Hoddesdon is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River.
The New River is an artificial waterway in England, opened in 1613 to supply London with fresh drinking water taken from Chadwell and Amwell Springs near Ware in Hertfordshire, and later the River Lea and other sources. Originally conceived by Edmund Colthurst and completed by Hugh Myddelton, it was operated by the New River Company for nearly 300 years until London's water supply was taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904.
The Borough of Broxbourne is a local government district with borough status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Cheshunt. Other settlements in the borough include Broxbourne, Hoddesdon and Waltham Cross. The eastern boundary of the district is the River Lea. The borough covers 20 square miles (52 km2) in south east Hertfordshire, and had an estimated population of 99,000 in 2021.
Cheshunt is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England, 13 miles (21 km) north of Central London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation and directly south of Broxbourne. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, Waltham Abbey to the east, Waltham Cross and Enfield to the south, and Cuffley to the west.
Lee Valley Regional Park is a 10,000-acre (40 km2) 26 miles (42 km) long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire. The park follows the course of the River Lea (Lee) along the Lea Valley from Ware in Hertfordshire through Essex and the north east of Greater London, through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to East India Docks Basin on the River Thames. The park is managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and is made up of a diverse mix of countryside areas, urban green spaces, heritage sites, country parks, nature reserves and lakes and riverside trails, as well as leading sports centres covering an area of over 10,000 acres (40 km2). It is crossed by a number of roads and railways.
Broxbourne is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, England, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census. It is located to the south of Hoddesdon and to the north of Cheshunt, 17 miles (27 km) north of London. The town is near the River Lea, which forms the boundary with Essex, and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the M25 motorway. To the west of the town are Broxbourne Woods, a national nature reserve. The Prime Meridian runs just east of Broxbourne.
The Lea Valley, the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics were based in Stratford, in the Lower Lea Valley. It is important for London's water supply, as the source of the water transported by the New River aqueduct, but also as the location for the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain, stretching from Enfield through Tottenham and Walthamstow.
Turkey Brook is a river in the northern outskirts of London. It rises in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, and flows broadly eastwards to merge with the River Lea Navigation near Enfield Lock.
Pymmes Brook is located in North London and named after William Pymme, a local land owner. It is a minor tributary of the River Lea. The brook mostly flows through urban areas and is particularly prone to flooding in its lower reaches. To alleviate the problem the brook has been culverted in many areas. Part of it is a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade II.
Salmons Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea, located in the London Borough of Enfield.
The Lea Valley Walk is a 50-mile (80 km) long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows the towpath of the River Lee Navigation, and it becomes increasingly urbanised as it approaches London. The walk was opened in 1993 and is waymarked throughout using a swan logo.
The Lee Flood Relief Channel (FRC) is located in the Lea Valley and flows between Ware, Hertfordshire, and Stratford, east London. Work started on the channel in 1947 following major flooding and it was fully operational by 1976. The channel incorporates existing watercourses, lakes, and new channels. Water from the channel feeds the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain.
Bayford Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea. It forms in the hills near Bayford, Hertfordshire and joins the River Lea at Horns Mill Weir.
Cuffley Brook is a tributary of Turkey Brook. It runs through parts of Hertfordshire and the London Borough of Enfield, England. After the confluence of the two streams in Whitewebbs Park, the watercourse continues eastwards as Turkey Brook to join the River Lea near Enfield Lock.
Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood North is a 143.9-hectare (356-acre) woodland area in Hertfordshire which has been designated as a biological site of Special Scientific Interest. The site is listed as Grade 1 in A Nature Conservation Review, and is also designated a Special Area of Conservation. It is in Hoddesdon in the borough of Broxbourne, but part of the site is in East Hertfordshire.
Wormley is a village and former civil parish, lying between Hoddesdon and Cheshunt in the Broxbourne district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The village is part of the ward of Wormley and Turnford, which had a population of 8,146 at the 2001 census. In 1931 the parish had a population of 930. The parish was abolished in 1935 and absorbed into Hoddesdon.
The Woollens Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lea which flows through Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, England.
The River Lynch, also known as the Lynch Brook, is a minor tributary of the River Lea in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England.
The Broxbourne Mill Stream which diverges from the River Lee Navigation just south of Dobbs Weir, is one of the few remaining 'old river' loops of the River Lea, with a relatively natural channel form and a diverse range of habitats. Broxbourne developed as a small settlement for milling at a river crossing point at Broxbourne Mill. Spital Brook empties into the Mill Stream by Nazeing New Road.
Danemead is a 5.6-hectare nature reserve west of Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, managed by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Wormley-Hoddesdonpark Wood North Site of Special Scientific Interest.
