The main venue for the 2012 Olympics is on the old floodplain of the River Lea, now reclaimed from former industrial and railway use. But the branches of the old river will still wind their way between the venues (Figure 1), and the whole site is a good study of the challenges and opportunities faced by urban societies in a 1,000 year history of floodplain occupation.
The Lea (or Lee) is an anastomosing river, which means that its main channel has branched and joined in an irregular pattern. Today, its multiple channels are relatively stable, with wetlands in between (Hackney, Bow and Stratford marshes). This type of floodplain was common to most of the lower tributaries of the Thames in medieval times. It made them difficult to cross, because of the several narrow but deep channels and the marshes between them.
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