The Industrial Heritage of London’s Lea Valley is a virtual encyclopaedia and a depository of knowledge of Britain’s industrial revolutions, revealing 250 years of pictures, films, stories and objects, brought together to share invaluable information of the Lea Valley’s industrial past. For the first time, the area’s industrial archives are collated and shared to educate and inspire present and future generations of some of the world’s most curious innovators and makers.
From the First Industrial Revolution included, canals, sewage, railways, railway steam engine manufacture and industrial development to the Second with the first internal combustion engine car, first all British aviation flight, innovation in road transport and the first form of battery-powered vehicle.
The origins of the Third, (Electronic/Technological) can be traced back to 1904 with the invention of the Diode Valve by Professor Ambrose Fleming. This was the first time that scientists and engineers had control of a stream of electrons by electronic means. This resulted in the development of radio, television, computers, and other electronic devices. The first automatic underground railway in the world (Victoria Line) was here in the Lea Valley. Guidance systems and space travel can be traced back to Professor Fleming’s original device.
The Lea Valley is therefore home to some of humankind’s most important industrial achievements. The world is now on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Automation/AI/Robotics) where its applications build on those earlier innovations pioneered here in the Lea Valley.
This is a living, breathing encyclopaedic world that invites people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures to dip in online, explore through the metaverse, and visit locations and exhibitions. This resource, to be made interactive, will not just wow and inspire, but educate those who visit as they engage with collections, see and hear people’s stories, and discover some of Britain’s most striking industrial achievements.
Manufacturing so readily identified with the industrial heartland of the north and midlands was also routed here in the Lea Valley. From steam carriages and engines, cars, buses, motorcycles, hatters and furniture makers, weaponry, shipbuilding, and aircraft production to electronic devices and plastics, this tells the story of Britain’s best-kept secret. Through it, visitors to this website will better understand the industrial heritage of the Lea Valley and appreciate how the world works in the 21st century.