Violinist and local composer Ellie Wilson has recorded an album that captures the sounds of flowing water, birds and the surrounding urban environment around the River Ching

By Evie Goodwin

A hidden stretch of the River Ching in Highams Park is being transformed into an immersive musical experience this May, as local composer Ellie Wilson invites residents to “listen” to a river many pass every day without noticing. 

Wilson’s new piece, Listen to the River Ching, will be presented at a public listening event on Wednesday, 6th May at Brookfield Path in Chingford, where visitors will be able to sit by the river and experience the composition through headphones in the landscape that inspired it. 

The piece was built from recordings taken at the meadow, capturing the sounds of flowing water, birds and the surrounding urban environment, as well as underwater recordings from beneath the river’s surface.

These sounds are woven together with instruments and voices to create an immersive composition that reflects the life of the river and its ecosystem. 

The work was created in collaboration with the Highams Park Snedders and Ching Action Group, who have been restoring Brookfield Meadow, a site that until recently was overgrown and little understood. 

“It was just sort of a patch of land no one really knew who it belonged to,” Wilson said. “It felt like a bit of a no-man’s land.” 

The project, commissioned by Ching Action Group and supported by a Waltham Forest “Make It Happen” grant, brings together music, environmental awareness and community collaboration including contributions from visually impaired pupils at Joseph Clarke School. 

For Wilson, the project is deeply personal. Born in Leytonstone and raised in Highams Park, she grew up exploring the area around the River Ching and Epping Forest. 

“I learnt to ride my bike in Epping Forest. I used to come down here as a kid and sit by the river,” she said. “This is my patch.”

That connection to place is central to her work. Rather than composing in abstraction, Wilson draws on local landscapes, history and memory to shape her music. 

That connection to place runs through the composition, not just geographically, but historically. The piece incorporates a reading from Epping Forest: London’s Great Legacy, an 1895 book by Henry Hawkins that once belonged to Wilson’s great-grandfather. 

“I really like to tap into the layers of history,” she said. “I used a book that belonged to my great grandad… I like the idea of someone who walked this path, writing about the landscape – and how the landscape hasn’t changed a great deal when you’re by the river itself.”

“I need a narrative for what I create,” she explained. “I want to make work that connects people to the world around them.” 

The River Ching runs for around 10km from Connaught Water in Epping Forest to the River Lea, but despite its size, it often goes unnoticed. 

“It’s one of those unsung areas,” Wilson said. “People know they can go into Epping Forest for nature, but places like this – they’re right on our doorstep and we take them for granted.” 

To create the piece, Wilson used underwater microphones, known as hydrophones, to record sounds along the river at Brookfield Meadow, capturing birds, flowing water and the everyday sounds of the surrounding area. 

“It’s like putting your head under water in a swimming pool, everything changes,” she said. “You hear the movement of the water in a completely different way.” 

These recordings are woven together with violin, percussion and electronic elements to create what she describes as an “immersive sonic journey” through the river environment. 

A key part of the project involved working with pupils from Joseph Clarke School, who are visually impaired. 

Students visited the river to explore it through sound, before recreating what they heard using instruments and voice. 

“Their world is sound,” Wilson said. “They navigate using what they can hear, smell and feel. They’re incredibly tuned in to those details.” 

When asked how the river made them feel, one pupil responded: “Safe.” 

Their contributions, including whispered voices and percussion, are included in the final composition, helping shape how the river is represented in sound. 

Wilson said the collaboration helped highlight how differently people experience the same environment. 

“It’s about bringing that way of listening to a wider audience,” she said. “Encouraging people to experience places like this more deeply.” 

The project also draws attention to the ecological importance of small urban green spaces. 

The Brookfield Path area, now known as Brookfield Meadow, was recently cleared and restored by volunteers from the Ching Action Group, who are working with partners including Thames21 to improve biodiversity and water quality in the river. 

Like many urban waterways, the River Ching faces challenges including pollution, habitat loss and reduced wildlife. 

“These small ecosystems are incredibly important,” Wilson said. “They support birds, insects and aquatic life, even if we don’t always notice it.” 

By combining art and environmental storytelling, the project aims to help people reconnect with these spaces. 

“It’s about making people stop and think,” she said. “If someone listens to the piece and then comes here and sees the river differently, that’s a success.” 

Residents will have the chance to experience Listen to the River Ching for themselves at a free public event on Wednesday 6th May at Brookfield Path. 

Attendees will be given headphones to listen to the piece while sitting by the river, creating a shared but personal experience of the landscape. 

The event forms part of the Highams Park Art Trail and is expected to bring together local residents, artists and community groups. 

For Wilson, the aim is simple: “I hope it gives people a new appreciation for what’s on their doorstep.”

Find out more about Listen to the River Ching on Wednesday 6th May here

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