Leytonstone () is an area in

east London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...

, England, north-east of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

. Part of the

London Borough of Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-east London, England. Its population is estimated to be 276,983 in 2019. It borders five other London boroughs: London Borough of Enfield, Enfield to the nort ...

, a

local authority district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness Greatness is a concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than al ...

. It adjoins

Wanstead Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is located 8 mi ...

to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west,

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

to the west, and

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London and the ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Charing Cross, the town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and Sout ...

to the north-west. Historically part of the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...

in the

Becontree hundred Becontree was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England.John Marius Wilson, '' Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'', (1870-72) Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of London; with its name reused in ...

of Essex, the first documented evidence of settlement is from the 14th century, describing a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

at ‘Leyton-atte-stone’; a reference to the Roman milestone located within the area, that formed a northerm boundary of the parish. It remained largely rural until the 19th century, becoming part of the

London postal district The London postal district is the area in England of to which mail addressed to the London post town is delivered. The General Post Office under the control of the Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, Postmaster General directed Rowland Hil ...

in 1856, the same year its

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

was opened (now on the Central line). When

was created in 1965, the Municipal Borough of Leyton merged with Chingford and

to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest. At the northern end of Leytonstone High Road is The Green Man; a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

and road junction, under which the A12 runs. Leytonstone is noted for being the birthplace of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, with a number of references to the filmmaker around the area, including painted

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

mosaics A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

, a pub and a hotel.

History

Origins and Roman milestone

The main thoroughfare, Leytonstone High Road, is part of an ancient highway from Epping to London, on the borders of Epping Forest. A small

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

("settlement (tun) on the River Lea") and the Roman

milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

called the High Stone. The milestone still stands at the junction of Hollybush Hill (the

A1199 road The A11 is a major trunk road in England. It runs roughly north east from London to Norwich, Norfolk, although after the M11 opened in the 1970s and then the A12 extension in 1999, a lengthy section has been downgraded between the suburbs o ...

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 Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

from Dunmow to

Chigwell Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the Lon ...

into London. 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 nearly by

, 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."J. Kenned
''A History of the Parish of Leyton, Essex''
Phelp Brothers, Leyton (1894), digital copy at rchive.org

18th and 19th century

In 1722, author

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel '' Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

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 as desirable country retreats for wealthy

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

s and financiers within an easy ride of the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

. 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. Hollow pond - geograph

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. 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 An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

20th century

In the mid-1990s, the M11 link road ( A12) was built through the area, despite a long-running

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...

by locals and road protestors. This and other protests led to the policy,

Roads for Prosperity ''Roads for Prosperity'' (often incorrectly called Road to Prosperity) was a controversial white paper published by the Conservative government in the United Kingdom in 1989; detailing the 'largest road building programme for the UK since the Rom ...

, being abandoned. From 2001 to 2013, artists ran the

491 Gallery The 491 Gallery was a squatted self-managed social centre and multi-disciplinary gallery in Leytonstone, London, England, that operated from 2001 to 2013. Taking its name from its street number, 491 Grove Green Road, the former factory was home ...

, a squatted social space in a building next the A12, that hosted events from exhibitions to gigs.

Areas of Leytonstone

* Bushwood and Ferndale * Browning Road Conservation Area * Cann Hall *

Cathall Cathall is a housing estate in the Cathall ward, Leytonstone, East London. It is currently managed by Community-based Housing Association. History Cathall estate was built in 1972, consisting of two 20-storey tower blocks, Hornbeam Tower and R ...

* Grove Green *Harrow Green *Upper Leytonstone * Wanstead Flats * Whipps Cross and Hollow Pond Historic Areas * Holloway Down

Notable events

* M11 Link Road Protest between 1993 and 1995. *The annual ''Leytonstone Festival'' was first held in 1995. * Mosaics of Hitchcock Movies unveiled at

Leytonstone tube station Leytonstone is a London Underground station in Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London. It is on the Central line, on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. Towards Central London the next station is Leyton, while going e ...

in May 2001. *''Leytonstone Arts Trail'' is an annual arts festival which started in 2008, where locals and artists display art in their windows and local venues. * Leytonstone tube station attack in December 2015. *The annual ''Leytonstone Loves Film'' with The Barbican was first held in 2019.

Notable buildings and landmarks

* The Green Man

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford Eng ...

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

. 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''. *

, a

post-war In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period ...

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

building from 1947; designed by Thomas Bilbow, an architect for London Transport, as part of the Central line extension.

* ''Independent Buildings'' on Church Lane, an

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

building and clock constructed by a local newspaper in 1934, replacing the Gaiety Cinema. The adjoining ''Seascape House'' is of matching architectural style. * St John the Baptist's Church, Leytonstone is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. Built in 1832 and consecrated in 1833, it is a landmark church at the junction of High Road Leytonstone and Church Lane. The churchyard is host to a vintage market and occasional screenings of

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 Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

*''Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue'', a

building in the

style on the corner of Fillebrook Road and Drayton Road; built in 1954 by the local Jewish community. *

Leytonstone Mosque Leytonstone Mosque, situated in Bushwood, Leytonstone, in the London borough of Waltham Forest, was opened in 1976 to cater to the local Muslim community. Since then, the mosque has grown in size and can accommodate about 1,000 (men only). The ...

, 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 Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

and a range of religious education for young boys. Leytonstone House High Road Leytonstone London E11 1HR

*''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. * Leytonstone Library – a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

art deco building built in 1934 to the design of James Ambrose Dartnall – underwent s £1.5 million refurbishment completed in 2015. Red Lion, Leytonstone

*''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''. *''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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

; sited in the middle of Harrow Green, which is also the site of the modernist-style ''Wesleyan Christian Centre'', built in 1959. *''The Red Lion'', which has had a

on the site since 1670. The current building is from 1891, having been restored as

craft beer Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

pub,

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic ...

and hotel; currently owned by the pub group Antic London. * 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. * 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.

*''Leytonstone Fire Station'', in Leytonstone High Road, was a Victorian building that was replaced in February 2016 by the current building. *''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. * 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 A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

areas called Hollow Pond and Leyton Flats, and Wanstead Flats.

Governance

Leytonstone belonged originally to the ancient parish of Leyton in the

Becontree Becontree or Both pronunciations are given as Received Pronunciation in the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, but the form is prioritised (). The dialectologist Peter Wright wrote in 1981 that is the traditional pronunciation in the cockney ...

Hundred of

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

. It became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1845. 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

in 1965 when

was created. Within the borough, it divides into four council wards, each with three

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s: 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). The area forms part of the Leyton and Wanstead parliamentary constituency. , John Cryer has held the seat for the Labour Party. For elections to the

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...

it is part of the

North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

constituency and the AM is

Sem Moema Semakaleng Mokgadi Moema (born 4 November 1984) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the London Assembly Member for North East since 2021. Early life Moema was born in Islington to South African parents who had fled Apartheid in ...

of the Labour Party, who succeeded Jenette Arnold in 2021 .

Transport

is in Travelcard Zones 3 and 4 on the Central line of the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

, 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 The Night Tube and London Overground Night Service, often referred to simply as Night Tube, is a service pattern on the London Underground ("Tube") and London Overground systems which provides through-the-night services on Friday and Saturday ...

trains run on Friday and Saturdays on the Central line every 10 minutes between

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football c ...

and Loughton (in

) or Hainault via Leytonstone. A series of tiled mosaics commemorating the local film director

line the entrance passages to the station. 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 Leytonstone High Road is a railway station in Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, down the line from and situated between and . It has two platforms that are elevated approximately above g ...

is a

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a large part of Greater London as w ...

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 ( south of the Cann Hall Road boundary) is Maryland railway station in Stratford; which is planned to be part of Crossrail on the Elizabeth Line. 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.

Education

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 Leytonstone School is a coeducational community secondary school located on Colworth Road in Leytonstone, London, England. Admissions The school formerly specialised in Business and Enterprise. The school numbers 971 students, as of the last ...

, a specialist business and enterprise school *Mayville Nursery and Primary School, from 2-10yo * Norlington School, a boys' school and mixed

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for ...

Sports and fitness

''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. 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. and ''5K Parkruns'' take place in Wanstead Flats every week. The North Star on Browning Road is home to the ''North Star Velo cycling club''. Leytonstone was home to the former

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team

Leytonstone F.C. Leytonstone F.C. was an England, English association football, football club based in Leytonstone, Greater London. Founded in 1886, the club ceased to exist in 1979 when it merged with Ilford F.C., Ilford to form Leytonstone-Ilford, which later ...

before it merged with

Redbridge Forest F.C. Redbridge Forest Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1979 as Leytonstone & Ilford F.C., which in 1989 merged with Walthamstow Avenue and the following season adopted the name Redbridge Forest. In 1992 the club merged with Dag ...

and then

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as D ...

football club.

In drama, film and television

*In '' The Bed-Sitting Room'' (1969), Spike Milligan created the (fictional) closest heir to the British throne after the outbreak of

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...

as "Mrs. Ethel Shroake" of 393A High Street, Leytonstone. She appears in the final scene of the play. *'' Deep End'', a 1970 British-German drama starring

Jane Asher Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946)The International Who's Who of Women, 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, 2002, p. 29 is an English actress and author. She achieved early fame as a child actress and has worked extensively in f ...

with a soundtrack by Can, was partly shot on Cann Hall Road and Cathall Road Baths (built 1906, rebuilt later in 1977). *'' Small Potatoes'' was a 1999 TV

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

made by Hat Trick Productions for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

, about the young manager of a video shop in Leytonstone. *''

I Proud to Be an Indian I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

'' was a 2004

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

film, about an Indian family in late 1970s Leytonstone terrorised by skinheads. *In ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', the fictional character Kim Fox is from Leytonstone.

Notable people

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...

(born 1968), singer-songwriter born in Fillebrook Road, lead singer of Blur. *

Eric Ashby, Baron Ashby Eric Ashby, Baron Ashby, FRS (24 August 1904 – 22 October 1992) was a British botanist and educator. Born in Leytonstone in Essex, he was educated at the City of London School and the Royal College of Science, where he graduated with a ...

(1904–1992), botanist, was born in Leytonstone. * Roger Ashton-Griffiths (born 1957), actor *

David Bailey David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Early life David Bailey was born at Wh ...

(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 David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...

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 James Alfred Bevan (15 April 1858 – 3 February 1938) was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridg ...

(1858-1938), captain of the Welsh

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

team in its first international match, died in Leytonstone *

Reginald Horace Blyth Reginald Horace Blyth (3 December 1898–28 October 1964) was an English writer and devotee of Japanese culture. He is most famous for his writings on Zen and on haiku poetry. Early life Blyth was born in Essex, England, the son of a railway cl ...

(1898–1964), author and orientalist *

Alan Booth Alan Booth (5 December 194624 January 1993)
(''

Bob and Roberta Smith Patrick Brill (born 1963), better known by his pseudonym Bob and Roberta Smith, is a British contemporary artist, writer, author, musician, art education advocate, and keynote speaker. He is known for his "slogan" art, is an associate professor ...

* Edward North Buxton (1840–1924), conservationist and liberal politician *

Cornelius Cardew Cornelius Cardew (7 May 193613 December 1981) was an English experimental music composer, and founder (with Howard Skempton and Michael Parsons) of the Scratch Orchestra, an experimental performing ensemble. He later rejected experimental music, ...

(1936–1981), composer *

Carly Cole Carly Calder Cole (née Zucker; born 11 May 1984) is a British reality television contestant, fitness trainer and model, and wife of former professional footballer Joe Cole. Media career Cole has modelled for fitness and fashion magazines. She ...

(born 1984), model, fitness trainer and wife of footballer Joe Cole *

Fanny Cradock Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey (26 February 1909 – 27 December 1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English restaurant critic, television chef and writer. She frequently appeared on television, at cookery demonstrations and in print with h ...

(1909–1994), TV chef and cookery writer born in Fairlop Road, Leytonstone *

Curtis Davies Curtis Eugene Davies (born 15 March 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Derby County. Davies began his career at Luton Town, for whom he made his professional debut in 2003. Davies moved to Premie ...

(born 1985), footballer * Cartrain (born 1991), artist *

Harris Dickinson Harris Dickinson (born 24 June 1996) is an English actor. He began his career with a starring role in the drama '' Beach Rats'' (2017), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He has since played John Paul ...

(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 Charles Eade (10 June 1903 – 27 August 1964) was a British newspaper editor. Born in Leytonstone, Eade became a subeditor on the ''Daily Chronicle'' at the age of fourteen, then worked on ''Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper'' and the '' Daily Herald''. ...

(1903–1964), journalist, born in Leytonstone * Eamon Everall (born 1948), artist and educator * Ken Farnes (1911–1941), cricketer *

Henry Charles Fehr Henry Charles Fehr FRBS (4 November 1867 – 13 May 1940) was a British monumental and architectural sculptor active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He produced several notable public sculptures, war memorials and works fo ...

(1867–1940), sculptor, lived and worked in Leytonstone in 1886–1891. * Joanne Fenn (born 1974), Olympic runner *

Stuart Freeborn Stuart Freeborn (5 September 1914 – 5 February 2013) was a British motion picture make-up artist. He has been referred to as the "grandfather of modern make-up design" and is perhaps best known for his work on the original '' Star Wars'' ...

(1914–2013), Star Wars

make-up artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and Prosthetic makeup, prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other simil ...

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. *

Graham Gooch Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, ...

(born 1953), OBE, cricketer, former captain of the England cricket team * Steve Harris (born 1956), founder and bassist of the band

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...

*Sir

(1899–1980), film director born and raised in the area. * Tom Hood (1835–1874), humorist and playwright *

Sydney Horler Sydney Horler (18 July 1888 – 27 October 1954) was a prolific British novelist specialising in thrillers. He was born in Leytonstone, Essex, and educated at Redcliffe School and Colston School in Bristol. His first job was with ''Western Da ...

(1888–1964), novelist * Gavin Hoyte (born 1990), footballer * Justin Hoyte (born 1984), footballer *

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

(born 1938) CBE, actor * Jammer (born 1982), record producer *

Colin Kazim-Richards Colin Kazim-Richards (born 26 August 1986), also known as Colin Kâzım, Kâzım or Kâzım Kâzım, is a professional footballer as a forward for Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük S.K. Born and raised in England, he qualified for Turkish ...

(born 1986), footballer *

Lucy Kirkwood Lucy Ann Kirkwood (born October 1983) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is writer in residence at Clean Break. In June 2018 Kirkwood was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. Early life ...

(born 1983), playwright and screenwriter *

Don Law Donald Firth Law (February 24, 1902 – December 20, 1982) was an English–American record producer and music business executive. He produced Robert Johnson's only recordings, and as head of Columbia Records' country music division later wo ...

(1902–1982), record producer * Natasha Little (born 1969), actor * Seán Mac Stíofáin (1928–2001), chief-of-staff of the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish re ...

* Harry MacDonald (born 1980), British diplomat * Morell Mackenzie (1837–1892), research physician *

Colin Matthews Colin Matthews, OBE (born 13 February 1946) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. Noted for his large-scale orchestral compositions, Matthews is also a prolific arranger of other composer's music, including works by Berlioz, ...

(born 1946), composer *

Dominic McVey Dominic Edward Henry McVey (born February 1985) is a British entrepreneur from London who started business at the age of 13, importing micro- scooters from the United States into the United Kingdom. Career The son of a percussionist with the ...

(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 Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...

(born 1960), broadcaster and comedian. Went to Davies Lane primary school. * 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 Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——� ...

(born 1991), footballer * Harold Spurr (1889–1962), English cricketer *

Andros Townsend Andros Darryl Townsend (born 16 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Everton. A graduate of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Townsend was initially loaned out to several League One and then Champions ...

(born 1991), footballer * Halszka Wasilewska (1899–1961), soldier, daughter of Leon Wasilewski, spent her infancy here before becoming a decorated major in the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

* Leon Wasilewski (1870–1936), Polish political activist and editor lived in Leytonstone in 1898–1903 * Douglas Webb (1922–1996), dam buster and photographer

References

External links

The Leytonstoner – a community news magazine and review websiteArchives relating to Leytonstone
at

The National Archives (United Kingdom) , type = Non-ministerial department , seal = , nativename = , logo = Logo_of_The_National_Archives_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg , logo_width = 150px , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , juri ...

{{Authority control Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Waltham Forest Business improvement districts in London District centres of London