Bow Creek is a 2.25 miles (3.6 km) long tidal estuary of the River Lee and is part of the Bow Back Rivers. Below Bow Locks the creek forms the boundary between the London Boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets, in East London.
This natural channel is accessible from the artificial Lee Navigation by Bow Locks (shown). As this makes a number of meanders before reaching the River Thames, an artificial channel – Limehouse Cut was dug in 1766, running south west directly to the Thames at Limehouse. This channel now ends in Limehouse Basin.
Ships were built at the Orchard House Yard, in the southern reaches at Leamouth, and launched in the creek where they could travel north along the River Lee Navigation or south to the River Thames. In 1810, an iron bridge was built spanning the creek – just south of the modern A13 bridge. The abutments have been reused for the pedestrian Jubilee Bridge.
