It is named for a timber bridge built across the River Lea in 1745 which formed the dividing line between Middlesex and Essex. The road leading to it became known as Lea Bridge Road, with a tollhouse at the Middlesex bank. The bridge was rebuilt in 1821 and tolls continued to be levied until 1872.
Lea Bridge gives access to the lower reaches of the extensive Lee Valley Park. To the south are the Hackney Marshes, and to the north the Walthamstow Marshes.
The old Middlesex Filter Beds have been converted into a nature reserve, and on the Leyton side the Essex Filter Beds are now a reserve for birds. Next to the south side of the bridge are two pubs: ’The Princess of Wales’ and ’The Ship Aground’.
Lea Bridge station opened on 15 September 1840 by the Northern and Eastern Railway as Lea Bridge Road and is thought to be the earliest example of a station having its building on a railway bridge, with staircases down to the platforms.
The station closed on 8 July 1985 but after service changes, reopened in May 2016.