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Kestrels are small, as are male sparrowhawks. You almost certainly saw a female sparrowhawk. Peregrines consider pigeons to be an easy lunch, to give an idea of comparative size. Peregrines are slightly less common than an available black cab in a thunderstorm in London.
ColinTheBald-
Ta (and @Colonel_of_Truth )
I think the new tall residential towers nearby might have peregrine boxes/platforms so while I'm pretty sure it wasn't one there's a chance yet. They also installed a couple artificial otter holts. But however hard I try I can't imagine otters in the lower Lea... -
I was lucky enough to see a peregrine diving on prey of some sort in north wales some years ago. I could see it wheeling above a valley I was walking along the top of, then it folded it’s wings and dropped, at a ridiculous speed. Impressive stuff.
hoefla
AlexD
I saw a small bird of prey in east london last week, at the top of a tree by the river. It was grey and had hooked wings. I thought it might be a sparrowhawk but internet says they are quite small. This was just larger than a wood pigeon and perched upright. I'd like to think I'd have recognised a peregrine, and also I think they tend to hang out much higher up. Any ideas?