London Borough of Waltham Forest

The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is an outer London borough formed in 1965 from the merger of the Essex municipal boroughs of Leyton, Walthamstow and Chingford.

The borough's administrative headquarters are at Waltham Forest Town Hall, which before the merger of the boroughs, was called Walthamstow Town Hall. The population was 278,428 at the 2021 census. Waltham Forest borders five other London boroughs: Enfield to the north-west, Haringey to the west, Hackney to the south-west, Newham to the south-east and Redbridge to the east, as well as the Epping Forest District of Essex to the north.

The borough takes its name from the former Waltham Forest – a Royal Forest that managed deer in south-west Essex. Epping Forest is a remainder of the former Waltham Forest and forms the eastern and northern fringe of the borough. The River Lea lies to the west where its associated marshes and parkland form a green corridor which, along the reservoir-lined reaches, separates north and east London, and is the historic border between Middlesex and Essex.

Waltham Forest was one of the host boroughs of the London Olympics in 2012, with the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park providing an ongoing legacy in the UK and London.

History Name The borough took its name from the former Waltham Forest, a Royal Forest that managed deer in an area of south-west Essex that stretched eastwards from the River Lea and included large areas of agricultural land as well as the wooded areas subsequently known as Epping Forest and Hainault Forest.

The first known use of the name Waltham Forest is 1205 (in Medieval Latin) as foresta nostra prope Waltham, and the use of the name persisted, until the end of the seventeenth century.The Place Names of Essex, PH Reaney, English Place Name Society, Volume XII, Cambridge University Press, Reissued 1969

Early history The area was in the territory of the Trinovantes tribe during the Iron Age and through the Roman period, when the tribal area was a unit of local government. It subsequently became part of the Kingdom of the East Saxons a unit which is likely to have its roots in the territory of the Trinovantes.Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England, p46. Barbara Yorke. Yorke makes reference to research by Rodwell and Rodwell (1986) and Bassett (1989) After the Kingdom of Essex lost its independence, it evolved into the county of Essex.

The Domesday book of 1086 records four manors in the area, Chingford, Walthamstow, Higham and Leyton. At some point, before or after the Domesday survey these also became parishes, with Higham becoming part of the parish of Walthamstow. These parishes had largely stable borders from which those of the later Municipal Boroughs were derived, and these are the basis of our understanding of the extent of these local areas today.

Preservation of Epping Forest The southern part of Epping Forest still extends into the north of the borough, 90% of it having been preserved by the Epping Forest Act 1878. This not only assisted in preserving the forest, the attraction value also helped stimulate urbanisation of nearby areas.

Urbanisation Until the late Victorian era, the area that became the modern borough was rural in nature with a small dispersed population and a primarily agricultural landscape. Leyton, in particular, grew quite rapidly between 1870 and 1910.

Industrial firsts In 1892, a private citizen named Frederick Bremer built the first British motorcar in a workshop in his garden, at Connaught Road, Walthamstow. The vehicle is on display at the Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow. In 1909, the aviation pioneer A V Roe successfully tested the first all-British aeroplane, the Roe I Triplane, on land at Walthamstow Marshes.

Air raids in World War One The area now known as Waltham Forest experienced at least two Zeppelin raids during World War I. On 17/18 August 1915, Airship L10 took a route roughly following the Gospel Oak to Barking railway line, dropping incendiary and high-explosive bombs. The first bomb, an incendiary, fell on Hoe St, Walthamstow, at the junction of Orford and Queens Road; the last was dropped in Aldersbrook area. Ten people were killed in Leyton and another 48 injured across the wider area. On 23/24 September 1916 the German Navy airship L 31 dropped around ten bombs along the line of Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, killing eight there. On both occasions the Germans believed they were bombing the City, and it is thought they mistook the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain for the Thames.London 1914-17 The Zeppelin Menace, Ian Castle. Osprey Publishing 2008

Blitz - World War Two During the most intense period of the Blitz (October 1940 to June 1941), the area was hit by around 728 high explosive bombs, 17 parachute mines and an unknown, but much greater number of small incendiary bombs. Subsequent raids were lighter and less frequent, but 1944 saw a number of V-1 'flying bombs' and V-2 long-range ballistic missiles hit the area, including a V-1 which landed on central Walthamstow killing 22 and a V-2 which landed on Chingford Road, Walthamstow killing 8.

Creation of the modern borough The London Borough of Waltham Forest was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the former municipal boroughs of Chingford, Leyton and Walthamstow. The area was transferred from Essex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs.

A petition opposed calling the new borough "Walthamstow", so perhaps for that reason the new borough took its name from the former Waltham Forest.

Governance

The local authority is Waltham Forest Council, based at Waltham Forest Town Hall (formerly Walthamstow Town Hall). The administration, since May 2026, has been run by the Waltham Forest Green Party.

Greater London representation Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly, the borough forms part of the North East constituency.

Demographics

The main centres of population in the borough are Chingford in the north, Walthamstow in the centre (the administrative hub including the council offices) and Leyton and Leytonstone to the South. Waltham Forest has the fifth largest Muslim population in England and the third largest in London (coming after its neighbouring boroughs, Newham and Tower Hamlets).

Ethnicity Ethnic GroupYear1971 estimations1981 estimations1991 census2001 census2011 census2021 censusNumber%Number%Number%Number%Number%Number%White: Total–92.2%175,27682.5%157,82474.4%140,80364.5%134,79952.1%147,02452.8% White: British–––––– 121,694 55.7% 92,999 36.0%94,76634.0% White: Irish–––––– 5,112 2.4% 3,959 1.5%4,2301.5% White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller–––––– – – 369 <1%1980.1%White: Roma––––––––––1,3970.5% White: Other–––––– 13,997 6.4% 37,472 14.5%46,43316.7% Asian or Asian British: Total ––––26,94012.7% 33,659 15.4% 54,389 20.8%55,54519.9% Asian or Asian British: Indian––––7,042 7,671 3.5% 9,134 3.5%9,1343.3% Asian or Asian British: Pakistani––––13,298 6.3% 17,295 7.9% 26,347 10.2%28,74010.3% Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi––––1,875 2,166 <1% 4,632 1.7%5,1661.9% Asian or Asian British: Chinese––––1,233 1,443 <1% 2,579 <1%2,6260.9% Asian or Asian British: Other Asian ––––3,492 5,084 2.3% 11,697 4.5%9,8793.5% Black or Black British: Total ––––23,92111.3% 33,673 15.4% 44,791 17.3%41,64714.9% Black or Black British: African––––5,967 12,630 5.8% 18,815 7.3%18,7596.7% Black or Black British: Caribbean––––14,421 6.8% 17,797 8.2% 18,841 7.3%17,5876.3% Black or Black British: Other Black––––3,533 3,246 1.5% 7,135 2.7%5,3011.9% Mixed or British Mixed: Total –––––– 7,749 3.6% 13,776 5.2%17,9836.4% Mixed: White and Black Caribbean –––––– 3,007 1.4% 4,568 1.7%5,1351.8% Mixed: White and Black African –––––– 1,195 <1% 2,403 <1%2,7771.0% Mixed: White and Asian –––––– 1,580 <1% 2,602 1.0%3,8751.4% Mixed: Other Mixed –––––– 1,967 <1% 4,193 1.6%6,1962.2% Other: Total ––––3,3481.6% 2,457 1.1% 10,504 4.0%16,2295.8% Other: Arab –––––– – – 3,776 1.4%2,8841.0% Other: Any other ethnic group ––––3,3481.6% 2,457 1.1% 6,728 2.6%13,3454.8% Non-White: Total –7.8%37,12217.5%54,20925.6% 77,538 35.5% 123,450 47.9%131,40447.2% Total –100%212,398 100%212,033100% 218,341 100.00% 258,249 100.00%278,428100%

Religion This table includes data for Waltham Forest borough for 2021 census: Religion2021Number%Christian108,63039,02%Muslim60,15721,61%Hindu5,1551,85%Buddhist1,8340,66%Sikh1,2850,46%Jewish1,2680,46%Other religion2,8101,01%No religion77,73927,92%Religion not stated19,5487,02%Total278,426100%

Immigration This list includes top-15 sources of immigration to Borough of Waltham Forest for 2021 census: #CountryNumber1          11,0352          11,0153            5,4864            5,4385            3,5166            3,3427            3,2788            2,9449            2,52910            2,47411            2,47112            2,28513            2,25914            2,07515            2,021

Open spaces Epping Forest and the green corridor along the River Lea provide some of the borough's many open spaces, which include: Epping Forest (part) Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (part) Lee Valley Reservoir Chain (part) Walthamstow Marshes The Walthamstow Wetlands Reserve, opened in 2017, provides of open space. Leyton Jubilee Park Lloyd Park Ridgeway Park Chingford Mount Cemetery Mansfield Park Highams Park Field

Arts, culture and leisure Historically known as the seat of the Arts and Crafts Movement under the stewardship of William Morris, Waltham Forest has continued to succour many contemporary artists & art groups. These include the North East London Independent Artists (NELIA) group, based at the Changing Room Gallery in Lloyd Park, the 491 Gallery in Leytonstone, and a number of independent artists, also mainly in the Leytonstone area. The biennial E17 Art Trail, which includes open studios, exhibitions and events, is the biggest art event in the borough, and there is now a similar event in Leytonstone. Eamon Everall, founder member of the Stuckism art movement is a long-time resident in the borough where he also maintains a studio."'The Gift', Eamon Everall", Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 16 October 2008.

Waltham Forest was the first ever London Borough of Culture in 2019.BBC: "Events mark Waltham Forest becoming Borough of Culture"

Waltham Forest is home to a number of musicians that have found success in the UK, including East 17, Blazin' Squad, and indie band Hefner, who formed in Walthamstow. The borough is also a centre of the grime musical genre; grime acts hailing from the borough include More Fire Crew, Lethal Bizzle, and Jammer, amongst others.

The borough had a key role in the history of rave music culture, whether it be clubs, artists, and DJs. Widely regarded as one of the seminal tracks of jungle music, the creator of "We Are I.E.", Lennie De Ice grew up and lived in Walthamstow. Walthamstow was also home to DJ Rap and MC Navigator. The venue Dungeons was located on Lea Bridge Road in Leyton, and a number of pirate radio stations including Friends FM, Dance FM, and Eruption FM broadcast from tower blocks such as the Cathall Estate in Leytonstone.

The only theatre in the borough, The Waltham Forest Theatre, was situated in Lloyd Park. Though a local campaign was launched to save it in 2008, the theatre was demolished in 2011.

Leyton Orient is the local professional football team, based at Brisbane Road, Leyton. In the 1962–63 season, the club played in the top tier of English football, the Football League First Division, but currently are in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

Housing