Stop 4 - Lock Keepers Bridge

Make sure your volume is on: "Waypoint 4 - Modern Park"

Show transcript

The combination of the Diamond Bridge and Carpenters Road Lock tell a story about the practical thinking that went into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. From the first, the Park was designed to have a legacy beyond the Olympic and Paralympic events temporarily taking place within it. The needs of these mammoth sporting events would be met by the Park’s infrastructure, but would not dictate its final shape.

The Diamond Bridge is lovely – three narrow walkways zigzagging over the narrow neck of water below. But it was impractical for the Olympic and Paralympic crowds as it created a bottleneck. Similarly, the rusting old lock at Carpenters Road could not be easily refurbished in time for the 2012 Games.

The result was a compromise. The Diamond Bridge Z-shape was built, but without the handrails, and a temporary structure filled in the two triangular sections to make a single, broad bridge. This also screened the old lock from view, allowing its refurbishment to be put back until a more convenient time slot.

If you look at the base of the Diamond Bridge, you can see it is made up of concrete rubble in sturdy wire cages. These are the remains of some of the old industrial buildings that used to be on site, crushed, cleaned and put to a new use. Like the soil, care was taken to minimize the amount of traffic and landfill created by building the Olympic and Paralympic site.

To find the next waypoint, continue across the bridge and follow the footpath under the rather functional access bridge. You will find a metal platform and steps at a place where the river narrows, which is our next stop.