Borough

Waltham Forest

About:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is in North East London and forms part of Outer London.

The borough has a long history dating back to the Stone Age, with evidence of Bronze Age civilisation, but since the Industrial Revolution it has been a home to industries of all sorts, from copper refining to milling. The Royal Small Arms Factory supplied the military for centuries and was based in the borough.

In the 1960's the famous Matchbox Company was producing some of the archetypal toys of the era, and was based in the Lea Valley, now home to a historic steam railway. Nowadays the district is a busy shopping area with Europe's longest market based in Walthamstow.

Waltham Forest has been home to anumber of famous people over the years: both William Morris (artist) and Alfred Hitchcock (film director) were born in the borough and David Beckham was born and raised there.

Routes that go through Waltham Forest:

Population:

218,341 which is 3% of the total London population (2001 Census)

Area:

39 square kilometres

Tube:

The borough is served by the Victoria and Central lines. Visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/ for more information.

Rail:

Rail service in the borough are run by Silverlink on the Gospel Oak to Barking line and 'one' on the Lea Valley Lines. Visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/rail/ for more information.

Bus:

The borough is served by a comprehensive network of bus routes. Visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/ for more information.

Green space:

Waltham Forest is one of the greenest boroughs in London. There are over 200 hectares of parkland and green spaces alongside the ancient woodland of Epping Forest, Lee Valley Park and Waterworks Nature Reserve. The borough is scattered with parks including Abbots Park, Coronation Gardens, Langthorne Park, Lloyd and Aveling Park, Memorial Park and Ridgeway Park.