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For more than 50 years, the Bow Back Rivers in east London lay derelict, under-used and almost forgotten. Today, the completion of the new Three Mills Lock has revived this fascinating network of waterways and made it part of the 2012 Olympic Park.
The project has created a green gateway for barges entering the Olympic Park, reducing the need for road transport, and is part of a larger vision to make better use of waterways in the area for the benefit of people, navigation and wildlife.
Three Mills Lock includes twin control gates, a 62m tidal lock, a control building and fish pass in the Prescott Channel, and a flap gate weir in Three Mills Walled River. Construction had to work around the constraints of flood risk and twice daily tidal inundation, as well as safe detonation of a 1,000kg World War 2 bomb.
There will be a legacy here far beyond the Olympics, with the waterways potentially being used to carry waste and recyclates from new homes built in the area, as well as attracting leisure activity and encouraging wildlife habitats.
"A major contribution to waterways renewal by the London Olympics site."