The Incompleat Angler takes its title from Isaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler, drawing upon angling as a practice of attentiveness to the river. Through years spent beside the River Lea, subtle changes emerge that are easily missed in passing: water levels, pollution, habitat loss and the transformation of a landscape under pressure. The project draws from this accumulated knowledge to reconsider the relationship between architecture, stewardship and the river itself.

Situated along a 6km stretch of the Upper Lea, the proposal responds to the ecological decline of one of England’s chalk streams through a network of architectural and landscape interventions. Existing river infrastructure is adapted to support conservation, education and environmental management, creating a framework through which communities, riverkeepers, ecologists and anglers can work together.

The architecture is conceived as an infrastructure for care in our riparian space. Working across multiple sites, it creates places for learning, collaboration and stewardship, supporting collective action and the long-term recovery of the river.