Leytonstone

Infobox UK place
official_name= Leytonstone
map_type= Greater London
region= London
country= England
london_borough= Waltham Forest
constituency_westminster= Leyton & Wanstead
post_town= LONDON
postcode_area= E
postcode_district= E11,E15
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ395875
latitude= 51.569053
longitude= 0.0137684

Leytonstone is an area of East London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located convert|11|km|mi|0|lk=on north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow to the northwest, Wanstead (in the London Borough of Redbridge) to the north, Leyton to the south, and Manor Park (in the London Borough of Newham) to the east.

History

Leytonstone is the king of the east.The main thoroughfare in Leytonstone, High Road Leytonstone, which runs the length of Leytonstone to Stratford is an ancient pathway dating to pre-Roman times. Roman archaeological features have been found in the area.

The name Leytonstone — in early documents "Leyton-Atte-Stone" — may derive from the large stone standing at the junction of Hollybush Hill and New Wanstead; in the 18th-century an obelisk was mounted on top of it, and it has been claimed that it is the remains of a Roman milestone.

Two of the obelisk's inscriptions are still just legible: others are not.

:"To Epping XI Miles through Woodford, Loughton":"To Ongar XV Miles through Woodford Bridge, Chigwell, Abridge"

It has been claimed that High Road Leytonstone is a prehistoric pathway dating from before the Romans built a road along the same route to London. However Roman roads have since been found during excavations.

The earliest known cartographic reference to Leytonstone is dated from 1545. It was part of Essex until 1965.

To the eastern side of Leytonstone lies the Lake House estate, which until its recent inclusion within the London Borough of Redbridge was also seen as belonging to the area. [cite web|accessdate=2008-05-10|url=http://www.wansteadwildlife.org.uk/INTRODUCTORY_AND_VARIOUS_FILES/about_Wanstead_Wildlife.htm|title=Wanstead Wildlife]

Leytonstone was the centre of protests against the construction of the M11 link road, in 1990. The protesters' final stand was staged at Claremont Road, Leytonstone and was ended by the forced eviction of protestors in 1994.

Education

The borough includes:

*Connaught School for Girls, a specialist Language College
*Leytonstone School, which is a specialist Business and Enterprise College
*Tom Hood School, a specialist Science College

Notable features

* Epping Forest boundaries reach Leytonstone in wooded areas called Hollow Ponds and Wanstead Flats.
* Whipps Cross University Hospital
* Dagenham & Redbridge football club, currently a professional Coca-Cola League Two team, is an amalgamation of several amateur football clubs, including Leytonstone F.C., who played along Leytonstone High Road. The Wanderers F.C. also originated from Leytonstone but played in several other venues round London.

Notable people associated with Leytonstone

* Alfred Hitchcock was born and raised in the area; the entrance to Leytonstone tube station has a number of mosaics depicting scenes from his films.

* One infamous person who reputedly passed through Leytonstone, staying at the Green Man pub (now O'Neill's), was Essex-born highwayman Dick Turpin. Turpin allegedly passed through Leytonstone to Epping Forest en route to Norwich, and eventually to his appointment with the hangman in 1739.

* Damon Albarn, singer-songwriter and musician (keyboard, piano, ...) with Blur, Gorillaz and The Good The Bad And The Queen.

* David Beckham was born in Leytonstone, but grew up in Chingford
* Boy Kill Boy
* Cornelius Cardew
* ChiChi Tee
* Eamon Everall
* Fanny Craddock
* Curtis Davies
* John Drinkwater
* Ken Farnes
* Joanne Fenn
* Graham Gooch
* Steve Harris
* Sydney Horler
* Justin Hoyte
* Derek Jacobi
* Colin Kazim-Richards
* Natasha Little
* Morell Mackenzie
* Tony Robinson
* Jonathan Ross and his brother Paul Ross
* June Sarpong
* Rita Simons
* Talvin Singh
* Meera Syal
* June Sarpong
* Sean MacStiofain

Spike Milligan also based the (fictional) closest heir to the British throne after the outbreak of nuclear war in that setting. She was a "Mrs. Ethel Shroake" of 393A High Street, Leytonstone, who appears in the final scene of the play and film The Bed-Sitting Room, 1969.

Transport and locale

Nearby places

* Epping Forest
* Forest Gate
* Leyton
* Snaresbrook
* Stratford
* Temple Mills
* Walthamstow
* Wanstead

Nearest tube station

* Leytonstone tube station
* Leyton tube station

Nearest railway station

* Leytonstone High Road railway station

References