page_title: Walthamstow Wetlands
section_title: The Coppermill
hierarchical_section_title: Walthamstow Wetlands / Architecture / The Coppermill
caption_attribution_description: English: Waterworks, Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow
context_page_description: Walthamstow Wetlands is a 211 ha nature reserve in Walthamstow, east London. It is focussed on the Walthamstow Reservoirs, built by the East London Waterworks Company between 1853 and 1904 as part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain. The site is one of the largest urban wetland nature reserves in Europe, and is particularly important for wildlife due to its position within the Lee Valley; a byway for migrating, wintering and breeding birds. Visitors can freely access the site's natural, industrial and social heritage in one of the capital's most densely populated urban areas.
  The reservoirs, under the ownership of Thames Water, also form part of a larger Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, noted for the mixture of aquatic and terrestrial habitats on site, and for their London-wide importance.
context_section_description: The Coppermill building is Grade II Listed and has undergone a number of alterations over the centuries, including the addition of an Italianate tower in 1864. The mill at Walthamstow has been mentioned several times throughout historical records. It was noted that in the 14th century, the mill was powered by the Coppermill Stream that diverted from the River Lea for use in grinding corn. In 1611, four mills are mentioned in association with the Manor of Walthamstow.
  From 1659 until 1703, the mill was known to have been used as a paper mill with the adjacent stream being referred to as the Paper-mill River. However, in 1699 the adjacent marshes are noted to have been referred to as Powder Mill Marsh which questions the use of the mill and suggests that it may have been used in the production of gunpowder for the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651. A number of gunpowder mills operated in the Lower Lee Valley, suggesting that the mill may have been used as such during this time.
  Accounts from 1703, 1710, 1712 and 1718 record the mill being used as a leather mill, with Pierre Montier, a skin-dresser, first referred to as ‘the Miller’ in 1703 to be followed in turn by Peter Lefevre in 1711 and Daniel Lefevre in 1713.
  The mill was noted as an ‘oyl mill’ until 1806 when it was rebuilt and put up for sale. In 1859 the mill was acquired for £4,000 by the East London Waterworks Company, which repurposed it as a pumping house. At present, the Coppermill serves as an operational hub for Thames Water
caption: Coppermills, Walthamstow
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