![The Greenway at Stratford Marsh - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/The_Greenway_at_Stratford_Marsh_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1325008.jpg)
The Greenway is a long
footpath and
cycleway
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, mostly in the
London Borough of Newham, on the embankment containing the
Joseph Bazalgette
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB (; 28 March 181915 March 1891) was a 19th-century English civil engineer. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation (in response to the Great Stink of 1 ...
Northern Outfall Sewer
The Northern Outfall Sewer (NOS) is a major gravity sewer which runs from Wick Lane in Hackney to Beckton sewage treatment works in east London; most of it was designed by Joseph Bazalgette after an outbreak of cholera in 1853 and the "Great ...
.
Route
The western end of the Greenway is
Victoria Park, London
Victoria Park (known colloquially as Vicky Park or the People's Park) is a park in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England.
It is the largest park in Tower Hamlets and one of London's most visited green spaces with approxim ...
(
London Borough of Tower Hamlets). The route runs alongside Wick Lane, under the
East Cross Route to
Fish Island. It then crosses the River Lea into Newham, continuing to
Stratford and
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
. The eastern end is at Royal Docks Road in
Beckton
Beckton is a suburb in east London, England, located east of Charing Cross and part of the London Borough of Newham. Adjacent to the River Thames, the area consisted of unpopulated marshland known as the East Ham Levels in the parishes of Barki ...
.
The
Capital Ring Walk (section 14) follows the Greenway for most of its distance, and forms part 4 of the 2012
Jubilee Greenway
The western half of the Greenway embankment is roughly at house eaves height giving a view over the surrounding flat area (see gallery pictures). Between Stratford High Street and Beckton the route is flat. There is a renewed tarmac surface along its full length, with grass kept short on either side and bushes/trees on the embankment sides. The tarmac area is the width of a narrow two way road allowing easy passing of pedestrians and cyclists, with approx the same width of grass on either side.
The Greenway and several surrounding areas have been recognised by the
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
and the London boroughs as a
site of importance for nature conservation
Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature ...
(SINC) since 2016.
In mid-2018,
Transport for London designated the section of the Greenway between the A13 and A118 as
Quietway 22.
A similar path called the
Ridgeway covers the
Southern Outfall Sewer
The Southern Outfall Sewer is a major sewer taking sewage from the southern area of central London to Crossness in south-east London. Flows from three interceptory sewers combine at a pumping station in Deptford and then run under Greenwich ...
.
Renovation
![London Greenway Sign](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/London_Greenway_Sign.jpg)
Work has taken place to resurface and renovate the route—especially around the
Olympic Park
An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...
.
A community group was set up in 2016 for Greenway users, and Newham Council began piloting better lighting, with a view to opening the Greenway 24 hours a day.
Greenway Users have subsequently set up a Greenway Action Group to improve the recording of incidents by logging crimes on the pathway.
The renovation of the Greenway was finished in July 2019, after the completion of major water supply works by
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltsh ...
along the western half and the opening of the bridges over the
Waterworks River
Waterworks River is a river, at one time a tidal river, in the London Borough of Newham, one of the Bow Back Rivers that flow into the Bow Creek part of the River Lea, which in turn flows into the River Thames.
The river is an artificial chann ...
and the
City Mill River.
In 2022, the Greenway was the site of one of 19 projects selected by the
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
's Rewild London Fund to help 'rewild the city and recover nature'.
The View Tube, made from recycled shipping containers, is a viewing platform on the Greenway incorporating the Container Café.
History
The older alternative name for the route is ''Sewerbank'', with the name Greenway introduced after a renovation in the mid-1990s.
In 1931
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
visited London for a period of 3 months for
talks on the future of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, he based himself at
Kingsley Hall
Kingsley Hall is a community centre, in Powis Road, Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, East End of London. It dates back to the work of Doris and Muriel Lester, who had a nursery school in nearby Bruce Road. Their brother, ...
in
Bromley-by-Bow
Bromley, commonly known as
Bromley-by- Bow, is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, located on the western banks of the River Lea, in the Lower Lea Valley in East London.
The area is distinct from Bow, which l ...
. His host there, the
Christian Socialist
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...
Muriel Lester described his long early morning walks, beginning before sunrise, and which often took in the Sewerbank through
Stratford to
Plaistow. Gandhi enjoyed the elevated view the bank offered, and on these walks he would always gather a collection of well-wishers eager to speak to him.
[Gandhi's host at Kinsley Hall, Muriel Lester, described these walks in her account of his 3 month stay with her ]
Gallery
Greenway bridge over the River Lea looking north.jpg, Greenway bridge over the River Lea looking north
Greenway junction with Stratford High Street (A118) looking west.jpg, Greenway junction with Stratford High Street (A118) looking west
Northern Outfall Sewer (Greenway) over Manor Road A1011.jpg, Northern Outfall Sewer
The Northern Outfall Sewer (NOS) is a major gravity sewer which runs from Wick Lane in Hackney to Beckton sewage treatment works in east London; most of it was designed by Joseph Bazalgette after an outbreak of cholera in 1853 and the "Great ...
(Greenway) over Manor Road A1011
London Greenway footpath looking towards Canary Wharf.jpg, London Greenway footpath looking towards Canary Wharf
Greenway footpath, London looking south east.jpg, Greenway footpath, London looking south east
Greenway footpath, London looking at Abbey Mills pumping station.jpg, Greenway footpath, London looking at Abbey Mills pumping station
Abbey Mills Pumping Station is a sewage pumping station in Mill Meads, East London, operated by Thames Water. The pumping station lifts sewage from the London sewerage system into the Northern Outfall Sewer and the Lee Tunnel, which both run to ...
Greenway overlooking Brampton Manor Academy.jpg, Greenway overlooking Brampton Manor Academy
Brampton Manor Academy (formerly Brampton Manor School) is an 11–19 mixed, secondary school and selective sixth form with academy status in East Ham, London, England. It is the second largest school in the London Borough of Newham.
In 2019, 4 ...
Greenway overlooking Newham University Hospital.jpg, Greenway overlooking Newham University Hospital
Newham University Hospital is an acute general hospital situated in Plaistow in the London Borough of Newham. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
The hospital was built to replace Queen Mary's Hospital for the East End in Stratfo ...
Greenway entrance at Newham Way (A13) looking east.jpg, Greenway entrance at Newham Way (A13) looking east
References
Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenway
Transport in the London Borough of Newham
Cycleways in London
Greenways
London water infrastructure
Elevated parks
Stratford, London
Footpaths in London