of Redbridge down to Chingford Hatch. Confused? Look at a map!
Rangers Rd to Waterhall Avenue in Chingford Hatch via Whitehall Rd
Highams Park
Highams Park Lake was created over 200 years ago as part of grand landscaping of the then manor house by Humphrey Repton a garden designer who used stones from the previous London Bridge to form the bank. Swans,Great Crested Grebes, Tufted Ducks & Pochards can be seen here. The Lake was originally fed by the River Ching but since 1850 the Ching flows alongside the Lake.
Highams Park to the River Lea
From Highams Park the Ching heads through Hale End under the railway line through a short culvert beside the old greyhound stadium.
A residential development of almost 300 homes is taking place on the Walthamstow Stadium site and much main structure of the Grade 2 listed building will be retained.Falling profits and attendances forced the original owners of the dog track to sell-up after 75 years. The shocking news that the most iconic greyhound stadium in Britain has been sold for housing has left the sport reeling. Despite pulling in the highest attendances at any of the UK's remaining venues, the owners cite taxation changes, an increase in general costs and extended opening hours of betting offices as the reasons behind the decision.The closure of next-door club Charlie Chan's, the famous pulling spot for lucky punters and wannabe WAGs, was a clear indication that all was not well. A greyhound stadium where a teenage David Beckham had a part-time job collecting glasses is to close. Brad Pitt attended as a guest of Vinnie Jones when he was filming Snatch, one of Guy Ritchie’s gangster films.Winston Churchill, Lana Turner and Gracie Fields were proud to be seen alongside thousands of East Enders who flocked to the stadium on a Saturday night. Pictures of the derelict stadium (along with many more of London's abandoned & dilapidated sports stadiums) can be seen here: derelictlondon.com/sportsgrounds
The Ching emerges back in the open opposite the stadium past the Holiday Inn behind Morrisons and into a culvert below a modern housing development around Ching Way on the Chingford Hall Estate. Some lower level housing here was opened by Lord Tebbit) which replaced 1960s tower blocks. The Ching reappears in a concrete lined channel the other side of the North Circular by the petrol station past the Greaves Pumping Station (built by the East London Water company in 1903 to serve both the nearby Banbury and Lockwood reservoirs & named after Charles Greaves, engineer to the company). The Ching was straightened when the reservoirs were built in the early 20th century. It was then allowed to flow into the River Lea north of the Banbury Reservoir.
A residential development of almost 300 homes is taking place on the Walthamstow Stadium site and much main structure of the Grade 2 listed building will be retained.Falling profits and attendances forced the original owners of the dog track to sell-up after 75 years. The shocking news that the most iconic greyhound stadium in Britain has been sold for housing has left the sport reeling. Despite pulling in the highest attendances at any of the UK's remaining venues, the owners cite taxation changes, an increase in general costs and extended opening hours of betting offices as the reasons behind the decision.The closure of next-door club Charlie Chan's, the famous pulling spot for lucky punters and wannabe WAGs, was a clear indication that all was not well. A greyhound stadium where a teenage David Beckham had a part-time job collecting glasses is to close. Brad Pitt attended as a guest of Vinnie Jones when he was filming Snatch, one of Guy Ritchie’s gangster films.Winston Churchill, Lana Turner and Gracie Fields were proud to be seen alongside thousands of East Enders who flocked to the stadium on a Saturday night. Pictures of the derelict stadium (along with many more of London's abandoned & dilapidated sports stadiums) can be seen here: derelictlondon.com/sportsgrounds
The Ching emerges back in the open opposite the stadium past the Holiday Inn behind Morrisons and into a culvert below a modern housing development around Ching Way on the Chingford Hall Estate. Some lower level housing here was opened by Lord Tebbit) which replaced 1960s tower blocks. The Ching reappears in a concrete lined channel the other side of the North Circular by the petrol station past the Greaves Pumping Station (built by the East London Water company in 1903 to serve both the nearby Banbury and Lockwood reservoirs & named after Charles Greaves, engineer to the company). The Ching was straightened when the reservoirs were built in the early 20th century. It was then allowed to flow into the River Lea north of the Banbury Reservoir.
