Channelsea Island

Channelsea Island is a small man-made island in the Channelsea River in East London, near Three Mills Island in Newham. It was the site of the Abbey Mill, a medieval tidal watermill founded by the monks of Stratford Langthorne Abbey.

Landscape

The island lies among the tidal channels of the Lea at Abbey Mills, beside the great Victorian sewage pumping stations. Islands in the Thames are called aits or eyots, from the Old English for a small island.

History

The Abbey Mill dated back to at least the 12th century and was one of the eight watermills on the River Lea recorded in the Domesday Book. Abbey Mills Pumping Station nearby, built by Joseph Bazalgette in the 1860s and known as the Cathedral of Sewage, was part of his scheme to clean up London’s Thames.

The Abbey Mill dated back to at least the 12th century and was one of the eight watermills on the River Lea recorded in the Domesday Book.

Visiting

Channelsea Island can be seen from the Greenway path and the Three Mills area. You can collect Channelsea Island as a sighting in your Island Passport.

Wildlife and area

The tidal channels around the island are used by grey herons, cormorants and kingfishers. Nearby islands include Chiswick Eyot, Oliver’s Island and Wilderness Island.