Geography
The River Lea forms the boundary with the London Borough of Hackney, and the marshes lie within the Lee Valley Park. South of the Walthamstow Marshes lie the Leyton Marshes, and to the north the remains of Tottenham Marshes, parts of which are now the Banbury Reservoir. North of Coppermill Lane, are the linked set of Lockwood Reservoir, High Maynard Reservoir, Low Maynard Reservoir, Walthamstow Reservoirs, East Warwick Reservoir and West Warwick Reservoirs. The 90.7 acres (36.7 ha) area of Walthamstow Marshes south of these escaped both development and use for gravel excavation, remaining a relatively untouched refuge for wildlife, crossed only by the railway lines in 1840 and 1870.
The marshes are one of the last remaining examples of semi-natural wetland in Greater London. They contain a variety of plant communities typical of a former flood plain location, such as a range of neutral grassland types, sedge marsh, reed swamp, sallow scrub and areas of tall herb vegetation. Associated with this diversity of habitat are several species of plant and insect which are uncommon in the London area.
Read more about this topic: Walthamstow Marshes
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