The River Lynch, also known as the Lynch Brook, is a minor tributary of the

River Lea The River Lea ( ) is in the East of England and Greater London. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Cr ...

Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, England.

History

Historically, the River Lynch was named after the flat terraces, known as a

lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

, which were formed when cultivating the steep slopes of a river valley, much the same as the rice terraces of

South East Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The terrace, or lynch, was designed to reduce soil erosion by slowing the rapid run-off of water, and a series of these terraces gave the Lynch landscape a stepped appearance. These terraces were used extensively in the area directly above the River Lynch for the production of water cress during the 19th and early 20th centuries, using the fertile brick earth soils of the valley sides. The site of these former terraces is still clearly visible today within the Lampits housing estate, in the sloping open area below the course of the New River, leading downhill to Conduit Lane East and the Lynch Mill Pond. The terraces at the Lynch were situated above a deep funnel-shaped natural hole that carried water up from the chalk. The pond and watermill at Lynch Corner, fed by the spring, were described in medieval court rolls, as being ancient and known locally as 'Le Lince.'Tregelles, J.A, ''A History of Hoddesdon in the County of Hertfordshire'', 1908, p99-100 The New River, which passes directly overhead, closely hugging the 100 foot contour of the

Lea Valley The Lea Valley (also spelt Lee Valley), the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics wer ...

, destroyed much of the original landscape of the area, notably Lynch Hill and the Lynch Gap.

Course

The course of the River Lynch has been altered extensively over the centuries for use in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and then later for

gravel extraction A gravel pit is an open-pit mine for the extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may naturally fill with water to form ponds or Excavation lake, lakes. Gravel pit lakes are typically n ...

. The spring by the Lynch also supplies the Admiral's Walk Lake in the

Lee Valley Park Lee Valley Regional Park is a long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire. The park follows the course of the River Lea (Lee) along the Lea Valley from Ware in Hertfords ...

with clear water. Beginning in the rear property of Spring Lodge on Conduit Lane East,

, the Lynch is joined by the flow of the Woollens Brook after Bridgeways, the site of the former Lynch Mill, and then flows in an eastern direction under the

Lea Valley Lines The Lea Valley lines are a set of suburban rail lines running along the Lea Valley in East London, North London and Hertfordshire to Liverpool Street and Stratford. Historically part of the Great Eastern Railway, the lines now form part of t ...

towards the former Lee Valley Caravan Park at

Dobbs Weir Dobbs Weir is both a weir in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire and an area of Roydon, Essex, Roydon, Essex in England on the River Lea. It is well known for angling, outdoor beauty and Water sport (recreation), watersports. It is overlooked by the '' ...

. The Lynch then continues its journey in a southerly direction along a straightened channel, forming the western boundary of the caravan park, before joining the former original loop of the River Lea, which in turn becomes Broxbourne Mill Stream, by Dobbs Weir Lock.

Public access

It is possible to walk alongside the Lynch by following a public footpath to Dobbs Weir, albeit much of it has been enclosed within the gardens of the houses along Bridgeways, a private and unadopted road in Hoddesdon. The Lynch is visible and can be heard as you walk along the path where it is joined by the Woollens Brook before passing under the railway lines.

References

{{Coord, 51.75727, N, 0.00253, W, type:river_region:GB, display=title

Lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...

1Lynch