Hackney Marshes

About Hackney Marshes

Hackney Marshes is a broad area of open grassland in east London, in the London Borough of Hackney near the boundary with Waltham Forest. The landscape is shaped by the River Lea system: the Old River Lea lies along its eastern and northern side, while the Lee Navigation forms the western edge. The A12 marks the southern boundary, with the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park beyond it. Hackney Marshes forms part of the lower Lee Valley landscape and sits within the wider Lee Valley Regional Park, a linear park extending through London, Essex and Hertfordshire. The marshes are known for their extensive sports provision. Hackney Council describes the site as having one of Europe’s largest concentrations of football pitches, and its facilities also include rugby and cricket pitches. Paths and cycle routes connect the marshes with surrounding parts of the Lee Valley and the Olympic Park. The site also has nature-conservation value: Hackney Council identifies Hackney Marshes within the borough’s network of Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, while local habitat projects include work around the North Marsh and a community tree nursery and forest garden. The result is a distinctive mix of floodplain landscape, organised sport, waterways and urban-edge green space.

Sources

• news.hackney.gov.uk
• www.hackney.gov.uk
• www.hackney.gov.uk
• www.leevalleypark.org.uk
• www.visitleevalley.org.uk

Checked 2026-09-02

Where it is

• 1 hour

  20 min walk · London Borough of Newham

  Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

  • Must see
  • Nature site
• 45 min

  29 min walk · London Borough of Newham

  ArcelorMittal Orbit

  • Must see
  • Historic monument
• 45 min

  27 min walk · London Borough of Hackney

  TK Maxx

  • Market

External links

• Official site
• View on Wikidata