Area of East London
Human settlement in England
Leytonstone
(
) is an area in
East London
, England, within the
London Borough of Waltham Forest
. It adjoins
Wanstead
to the north-east,
Forest Gate
to the south-east,
Stratford
to the south-west,
Leyton
to the west, and
Walthamstow
to the north-west, and is 7 miles (11 km) north-east of
Charing Cross
.
Historically
, it was part of the
ancient parish
of
Leyton
in the
Becontree hundred
of
Essex
. The first documented evidence of settlement is from the 14th century, describing a
hamlet
at 'Leyton-atte-stone'; a reference to the
Roman milestone
located within the area,
[2]
that formed a northern boundary of the parish.
[3]
It remained largely rural until the 19th century, becoming part of the
London postal district
in 1856, the same year its
railway station
was opened (now on the
Central line
). When
Greater London
was created in 1965, the
Municipal Borough of Leyton
merged with
Chingford
and
Walthamstow
to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
At the northern end of Leytonstone High Road is
The Green Man
; a
public house
and a nearby road junction under which the
A12
runs.
[4]
Leytonstone is noted for being the birthplace of
Alfred Hitchcock
, with a number of references to the filmmaker around the area, including painted
murals
,
mosaics
, a
pub
and a hotel.
[5]
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Origins and Roman milestone
[
edit
]
The main thoroughfare, Leytonstone High Road, is part of an ancient highway from
Epping
to London, on the borders of
Epping Forest
. A small
hamlet
at Leytonstone had existed since the early 14th century, when it formed part of the parish of
Leyton St Mary
. The name Leytonstone, originally "Leyton-atte-Stone", comes from nearby
Leyton
("settlement (tun) on the River Lea") and the Roman
milestone
called the High Stone.
The milestone still stands at the junction of Hollybush Hill (the
A1199 road
with
Woodford
) and New Wanstead (the
A113 road
with
Woodford Bridge
), near the eastern bounds of the parish. It is a restored 18th-century obelisk set up on an earlier stump, traditionally described as a Roman milestone, possibly marking an extension of the
Roman road
from
Dunmow
to
Chigwell
into London.
[7]
Two of the obelisk inscriptions are still just legible, others not:
- "To Epping XI Miles through Woodford, Loughton"
- "To Ongar XV Miles through Woodford Bridge, Chigwell, Abridge"
Other Roman archaeological features have been found in nearby
Leyton
, including "a Roman cemetery south of Blind Lane, and massive foundations of some Roman building, with quantities of Roman brick... discovered in the grounds of Leyton Grange."
[8]
18th and 19th century
[
edit
]
In 1722, author
Daniel Defoe
travelled through "Layton-stone, a place by some known, now as much, by the sign of the Green-Man". Leytonstone, along with
Stratford
, Leyton and Woodford, was one of the villages Defoe called desirable country retreats for wealthy
merchants
and financiers within an easy ride of the
City
.
[9]
Leytonstone remained largely rural until the opening of the railway at
Leytonstone station
in 1856, which gave quick and easy access to Stratford and central London. This, with increased availability of office and industrial work, had transformed the area into a suburban
dormitory town
by the end of the 19th century.
However, the forest land in the north and east of Leytonstone escaped development following a prolonged public campaign, when the Epping Forest Act 1878 preserved more than 200 acres (80 hectares) of open space for public use.
[7]
In 1898 the department store
Bearmans
, opened by Frank Bearman to sell furniture and clothing, was the first store outside central London with an
escalator
.
[10]
20th century
[
edit
]
In the mid-1990s, the
M11
link road (
A12
) was built through the area, despite a long-running
protest
by locals and
road protestors
. This and other protests led to the policy,
Roads for Prosperity
, being abandoned.
[11]
From 2001 to 2013, artists ran the
491 Gallery
, a squatted social space in a building next the A12, that hosted events from exhibitions to gigs.
[12]
Areas of Leytonstone
[
edit
]
Notable events
[
edit
]
Notable buildings and landmarks
[
edit
]
- The Green Man
roundabout
and public house at the north edge of Leytonstone, with associated statue and mosaic; it remains a signposting-point on the
A12
.
- Leytonstone is the birth place of Sir
Alfred Hitchcock
. The entrance to Leytonstone tube station has mosaics of scenes from his films. Next to his birth site at 517 Leytonstone High Road, the building has been painted with a mural of birds, repeated in the pavement outside. A pub at 692 Leytonstone High Road was renamed
The Birds
, in reference to his film
The Birds
.
- Leytonstone tube station
, a
post-war
modernist
building from 1947; designed by Thomas Bilbow, an architect for London Transport, as part of the
Central line
extension.
[19]
- Independent Buildings
on Church Lane, an
art deco
building and clock constructed by a local newspaper in 1934, replacing the Gaiety Cinema. The adjoining
Seascape House
is of matching architectural style.
[20]
- St John the Baptist's Church, Leytonstone
is
Grade II listed
. Built in 1832 and consecrated in 1833, it is a landmark church at the junction of High Road Leytonstone and Church Lane.
[21]
The churchyard is host to a vintage market and occasional screenings
[22]
of
Alfred Hitchcock
films, as part of the annual Leytonstone Festival.
- St Andrew's Church, Leytonstone
, Grade II listed, was built in 1886?1893 as a memorial to the local philanthropist
William Cotton
and designed by Sir
Arthur Blomfield
.
- Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue
, a
post-war
building in the
art deco
style on the corner of Fillebrook Road and Drayton Road; built in 1954 by the local Jewish community.
[23]
- Leytonstone Mosque
, a 1970s adaptation of an 1880s church hall that was originally part of St John's, provides worship for up to 1000 male
Sunni Muslims
and a range of religious education for young boys.
[24]
[25]
- Leytonstone House
, built 1800 and Grade II-listed, was the home of Sir
Edward Buxton
, MP and conservationist, who with his brother played a big part in preserving Epping, Hainault and Hatfield forests. It housed Bethnal Green School for the juvenile poor from 1868 to 1936.
[26]
[27]
- Leytonstone Library
? a
Grade II* listed
art deco building built in 1934 to the design of James Ambrose Dartnall ? underwent s £1.5 million refurbishment completed in 2015.
[28]
- Harrow Green Library
, an art deco building opened in 1939 and closed in 2011 due to funding cuts; now run as a volunteer library in the same building, renamed
The Junction
.
[29]
[30]
- Leytonstone War Memorial and Gardens
revealed in 1925 in remembrance of people of Leyton and Leytonstone who fought in
The Great War
and
World War II
; sited in the middle of Harrow Green, which is also the site of the modernist-style
Wesleyan Christian Centre
, built in 1959.
[31]
[32]
- The Red Lion
, which has had a
public house
on the site since 1670. The current building is from 1891, having been restored as
craft beer
pub,
ballroom
and hotel; currently owned by the pub group
Antic London
.
[33]
[34]
- Whipps Cross University Hospital
is set for redevelopment to include a brand-new hospital, along with new homes and other communal facilities. It was selected as one of six UK hospitals to receive a share of £2.7 billion of initial government funding in 2019.
[35]
- Whipps Cross Lido
was a swimming pool dug in 1905, updated to a chlorinated facility in 1937 and closed in 1982. Some remains of the building and access road can be found near Hollow Pond on Leyton Flats.
[36]
- Leytonstone Fire Station
, in Leytonstone High Road, was a Victorian building that was replaced in February 2016 by the current building.
[37]
- Pastures
and
Good Shepherd Building
in Davies Lane is the location of a 17th-century house and later Children's Home; now a Youth Centre and Sports Hall that was threatened with redevelopment but saved by community protest in April 2021.
[38]
[39]
- West Ham Union Workhouse
, whose buildings still remain in south Leytonstone, was originally part of the village of
Holloway Down
, located between Harrow Green and the Thatched House junction.
- Epping Forest
reaches Leytonstone in
heath
areas called Hollow Pond and Leyton Flats, and
Wanstead Flats
.
Governance
[
edit
]
Leytonstone belonged originally to the ancient parish of Leyton in the
Becontree
Hundred of
Essex
. It became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1845.
[40]
The parish of Leyton formed part of the West Ham
Poor law union
. In 1894 it became part of
Leyton Urban District
, which was incorporated in 1926 as the
Municipal Borough of Leyton
.
Leytonstone became part of the
London Borough of Waltham Forest
in 1965 when
Greater London
was created.
[41]
Within the borough, it divides into four council
wards
, each with three
councillors
: Forest ward (Whipps Cross area, parts of Upper Leytonstone as far as Grove Green), Leytonstone ward (the rest of Upper Leytonstone, the town centre,
Bushwood
and Ferndale areas), Cathall ward and Cann Hall ward (South Leytonstone areas).
[42]
[43]
The area forms part of the
Leyton and Wanstead
parliamentary constituency. As of May 2010
[update]
,
John Cryer
has held the seat for the
Labour Party
. For elections to the
London Assembly
it is part of the
North East
constituency and the AM is
Sem Moema
of the Labour Party, who succeeded Jenette Arnold in 2021 .
[42]
Population Estimates 2019
[44]
Ward
|
Population
|
% Change 2001-19
|
Cann Hall
|
14,427
|
+27%
|
Cathall
|
13,112
|
+24%
|
Forest
|
13,196
|
+27%
|
Leytonstone
|
13,961
|
+31%
|
Total
|
54,696
|
+27%
|
Transport
[
edit
]
Leytonstone tube station
is in Travelcard Zones 3 and 4 on the
Central line
of the
London Underground
, and serves as the last stop before the line splits into the
Fairlop Loop
and the branch to
Epping
(Zone 6). Since 2016,
night tube
trains run on Friday and Saturdays on the Central line every 10 minutes between
White City
and
Loughton
(in
Essex
) or
Hainault
via Leytonstone.
[45]
A series of tiled mosaics commemorating the local film director
Alfred Hitchcock
line the entrance passages to the station.
[46]
Leytonstone Bus Station stands either side of exits for Leytonstone tube station; key routes include the
257
to Stratford, the W15 to Hackney, and the night bus
N8
to Tottenham Court Road.
Leytonstone High Road railway station
is a
London Overground
railway station, located in the south of Leytonstone, serving the
Gospel Oak to Barking line
. In 2018, the line was electrified to allow for longer trains, with an additional capacity; after engineering and supply delays, these were introduced in June 2019.
Close to the southern end of Leytonstone (
3
⁄
4
mile or 1.2 kilometres south of the Cann Hall Road boundary) is
Maryland railway station
in
Stratford
; which is on the
Elizabeth line
.
[47]
From 25 October 2021, Leytonstone will be in London's
Ultra Low Emission Zone
(ULEZ); which is to be expanding from central London up to the North Circular and South Circular roads.
[48]
Education
[
edit
]
Leytonstone schools include:
- Buxton School
, an all-through school for ages 3?16 and Specialist Science College
- Connaught School for Girls
, a specialist language school
- Davies Lane Primary School, first opened in 1901 as a
board school
. In 1948 it became a junior and infants school, merging into a single primary in 2004.
- George Tomlinson Primary School
- Gwyn Jones Primary School
- Leytonstone School
, a specialist business and enterprise school
- Mayville Nursery and Primary School, from 2-10yo
- Norlington School
, a boys' school and mixed
sixth form
Sports and fitness
[
edit
]
Leytonstone Leisure Centre
on Cathall Road provides a gym and 25-metre main pool, sports hall, fitness studios, and a children's soft-play area.
[49]
Wanstead Flats
has 60 football pitches, including eight full size pitches. This facility is overseen by
City of London Corporation
and amateur football teams play every Sunday.
[50]
and
5K Parkruns
take place in
Wanstead Flats
every week.
[51]
The North Star on Browning Road
is home to the
North Star Velo cycling club
.
[52]
Leytonstone was home to the former
association football
team
Leytonstone F.C.
before it merged with
Redbridge Forest F.C.
and then
Dagenham & Redbridge
football club.
In drama, film and television
[
edit
]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Damon Albarn
(born 1968), singer-songwriter born in Fillebrook Road, lead singer of
Blur
.
- Eric Ashby, Baron Ashby
(1904?1992), botanist, was born in Leytonstone.
- Roger Ashton-Griffiths
(born 1957), actor
- David Bailey
(born 1939), CBE, photographer, was born in Leytonstone.
- Reginald Poynton Baker
(1896?1985), movie producer, father of the Conservative MP
Peter Baker
- Ashley Banjo
(born 1988), dancer and choreographer, was born in Leytonstone.
- David Beckham
OBE (born 1975), footballer (England, Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain), was born in Leytonstone and grew up in
Chingford
.
- James Bevan
(1858?1938), captain of the Welsh
rugby union
team in its first international match, died in Leytonstone
- Reginald Horace Blyth
(1898?1964), author and
orientalist
- Alan Booth
(1946?1993), travel writer
[55]
- Patrick Brill OBE RA (born 1963) artist, writer and musician; known by the pseudonym
Bob and Roberta Smith
- Edward North Buxton
(1840?1924), conservationist and liberal politician
- Cornelius Cardew
(1936?1981), composer
- Carly Cole
(born 1984), model, fitness trainer and wife of footballer
Joe Cole
- Fanny Cradock
(1909?1994), TV chef and cookery writer born in Fairlop Road, Leytonstone
[56]
- Curtis Davies
(born 1985), footballer
- Cartrain
(born 1991), artist
- Harris Dickinson
(born 1996), actor
- Frank Dobson
(1886?1963), sculptor, lived in Cobden Road as a teenager in 1901
- John Drinkwater
(1882?1937), poet and dramatist, born in Leytonstone in 1882
- Charles Eade
(1903?1964), journalist, born in Leytonstone
- Eamon Everall
(born 1948), artist and educator
- Ken Farnes
(1911?1941), cricketer
- Henry Charles Fehr
(1867?1940), sculptor, lived and worked in Leytonstone in 1886?1891.
[57]
- Joanne Fenn
(born 1974), Olympic runner
- Stuart Freeborn
(1914?2013), Star Wars
make-up artist
who was most famous as the designer of
Yoda
; born in Grove Green Road, had a Blue Heritage Plaque placed on his former home in December 2015.
[58]
- Graham Gooch
(born 1953), OBE, cricketer, former captain of the England cricket team
- Jimmy Hallybone
(born 1962), former professional footballer
- Steve Harris
(born 1956), founder and bassist of the band
Iron Maiden
- Sir
Alfred Hitchcock
(1899?1980), film director born and raised in the area.
- Tom Hood
(1835?1874), humorist and playwright
- Sydney Horler
(1888?1964), novelist
- Gavin Hoyte
(born 1990), footballer
- Justin Hoyte
(born 1984), footballer
- Derek Jacobi
(born 1938) CBE, actor
- Jammer
(born 1982), record producer
- Colin Kazim-Richards
(born 1986), footballer
- Lucy Kirkwood
(born 1983), playwright and screenwriter
- Don Law
(1902?1982), record producer
- Natasha Little
(born 1969), actor
- Sean Mac Stiofain
(1928?2001), chief-of-staff of the
Provisional IRA
- Morell Mackenzie
(1837?1892), research physician
- Colin Matthews
(born 1946), composer
- Dominic McVey
(born 1985), Britain's youngest self-made millionaire
- Jozef Piłsudski
(1867?1935), Polish statesman, stayed with the
Wasilewski family
while on the run from Russia in the 1900s
- Jamie Porter
(born 1993), cricketer
- Redzz
(born 1987), rapper, actor, songwriter and musician
- Sir
Tony Robinson
(born 1946), comedian and broadcaster
- Jonathan Ross
(born 1960), broadcaster and comedian. Went to Davies Lane primary school.
[
citation needed
]
- Paul Ross
(born 1956), broadcaster
- June Sarpong
(born 1977) MBE, television presenter
- Rita Simons
(born 1977), actress, singer and model
- Talvin Singh
(born 1970), composer and musician
- Adam Smith
(born 1991), footballer
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Waltham Forest Ward population 2011"
.
Neighbourhood Statistics
. Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
19 October
2016
.
- ^
"London Borough of Waltham Forest: Archaeological Priority Areas Appraisal, October 2020"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
2 August
2021
.
- ^
"Leyton: Introduction | British History Online"
.
www.british-history.ac.uk
. Retrieved
12 September
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone - Green Man Mural"
. 14 July 2021.
- ^
"Hitchcock Mosaics"
. 14 July 2021.
- ^
"The Birds, Leytonstone"
. 14 July 2021.
- ^
a
b
Powell, W. R. (1973).
"A History of the County of Essex"
. British History Online. pp 174?184, Leyton: Introduction
. Retrieved
26 March
2018
.
- ^
J. Kennedy
A History of the Parish of Leyton, Essex
Phelp Brothers, Leyton (1894), digital copy at [archive.org].
- ^
Defoe, Daniel (1722),
A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies
(Volume I, Letter I)
- ^
"Bearmans Department Store in Leytonstone Remembered - Guardian p.17 Dec 2012"
. 17 December 2012
. Retrieved
27 November
2014
.
- ^
Lean, Geoffrey (21 January 1996).
"Tories ditch the 'car economy'
"
.
The Independent
. London.
Archived
from the original on 14 June 2022
. Retrieved
7 May
2010
.
- ^
"Hey Galleries -- 491 Gallery"
.
heygalleries.co.uk
. Retrieved
10 August
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone Festival"
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Waltham Forest Events - Leytonstone Festival"
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Alfred Hitchcock mosaics, Leytonstone, London"
.
www.thejoyofshards.co.uk
. Retrieved
28 April
2020
.
- ^
"About Us ? Leytonstone Arts Trail"
. Retrieved
14 September
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone Loves Film -- The Barbican"
.
www.barbican.org.uk
. Retrieved
1 September
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone Loves Film | Home"
.
leytonstonelovesfilm.com
. Retrieved
1 September
2021
.
- ^
"Modernism in Metroland"
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Cimema Treasures"
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Welcome to St Johns"
.
www.stjohns-leytonstone.org.uk
. Retrieved
29 April
2017
.
- ^
"Hitchcock's Home ? Leytonstoner"
.
- ^
"London Open House"
. 28 August 2019
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone Mosque -- Our History"
. Retrieved
25 July
2021
.
- ^
"Ediths Streets -- Phillibrook Stream Leytonstone"
. Retrieved
25 July
2021
.
- ^
"History of Leytonstone House"
. 13 June 2017
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone - Hidden London"
. Retrieved
14 September
2021
.
- ^
"East London Guardian ? History: The Leytonstone Library that became 'a symbol of freedom and democracy' in war propaganda"
.
East London Guardian
.
- ^
"History of Harrow Green Library"
. 21 January 2010
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Harrow Green Library"
. Retrieved
9 August
2021
.
- ^
"Leyton And Leytonstone"
.
Imperial War Museums
. Retrieved
29 August
2021
.
- ^
"Wesleyan Christian Centre ? The Twentieth Century Society"
.
c20society.org.uk
. Retrieved
29 August
2021
.
- ^
"Antic London - Red Lion Leytonstone"
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
"Leytonstone - Red Lion Back To Its 1930s Heyday"
. 15 January 2016
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
Barts Health NHS (June 2023).
"Future Whipps Cross Hospital"
.
- ^
"Losted Lido at Whipps Cross"
. 7 July 2018.
- ^
"New Leytonstone Fire Station opens in £51.5m investment across capital"
.
East London and West Essex Guardian Series
. 25 February 2016
. Retrieved
21 August
2021
.
- ^
"Watham Forest Echo - Pastures Sports Hall Saved From Housing"
. 7 April 2021.
- ^
"Children's Homes -- Leytonstone"
. Retrieved
10 August
2021
.
- ^
Hibbert, Christopher (2008).
London Encyclopaedia
. Macmillan London Ltd. pp. 482?483.
ISBN
978-1-4050-4924-5
.
- ^
Powell, W. R., ed. (1973).
A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6
. London: Victoria County History. pp. 205?214.
ISBN
978-0197227190
.
- ^
a
b
"Leytonstone Democracy"
.
leytonstonetoday.net
. L D Horton
. Retrieved
22 June
2020
.
- ^
"Waltham Forest Statistics"
. 14 July 2021.
- ^
"City Population - Leytonstone"
. 14 July 2021.
- ^
"The Night Tube"
.
Transport for London
. Retrieved
29 April
2017
.
- ^
"Alfred Hitchcock Tile Murals in Tube Station"
.
- ^
TFL Crossrail (29 December 2022).
"TFL Crossrail Maryland Station"
. Archived from
the original
on 4 August 2015.
- ^
"Mayor Of London Press Release ULEZ (low emission zone) expansion to expand up to North and South Circular"
.
- ^
"Leytonstone Leisure Centre"
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
League, Essex Sunday Corinthian Football.
"Wanstead Albion"
.
www.escfl.co.uk
. Retrieved
23 September
2021
.
- ^
"Wanstead Flats parkrun"
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
"North Star Velo"
. Retrieved
24 July
2021
.
- ^
Deep End filming locations
at IMDb
- ^
"Hat Trick Featured shows"
.
www.hattrick.co.uk
.
- ^
"Alan Booth".
The Times
. No. 64580. 1 March 1993. p. 19.
- ^
"Blue Plaque ? Fanny Craddock"
.
- ^
"Famous people who came from our area"
.
www.leytonpast.info
. Leyton & Leytonstone Historical Society
. Retrieved
26 March
2018
.
- ^
ITV News.
"Star Wars Artist Honoured With Plaque on East London House"
.
ITV News
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|