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Leyton

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Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names:

Leyton

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Greater London. Lugetune (c.1050), Leintune (1086) (DB). ‘Farmstead on the River Lea (or Lee)’. Celtic river-name (possibly meaning ‘bright river’ or ‘river dedicated to the god Lugus’) + OE tūn.

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Leyton

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Coordinates: 51°33′38″N 0°00′56″W / 51.560558°N 0.015465°W / 51.560558; -0.015465

Leyton
Leyton is located in Greater London
Leyton

 Leyton shown within Greater London
OS grid reference TQ375865
London borough Waltham Forest
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region London
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district E10
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK Parliament Leyton & Wanstead
London Assembly North East
List of places: UK • England • London

Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located 6.2 miles (10 km) north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney.

Contents

History and features

Geography

Leyton is in the Lower Lea Valley, the river forming its western boundary, and it straddles the Prime Meridian. The area rises from marshland along the Lea to over 90 feet at Whipps Cross on the southern edge of Epping Forest. It is a dormitory suburb of terraced houses built between 1870 and 1910, interspersed with modern housing estates.[1] Many high-rise council blocks that dominated the skyline have been demolished over the past 15 years.

History

Paleolithic implements and fossil bones show that early man hunted in Leyton. A Roman cemetery and the foundations of a Roman villa have been found here. From Anglo-Saxon times, Leyton has been part of the County of Essex. The name means "settlement (tun) on the River Lea" and was also known until 1921 as "Low Leyton".[1] In the Domesday Book, the name is rendered as Leintun. at which time the population was 43. The ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin was largely rebuilt in the 17th Century.[2] The parish of Leyton also included Leytonstone. The old civil parish was formed into an Urban District within Essex in 1894 and it gained the status of Municipal Borough in 1926. In 1965, the Municipal Borough of Leyton was abolished and was combined with that of Walthamstow and Chingford to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest, within the new county of Greater London.[3]

The main route through the town is the High Road, which forms part of the ancient route to Waltham Abbey. At the top end of the High Road is a crossroads with Lea Bridge Road and Hoe Street. This junction and the surrounding district is known as Bakers Arms, named after the public house which has now closed down. The pub was named in honour of the almshouses on Lea Bridge Road built in 1857 by the London Master Bakers' Benevolent Institution.

In World War I, about 1,300 houses were damaged by Zeppelin raids.[1] During World War II, Leyton suffered as a target because of its proximity to the London Docks and Temple Mills rail yard. The yard (named after an ancient mill owned by the Knights Templar[2]) is now reduced in size as part of it has become a retail park 'Leyton Mills', whilst the rest has been renovated to serve as a depot for high speed trains.

Community and facilities

The area is one of the most multi-cultural parts of London and Britain. The 2001 Census revealed a very mixed population; approximately 50 per cent White, 23 per cent Black and 21 per cent south Asian (Mainly Pakistani). Within these groups there are many people whose origins are from Russia, North Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, Ireland, Cyprus, Italy and newer arrivals from South Africa, Bosnia, Serbia and Poland.

The New Spitalfields Market relocated in 1991 from the Old Spitalfields market, is the UK's leading horticultural market specialising in exotic fruit and vegetables.

There are two main shopping areas in the town, located at opposite ends of the High Road. A new retail park is to be found at Leyton Mills. This has a large Asda store, a B&Q store and a selection of furniture and electrical stores.[4] At the north end of the town, Baker's Arms has a more traditional selection of shops lining Lea Bridge Road and the High Road, including a Tesco.

There are numerous pubs and a few bars situated on the High Road. The local police station is based on Francis Road, which also has two primary schools and a mini supermarket.

Large scale redevelopment and inner city regeneration has been underway in Leyton for many years, as is also the case in the neighbouring areas of Hackney, Clapton and Stratford. High-rise estates which were amongst Britain's poorest[citation needed] (e.g. the Oliver Close Estate and the Cathall Road estate) have been completely redeveloped by demolition and rebuilding with the help of the multi-million pound Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust scheme. Other problematic areas such as the Avenue Road Estate have also been redeveloped over the past 10 years. The last large high-rise estate in the area, the Beaumont Road Estate (which is currently ranked as the fifth poorest housing estate in Britain,[citation needed]) has now been almost entirely demolished and redeveloped.

Leyton has several crime hotspots designated as high crime areas according to Metropolitan Police crime mapping data, notably the area between Temple Mills Lane and the High Road. Certain areas within that region currently (as of July 2009) have dispersal orders as a measure to reduce gang related crime.

Sports

In 1886, Essex County Cricket Club purchased Leyton Cricket Ground in the High Road, which became their headquarters until 1933,[1] however they continued to play at Leyton until 1977. The pavilion (a Grade II listed building[5]) still stands today as part of Leyton Youth Centre.

The town is the home to two football clubs; Leyton Orient F.C. and Leyton F.C.. Orient came to Brisbane Road, Leyton in 1936 from Clapton.[1] The stadium has recently been re-constructed and renamed the Matchroom Stadium. Although they reached the top flight of English football when promoted to Football League First Division in 1962, Orient currently play in Football League One.[6] Leyton F.C. (between 1975 and 1992 called "Leyton Wingate") was founded in 1868, are in the Isthmian League Premier Division, and play at the Leyton Stadium in Lea Bridge Road.[7]

The Lee Valley Ice Centre is home to the Lea Valley Lions Ice Hockey Club who play in the English National Ice Hockey League.[8]

Leyton borders the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympic Games.[9]

Leyton Town Hall and Library

Education

Leyton has a number of secondary schools, including, George Mitchell School, The Lammas School and Norlington School for Boys. Leyton Library is another educational landmark to see. There is also a college, Leyton Sixth Form College.

Wards and areas

Transport

Leyton is served by the Central Line of London Underground, with a station located at the southern end of the High Road. Journey times to Liverpool Street station and Bank-Monument station are 11 and 13 minutes respectively, according to the TfL website. There is a London Overground station at Midland Road on the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

The town is well-served by buses, with 24 hour services running along the High Road and Lea Bridge Road. Leyton station is served by routes 58, 69, 97, 158, 308. It can also be reached by bus from Walthamstow Central Station quite easily, which is a Victoria Line tube station and National Rail service to London Liverpool Street and Chingford.

Central London may be reached by bicycle from Lea Bridge Road following the London Cycle Network Route 9 through Hackney and Shoreditch.[10]

Future

The London Velopark which will be constructed in Leyton, which will include a 6,000-seat indoor velodrome for track cycling and a 6,000-seat outdoor BMX racing track.

The training facilities at the Waltham Forest Pool & Track will be used by Olympians to prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Notable people

Transport and locale

Nearest tube stations

The nearest London Underground stations are Leyton, Leytonstone, Stratford and Walthamstow Central.

Nearest railway stations

Nearest places

Sports clubs

References

  1. ^ a b c d e http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42767
  2. ^ a b http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45472
  3. ^ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42770
  4. ^ http://www.completelyretail.co.uk/portfolio/Aviva/scheme/4305/index.html
  5. ^ http://www.leytonhistorysociety.org.uk/art_loclisted.html
  6. ^ http://www.leytonorient.com/page/History/0,,10439~121250,00.html
  7. ^ http://www.myfootygrounds.co.uk/StadiumDetails.asp?team=Leyton&StadiumId=211
  8. ^ http://www.leevalleylions.co.uk/
  9. ^ http://www.london2012.com/games/olympic-park/index.php
  10. ^ http://maps.camdencyclists.org.uk/routeindexer/indexer.php?category=LCN

External links
Districts
Location of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in Greater London
Attractions
Street markets
Parks and open spaces
Constituencies
Tube and rail stations
Other topics
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