Stratford
| |
|---|---|
.jpg) Stratford Town Hall, Stratford | |
  Stratford Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 36,666 (2019 estimate, Stratford and New Town ward) |
| OS grid reference | TQ385845 |
| • Charing Cross | 6 mi (9.7 km) WSW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E15, E20 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°32′32″N0°00′09″W / 51.5423°N 0.00256°W /51.5423; -0.00256 | |
Stratford is a town and district ofEast London, England, in theLondon Borough of Newham. Part of theLower Lea Valley, it is six miles (ten kilometres) northeast ofCharing Cross, and includesMaryland andEast Village.
Historically, part of theancient parish ofWest Ham in thehundred of Becontree inEssex. Stratford later became part of theCounty Borough of West Ham and the location of its Town Hall. Followingreform of local government in London in 1965 it became part of the borough of Newham in the newly formedGreater London.
Stratford grew rapidly in the 19th century after the railway came to the area in 1839, forming part of theconurbation ofLondon, similar to much of south-west Essex. The late 20th century was a period of severe economic decline in the area, eventually reversed by ongoingregeneration associated with the2012 Summer Olympics, for which Stratford'sQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park, part of the large, multi-purposeStratford City development, was the principal venue. TheWestfield Stratford City shopping centre, one of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe, opened in 2011. Stratford is east London's primary retail, cultural and leisure centre, and has also become the second most significant business location in east London afterCanary Wharf.
Stratford's early significance was due to aRoman road (later known as theGreat Essex Road) running fromAldgate in theCity, across theRiver Lea, toRomford,Chelmsford andColchester. At that time the various branches of the river were tidal and without channels,[clarification needed] while the marshes surrounding them had yet to be drained. TheLea Valley formed a natural boundary betweenEssex on the eastern bank andMiddlesex on the west, and was a formidable obstacle to overland trade and travel.
The name is first recorded in 1067 as Strætforda and means 'ford on a Roman road'.[1] It is formed from Old English 'stræt' (in modern English 'street') and 'ford'.[2]The former river crossing lay at an uncertain location north of Stratford High Street.
The district ofOld Ford in northernBow – west of the Lea – is named after the former crossing, while Bow itself was also initially named Stratford, after the same ford, and a variety of suffixes were used to distinguish the two distinct settlements, including Stratford-le-Bow.[1]
The settlement to the east of the Lea was also known asEstratford (recorded in 1291), referring to the location east of the other Stratford,Statford Hamme (recorded in 1312) alluding to the location within the parish of West Ham,Abbei Stratford, referring to the presence ofStratford Langthorne Abbey,[1] andStretford Langthorne (recorded in 1366) after a distinctive thorn tree (possibly a pollardedHawthorn) which stood in the area. The thorn tree itself, was mentioned much earlier, in a charter of theManor of Ham, in 958 AD. The tree is thought to have stood in the vicinity of the modern Channel Sea rail junction, around 200 metres north-north-west of theLondon Aquatics Centre.[3]
In 1110Matilda, wife ofHenry I, ordered adistinctively bow-shaped (arched) bridge to be built over the River Lea, together with acauseway across the marshes along the line now occupied by Stratford High Street.[2] Reports state she (or her retinue) encountered problems crossing the river to get toBarking Abbey.
The western Stratford then become suffixed by "-atte-Bow" (at the Bow), eventually became known simply asBow, while over time the eastern Stratford lost its "Langthorne" suffix.
_p18b_-_Bow_Bridge.jpg)
The bridge was repaired and upgraded many times over the centuries until eventually demolished and replaced in the 19th century.
In 1135 theCistercian Order foundedStratford Langthorne Abbey, also known as West Ham Abbey. This became one of the largest and most wealthy monasteries in England, owning 1,500 acres (610 hectares) in the immediate area and 20 manors throughout Essex.[4]
The Abbey lay between theChannelsea River and Marsh Lane (Manor Road). Nothing visible remains on the site, as after its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, local landowners took away much of the stone for their own buildings and the land was subsequently urbanised.[2]
A stone window and a carving featuring skulls – thought to have been over the door to the charnel house – remain inAll Saints Church, West Ham (dating from about 1180). The Great Gate of the abbey survived in Baker's Row until 1825.[5]
The doorway to the Old Court House, in Tramway Avenue (Stratford), displays the Abbey's coat of arms. The chevrons from this device, originally from the arms of the Mountfitchet family, together with an abbot'scrozier were incorporated into the arms of the formerCounty Borough of West Ham in 1887. The newLondon Borough of Newham adopted the same arms in 1965.[6]
The industrialisation of Stratford started slowly and accelerated rapidly in the early Victorian era.
.jpg)
The Stratford and national experience of theIndustrial Revolution inspired scenes in the2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony covering the traumatic transition from a 'Green and Pleasant Land' to the 'Pandemonium' of the revolution and the huge social and economic changes it brought. The level of industrialisation experienced by the parish and borough of West Ham led to it becoming known as theFactory centre of the south of England.[7] Stratford was the base the greatest concentration of manufacturing activity within West Ham.
Stratford was originally an agricultural community, whose proximity to London provided a ready market for its produce. By the 18th century, the area around Stratford was noted for potato growing, a business that continued into the mid-1800s.[8] Stratford also became a desirable country retreat for wealthymerchants and financiers, within an easy ride of theCity. WhenDaniel Defoe visited Stratford in 1722, he reported it had "...increased in buildings to a strange degree, within the compass of about 20 or 30 years past at the most". He continues that "...this increase is, generally speaking, of hansom large houses... being chiefly for the habitations of the richest citizens, such as either are able to keep two houses, one in the country, and one in the city; or for such citizens as being rich, and having left off trade, live altogether in these neighbouring villages, for the pleasure and health of the latter part of their days".[9]
An early industrial undertaking at Stratford was theBow porcelain factory, which despite the name, was on the Essex side of the River Lea. Using a process that was patented in 1744,Edward Heylin andThomas Frye operated a factory near Bow Bridge called "New Canton" to produce some of the firstsoft-paste porcelain to be made in the country.[10] The site of the factory was to the north of Stratford High Street near the modern Bow Flyover; it was the subject ofarchaeological excavations in 1921 and 1969.[11]
The Victorian era saw growth hugely accelerated by three major factors: theMetropolitan Buildings Act 1844, the arrival of the railway and the creation of the nearbyRoyal Docks.
Rapid growth followed the Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844, which restricted dangerous and noxious industries from operating in the metropolitan area, the eastern boundary of which was theRiver Lea. Consequently, many of these activities were relocated to the banks of the river, and West Ham became one of Victorian Britain's major manufacturing centres for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and processed foods. This rapid growth earned it the name "London over the border".[12] The growth of the town was summarised byThe Times in 1886:
"Factory after factory was erected on the marshy wastes of Stratford and Plaistow, and it only required the construction at Canning Town of theVictoria and Albert Docks to make the once desolate parish of West Ham a manufacturing and commercial centre of the first importance and to bring upon it a teeming and an industrious population."[12]
By the early 19th century, Stratford was an important transport hub, withomnibuses andcoaches running into London four times every hour and coaches fromEast Anglia passing through hourly. The route into London was plied byWalter Hancock'ssteam coaches for a period during the 1830s.[13] A small dock and a number ofwharves were operating on the River Lea at Stratford by the 1820s, serving the needs of local industries. The opening of the Victoria Dock (laterRoyal Victoria Dock) nearby on the Thames in 1855, and the subsequent construction of theRoyal Group of Docks (at one time the largest area of impounded water in the world), increased Stratford's importance as a transport and manufacturing centre.[14] Rising population levels led to two major new Anglican churches in the area,St John's Church in 1834 andChrist Church in 1851.
Stratford station was opened on 20 June 1839 by theEastern Counties Railway (ECR). TheNorthern and Eastern Railway opened a section of its authorised line fromBroxbourne to join the ECR at Stratford on 15 September 1840.[15] A railway works and depot for engines and rolling stock was established byGreat Eastern in 1847 to the north of Stratford. At its peak, the works employed over 2,500, many of whom had homes, along with other railway workers, in the town that developed nearby. It was originally called Hudson Town, afterGeorge Hudson, the "Railway King", but after his involvement in bribery and fraud was revealed in 1849, the settlement quickly became better known asStratford New Town, which by 1862 had a population of 20,000.[16] During the lifetime of the Stratford works, 1,682locomotives, 5,500passenger coaches and 33,000goods wagons were built. The last part of the works closed in March 1991.[17]
Stratford, like many areas of London, particularly in the East End, suffered significant de-industrialisation in the 20th century.[18] This was compounded by the closing of the London Docks in the 1960s.[19] Around this time, the Stratford Shopping Centre was built, beginning efforts to guide the area through the process of transformation from a working-class industrial and transport hub to a retail and leisure destination for the contemporary age.[18] These efforts continued with the Olympic bid for Stratford, and the ongoing urban regeneration work going on there.[20]
Stratford began as a hamlet in the northwest part of the ancient parish ofWest Ham, as the area urbanised it expanded, increased in population and merged with neighbouring districts.
Except as a ward, Stratford has never been a unit of administration and so, like many London districts, lacks formally defined boundaries. As described however, Stratford occupies the north-west part ofWest Ham and so takes the northwest boundaries of that area; boundaries which have subsequently become the northwest boundary of the modernLondon Borough of Newham.
In this way theRiver Lea and the complex network of theBow Back Rivers mark the western limits of the area, which also extends north as far as the boundary of theLondon Borough of Waltham Forest.
Most of Stratford is in the E15 postal area, however theRoyal Mail has given the new E20 postcode to theOlympic Park and Stratford City developments; this was previously only used by the BBC TV soapEastEnders for its fictional East London setting ofWalford.[21] The name "Walford" is a portmanteau of the names of nearbyWalthamstow and Stratford itself.
Neighbouring areas of Stratford. | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Stratford was one of three ancient wards in the large ancient parish ofWest Ham, in theBecontree hundred ofEssex. It came within theMetropolitan Police District in 1840.[22]
Despite forming part of the built up area of London the parish remained outside the statutory metropolitan area established in 1855 and theCounty of London established in 1889. Instead, administrative reform was undertaken in the area in much the same way as a large provincial town. A local board was formed in 1856 under thePublic Health Act 1848 and subsequently the parish was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1886. In 1889 the borough was large enough in terms of population to become acounty borough and was outside the area of responsibility ofEssex County Council. Stratford formed the centre of administration of the county borough and was the location of the town hall.
Followingreform of local government in London in 1965,West Ham was reunited withEast Ham (Ham is believed to have formed a single unit until the late 12th century) and small areas of neighbouring districts, to form theLondon Borough of Newham, part of the newGreater London.[23]
Until 2024, Stratford was in the constituency ofWest Ham, represented in theHouse of Commons since 2005 byLyn Brown of theLabour Party. Since 2024, following the2023 review of Westminster constituencies, it has been in the constituency ofStratford and Bow, represented byUma Kumaran.
Stratford is part of the area of theMayor of Newham, adirectly elected mayor. The modern borough has an electoral ward named "Stratford and New Town".
Most of the 560-acre[24]Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is located within Stratford, with other parts of the park in theLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets, theLondon Borough of Hackney and theLondon Borough of Waltham Forest. The park was prepared as the main venue of the2012 Summer Olympics and permanently opened to the public in 2014.
As part of the games and its legacy, the park included a number of sporting venues as well as extensive open spaces. Since the games many of the open parts of the park have been built on, replaced by cultural and commercial premises, as well as new housing.
Stratford Park on West Ham Lane was laid out, in stages, by theCounty Borough of West Ham between 1899 and 1912. It was originally calledWest Ham Recreation Ground and is still known to many asWest Ham Rec. The name was changed in 1999 to avoid confusion with nearbyWest Ham Park.[25]
In 1892–93, before the land was acquired by the local council, the open plot opposite West Ham Police Station, was let toCastle Swifts F.C. for use as their home ground. This was the works team of theCastle Shipping Line which had a repair yard atLeamouth inBlackwall. The Castle Swifts named the groundDunottar Park in honour of the company's shipRMS Dunottar Castle. The club was only based in Stratford for its first year, moving toTemple Meadows inEast Ham after a dispute with the landlord. The club would merge withThames Ironworks F.C., the forerunner ofWest Ham United F.C., in 1895.[26]
Directly to the south of the churchyard stands a 12.80-metre tallgraniteobelisk, which was erected in 1861 as a memorial to theQuaker philanthropist andabolitionist,Samuel Gurney (1766 to 1856). Theplinth carries two brassdrinking fountain heads on opposite sides, with the inscription:IN REMEMBRANCE OF SAMUEL GURNEY / WHO DIED 5 June 1856 / ERECTED BY HIS FELLOW PARISHIONERS AND FRIENDS / 1861 / "When the ear heard him then it blessed him"[27] (aparaphrase from theBook of Job, Chapter 29 verse 11).
Designed by Lewis Angell andJohn Giles in theItalianate style with a 100-foot (30-metre) tall domed tower,Stratford Town Hall opened in 1869 as the public offices for the West HamLocal board of health. It later became the town hall for the county borough and was enlarged in 1881 to accommodate acourthouse andcells.[28] On 26 June 1982, the main part of the building was badly damaged by fire; after a painstaking reconstruction of the original features and refurbishment as aconference centre, it was reopened by the Queen in July 1986. It is a Grade IIlisted building.[29] The balcony of the Old Town Hall has provided the climax of victory celebrations forWest Ham United FC, winning major trophies such as theFA Cup in 1980 and theUEFA Europa Conference League in 2023.[30]
Opposite St John's Church stands an early 19th-centurypub, theKing Edward VII, with originalpedimented doors and early 19th-centurybay windows; it is a Grade II listed building.[31] It was originally called "The King ofPrussia", either in honour ofFrederick the Great or else after KingFrederick William IV who visited the area in 1842 to meetElizabeth Fry, the prison reformer. In 1914, the first year ofWorld War One, the pub was renamed[32] in honour of the preceding British king,Edward VII who had died in 1910. The old name was problematic as 'The King of Prussia' was one of the titles of the German Emperor,Kaiser Wilhelm II.More than a hundred years later, the King Edward VII pub is still locally nicknamed 'The Prussian'.
A 38 tonne 0-6-0saddle-tanksteam locomotive namedRobert is displayed in Meridian Square, the forecourt of Stratford Station. It was built in 1933 by theAvonside Engine Company ofBristol for use at the Lamport Ironstone mines railway nearBrixworth, Northamptonshire. It was previously an exhibit at theNorth Woolwich Old Station Museum, but moved to Stratford in 1999. In 2008, it was moved on to theEast Anglia Railway Museum atChappel and Wakes Colne railway station nearColchester; there it was cleaned and repainted at the expense of theOlympic Delivery Authority and returned to Stratford in 2011.[33]
A 114-metre-tall (374 ft) sculpture and observation tower in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is Britain's largest piece of public art and is intended to be a permanent legacy of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It closed after the end of the Games, but was reopened to the public in April 2014.[34]
Built in 1868, as part of the newLondon sewerage system by SirJoseph Bazalgette, the building originally housed steam pumps and is a notable example of Italian styleGothic Revival architecture. It is opened to the public on an occasional basis, when the "flamboyant interior of enriched cast ironwork" can be seen. It was used to portray a lunatic asylum in the 2005 filmBatman Begins and is a Grade II* listed building.[35]
TheChurch of England parish church of Stratford is the 1830s church calledSt John's on Stratford Broadway, a major thoroughfare, and The Grove and is part ofDiocese of Chelmsford, itself part of theProvince of Canterbury. It is a Grade IIlisted building.[36] In its churchyard is a memorial to theStratford Martyrs, who wereburned at the stake in 1556 (possibly at Stratford, but more likely atBow) during the reign ofQueen Mary. The memorial itself is octagonal withterracotta plaques on each face, surmounted by a twelve sided spire. It was unveiled in 1878.[37]
St Francis of Assisi Church, Stratford is theRoman Catholic church in Stratford. It was built in 1868 and is served byFranciscan Friars.
As of the 2011 census, White British is the largest ethnic group in the Stratford and New Town ward, at 21% of the population, followed by Other White at 19% and Black African at 13%; other ethnic groups comprised the remaining 47%.[38]
The two main faiths of the people areChristianity andIslam, with 8,106 Christians and 3,643 Muslims.[39]
Stratford's shopping centres, theStratford Centre and the recently opened (2011)Westfield Stratford City, are on either side of Stratford station. Westfield Stratford City, home to 350 stores, is one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. The older centrehas a range of accessibly priced stores, its indoor and outdoor market stalls, and the 'inshops' network of small retail outlets. The centre occupies much of the 'island site' created in the 1960s by the surroundinggyratory traffic system.
Stratford has been a focus of regeneration for some years as the local economy has grown, and is the location of a number of major projects.
Developments:
Olympic Park developments:
.jpg)
Stratford's Cultural Quarter, adjacent to the shopping centre, is home to several arts venues, bars and cafes. TheTheatre Royal Stratford East was designed by architect James George Buckle, who was commissioned by the actor-managerCharles Dillon in 1884.[46] 'Stratford East' however is not a location; the 'East' is used to differentiate between Stratford (east London) andStratford-upon-Avon.Stratford Circus is a contemporary performing arts venue that was designed byLevitt Bernstein architects and built with funding from theNational Lottery which opened in 2001.
The Discover Children's Story Centre is a partner in the Cultural Quarter which is a purpose-built Story World and Story Garden are creative play spaces, it works with schools, libraries and the local community.[47]
Stratford has been used as a shooting location for numerous films, notablySparrows Can't Sing (1963) andBronco Bullfrog (1970),Batman Begins (2005) andAttack the Block (2011). The promotional film for the Beatles' "Penny Lane" single was filmed in and around the southern part of Angel Lane, demolished in the late 1960s to build the Stratford Centre.
Stratford is home to theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a sporting complex built for the2012 Summer Olympics and theParalympics; it is named after Elizabeth II to commemorate herDiamond Jubilee.[48]
The first annualInvictus Games were held between 10 and 14 September 2014 in the park; events were held at many of the venues used during the 2012 Olympics, including the Copper Box and theLee Valley Athletics Centre which had 300 competitors from 13 countries which have fought alongside the United Kingdom in recent military campaigns participated.[49][50][51][52]
ThePremier Leaguefootball clubWest Ham United F.C. is based in Stratford Queen Elizabeth Olympics Park. From 1904 until 2016, the club's home ground wasBoleyn Ground inUpton Park. In 2016, West Ham moved to a new multi-purpose ground, theLondon Stadium, which is also home toUK Athletics (known as British Athletics) who ground share with West Ham. The stadium has hosted a few2015 Rugby World Cup andEnglish rugby union matches, and also both the2017 IAAF World Championships and the2017 World Para Athletics Championships.
TheLondon Aquatics Centre is also in the park; it has an indoor facility with two 50-metre (160-foot)swimming pools and a 25-metre (82-foot) diving pool.
TheUniversity of East London (UEL) has a majorcampus in Stratford, whose main building, University House, is a historic listed building dating from the 19th century. The adjacent Passmore Edwards Building is also one of the area's most historic and beautiful buildings, with colourful frescoes and domed roof. In addition,Birkbeck College, part of theUniversity of London, has launched courses in the area, initially using space provided by UEL, with a view to constructing its own campus in Stratford. In 2023, two universities opened new campuses on the Olympic park, with theLondon College of Fashion, part ofUniversity of the Arts London, relocating to Stratford,[53] andUniversity College London opening its newUCL East campus.[54]
Newham College of Further Education is afurther education college that has a campus in Stratford which opened in 1993 with Stratford as it secondary educational teaching site.[55] In April 2016 the college announced a strategic alliance with University of East London.[56]
TheChobham Academy is anacademy in the Stratford neighbourhood ofEast Village and is run by theHarris Federation which opened in September 2013. It is classed as an education campus and comprises a nursery, primary and secondary school, sixth form and adult learning facility.[57]
Sarah Bonnell School is one of the oldest girls schools in England and currently a girls only secondary school. It had moved to its present site in Deanery Road fromForest Gate. It took over the buildings that had previously been called Deanery High School for Girls and Stratford Green Secondary School.[58]
The Carpenters Primary School is a state school in theCarpenters Estate, thelivery company of theCity of LondonWorshipful Company of Carpenters has close links with the school who make regular grants. The school is built on a site next to the original Carpenters' Institute.[59]
Other schools in Stratford include Colegrave,[60] John F Kennedy[61] and also St Francis[62] and Maryland[63] in the locality ofMaryland.
Stratford is a majorNational Rail interchange on theGreat Eastern Main Line,North London Line,Elizabeth line andLea Valley Lines. According to 2017–18 figures, 40.08 million passengers entered or exited the station, making it the UK's7th busiest station.[64] The station is managed by Elizabeth Line.[65]
The station is served by severaltrain operating companies:
Stratford International, sited to the north-west, is on theHigh Speed 1 line fromSt Pancras toKent. It is served bySoutheastern's domestic high speed services. The international and national rail stations are linked by a branch of the Docklands Light Railway, opened in August 2011.
Maryland railway station is located in the eastern part of Stratford town centre. It is a stop on the Elizabeth Line.
Stratford is served by twoLondon Underground lines:
TheDocklands Light Railway (DLR) was extended to Stratford in 1987 and to Stratford International in 2011. Services link Stratford to Poplar,Canary Wharf,Lewisham,London City Airport, theExcel Centre,Beckton andWoolwich Arsenal.
Pudding Mill Lane is located to the south of the Olympic Park (though it closed during the Olympics for safety reasons due to its size) and west of Stratford town centre; it normally provides transport to the local factories. It was re-sited south as part of the Crossrail project.
Stratford High Street is sited to the south of StratfordRegional, situated on the site of the formerStratford Market railway station.
Stratford bus station is adjacent to StratfordRegional and theStratford Centre, served byLondon Buses.
London Buses travel to destinations in theWest andEast End, northeast and south London, served by London Bus routes69,86,104,158,238,241,257,262,276,308,425,473,D8 and by the25 andN8 toCentral London.[67]
A newer bus station,Stratford City bus station, opened in 2011 as part of theWestfield Stratford City regeneration project to the north of StratfordRegional. London Bus routes97,241, 308,339,388,108 andN205 call here.[67]National Express run coaches from Stratford City bus station toStansted Airport and destinations inEast Anglia.[68][69]Megabus coaches also call at Stratford City bus station with a direct service toNorwich.[70]
Stratford is connected to theNational Road Network by several major routes.
The A12 passes through Stratford between Bow and Leyton, carrying eastbound traffic from London towards theNorth Circular,the M25,the M11 and East Anglia. The A11 (Bow Road) meets the A12 at theBow Interchange to Stratford's south-west.The A11 carries traffic betweenthe City and Stratford, whilst the A12 to the south carries traffic tothe A13 andCanary Wharf.Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for the A11 and A12 roads.[71][72]
Stratford High Street is numberedthe A118, which runs from Bow Interchange toIlford andRomford.The A112 is a north–south route through Stratford, which ultimately terminates nearChingford in the north (viaLeyton andWalthamstow) andLondon City Airport in the south.[71]
All roads in Stratford are part ofLondon's Low Emission Zone.[73]
Newham Council partake in roadside pollution monitoring. In a 2018 report, Leytonstone Road in Stratford recorded the highest percentage ofNitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in roadside air of all monitoring sites in Newham, with an annual mean of 60%. Temple Mills Lane in Stratford recorded an annual mean of 40%.[74] It is thought that Nitrogen Dioxide is linked to respiratory conditions, can decrease lung function and increase response to allergens.[75]
Stratford is linked to London's cycle network, withcycling infrastructure provided by bothTransport for London (TfL) andNewham Council.
The eastern terminus ofCycle Superhighway 2 (CS2) is on Stratford High Street. CS2 follows Stratford High Street southwest onsegregated cycle track towardsBow Interchange. Signal controls at Bow Interchange give priority to cyclists, who can also usecycle lanes to cross the junction. CS2 then followsBow Road (the A11) toAldgate on cycle track.[76] CS2 was the first fully segregated Cycle Superhighway to open in London.[77]
Quietway 6 passes through the north of Stratford betweenVictoria Park andWanstead, running non-stop toBarkingside in the northeast.[78]Quietway 22 runs from Victoria Park, over Stratford High Street (CS2), towardsPlaistow andBeckton.[79] Quietways are signposted routes on quieter roads.
National Cycle Route 1 (NCN1) skirts around Stratford on its northwestern edge, running along theHertford Union Canal andLee Navigationtowpaths. NCN1 is a long cycle route betweenDover, Kent, andthe Shetland Islands, running in north London non-stop between theGreenwich Foot Tunnel andWaltham Abbey.[80] Cycling is permitted on the Hertford Union Canal and Lee Navigation towpaths around Stratford, which areshared-use paths maintained by theCanal and River Trust.[81]
TheSantander Cyclessharing scheme operates in Stratford.[82]
Between 2010 and 2014, the A118 (Stratford High Street) saw 153 pedal cycle casualties, constituting a 31% share of cycle casualties in Newham. By 2016, however, there were only 79 serious cyclist injuries across the whole borough, with no deaths.[83] The borough council has launched a "cycling strategy" to improve cycling provisions between 2018 and 2025.[83]
TheNewham Recorder provides local news.
In 1965, a reform was made to London's government which has affected the city ever since. After many years of debate and a Royal Commission, 'London' – that is the area of the London County Council – was expanded to embrace the whole of Middlesex and parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. On April 1st, today's 32 boroughs and the Greater London Council (GLC) took charge of the capital's local government. The LCC, the metropolitan boroughs and a substantial number of districts were abolished or merged to create new authorities.
| Geographic | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
