4.3 Streetscape
The buildings within the Lea Bridge Conservation Area form a distinctive and coherent
piece of townscape. The industrial nature of many of the buildings is softened by the
surrounding landscape, with its open green spaces and mature trees. This is
especially evident in views into and out of the Conservation Area. The buildings to Lea
Bridge Road form a coherent frontage and are largely set back from this busy arterial
route. The buildings fronting Lea Bridge Road are seen behind groups of mature
trees. This is also true of the buildings within the Conservation Area when viewed from
the River Lea. Within and immediately adjacent to the Conservation Area are streets
of a much smaller scale to that of Lea Bridge Road, containing small-scale domestic
terraces and low industrial buildings. The Conservation Area also contains a number
of streets and open spaces which retain their original cobbled surfaces as well as
historic boundary markers, along with other street furniture, such as the post box to
the end of Hillstowe Street; it is important that these are retained in the future. Also of
significance is the line of the former Lea Bridge / Paradise Dock. This is still evident in
the open space between the industrial buildings, although it is not known whether the
canal lining remains below the surface. This open space and the associated building
lines which reflect the line of the former Dock are an important feature of the Lea
Bridge Conservation Area.
|
