London's Lea Valley is a small area with a big history. Stretching from Luton in the north to the River Thames in the south, it is widely considered to be the birthplace of Britain’s post-industrial revolution and has been renowned as a centre of innovation for more than two hundred years. In this talk Jim Lewis looks at the technological revolution in Lea Valley and discusses how these developments continue to affect the architecture and landscape of the region.

Dr Jim Lewis is a freelance writer, researcher and broadcaster for his specialist subject – London’s Lea Valley. Recent publications include a series of five individual books tracing the history of Lea Valley. Jim is currently a Consultant to Terry Farrell & Partners on the historical development of London’s Lea Valley and a Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) tutor teaching industrial history.

This debate was part of the Building East London series and curated collaboration with historian Dan Cruickshank. The series explored the architectural development of East London and was part of the East festival's programme looking at architecture.