112-552: East Cross Route (ECR) is a dual-carriageway road constructed in east London as part of the uncompleted Ringway 1 as part of the London Ringways plan drawn up the 1960s to create a series of high speed roads circling and radiating out from central London . The road was constructed between 1967 and 1973 and runs from Hackney Wick in north-east London, through the Blackwall Tunnel , to Kidbrooke in south-east London. The ECR
224-539: A city farm in Skelton Lane Park, near Leyton Midland Road station. It is free to visitors and the livestock include pigs, sheep, cows, horses and llamas . A recent regeneration of Ive Farm Fields in 2018 has brought a host of new facilities to the area, with floodlit sports pitches, a running track, volleyball courts and a series of walking routes. In memory of those who lost their lives in Waltham Forest during
336-781: A 99-year lease of the stadium. Orient said that the stadium was too close to their stadium, which they said would breach FA rules. There has also been talk of the club moving into the 15,000 seater Riverbank Arena. Leyton F.C. (between 1975 and 1992 called "Leyton Wingate") was founded in 1868, and until January 2011 played in the Isthmian League Division One North at the Leyton Stadium in Lea Bridge Road. Leyton FC amalgamated with Walthamstow Pennant FC, in 1995 and renamed as Leyton Pennant FC. In 1994, they changed their name again to Waltham Forest FC. Leyton also has
448-497: A cricket pitch and pavilion, which was the former home of Essex County Cricket Club . In 1886, the club purchased Leyton Cricket Ground in the High Road, which became their headquarters until 1933; however, they continued to play at Leyton until 1977. The pavilion (a Grade II listed building ) still stands today as part of Leyton Youth Centre. Wapping Hockey Club and East London Hockey Club are field hockey clubs that both play at
560-506: A current 'hot spot' to buy in. The area was referenced in the July 2015 edition of Vogue (magazine) , which said: "All eyes are on Leyton and Stratford [right now]." More widely in Waltham Forest, the borough has seen an influx of those who cannot afford higher house prices or rent in neighbouring Hackney as well as areas such as Bethnal Green and Bow in the nearby London Borough of Tower Hamlets . Related to this, Waltham Forest has been one of
672-470: A large, 24-hour Asda store, a B&Q store and a selection of furniture and electrical stores. 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 branch of Tesco . The newly built local police station is at Boreham Close near Leyton Midland Road station. It moved from Francis Road in December 2012. Restaurants reflect
784-565: A licence, and the best college in London for sport. Leyton is on the Central line of London Underground , with the station located at the southern end of the High Road. There is a London Overground station at Midland Road on the Gospel Oak to Barking line . Leyton is served by a number of London bus routes day and night. Central London may be reached by bicycle from Lea Bridge Road following
896-678: A motorway. Reports suggested between 15,000 and 80,000 Londoners would lose their homes as a result of the Ringways. The Treasury and the Ministry of Transport both came out against the scheme, primarily because of worries over the cost. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Roy Jenkins said he could not prevent the GLC from proposing the schemes, but assumed that the government could ultimately prevent them from being implemented. Despite this opposition,
1008-530: A period of several years and were subject to a continuing process of review and modification. Roads were added and omitted as the overall scheme was altered, and many alternative route alignments were considered during the planning process The plan was published in stages starting with Ringway 1 in 1966 and Ringway 2 in 1967. After the Conservatives won the GLC elections in the latter year, they confirmed that both Ringways would be constructed as planned. The plan
1120-619: A route further to the south where the road could be constructed with less destruction of local communities. Starting in the London Borough of Greenwich at the southern end of the new tunnel in Thamesmead, the planned route for the new southern section of Ringway 2 would have first interchanged with the A2016 then headed south, first through Plumstead towards Plumstead Common and then, via open land, to Shooters Hill Road ( A207 ). Controversially,
1232-556: A series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre. They were part of a comprehensive scheme developed by the Greater London Council (GLC) to alleviate traffic congestion on the city's road system by providing high-speed motorway -standard roads within the capital, linking a series of radial roads taking traffic into and out of the city. There had been plans to construct new roads around London to help traffic since at least
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#17328522406991344-617: A time, temporarily designated as part of the M11. At its eastern end, Ringway 2 was planned to have crossed the River Thames at Gallions Reach in a new tunnel between Beckton and Thamesmead . Although this tunnel was never built, the utility of an additional river crossing in this area continued to be recognised during the decades after the Ringway Scheme's cancellation and various proposals for an East London River Crossing have been developed,
1456-758: A total population of 42,061, is a diverse district. Between 61 and 69 per cent of its residents are either Black, Asian, or from an ethnic minority, according to the London Borough of Waltham Forest profile reports for the Leyton (ward) , Grove Green and Lea Bridge (ward) wards. This compares to 55.1% in the Borough as a whole, according to the 2011 United Kingdom census . Within these groups, there are many people whose origins are from Russia , North Africa , Ghana , Nigeria , Jamaica , Ireland , Portugal , Cyprus , and Italy as well as newer arrivals from South Africa , Bosnia , Serbia , and Poland . Moreover, more than half
1568-613: A triple-layer junction, Bow Interchange . The ECR passes through in a cutting below an interchange roundabout whilst the A11 passes above on a flyover . South of this junction, the ECR passes Bromley-by-Bow station and skirts the River Lee Navigation for a short distance as it follows the line of the former St Leonard Street. It then crosses Limehouse Cut and continues along what was Brunswick Road to East India Dock Road ( A13 ). It passes under
1680-902: A viaduct. It continued along the North London line through Hackney and Homerton , leading to a junction with the East Cross Route at Hackney Wick . The whole of the East Cross Route was built. It runs south from Hackney Wick as the A12 (previously designated as the A102(M) and A102 ) to Bow Road , then, as the A102, under the River Thames via the Blackwall Tunnel to the Sun in the Sands roundabout at Blackheath , then as
1792-434: Is also the case in the neighbouring areas of Hackney , Bow , Clapton and Stratford . Leyton's skyline is comparatively low-rise compared to other districts of east London. High-rise estates once dominated the horizon, but the towers were unpopular with many residents and considered to be poorly constructed. The Oliver Close and Cathall Road estates were the first to be completely redeveloped by demolition and rebuilding with
1904-689: Is now the Gaughan Group Stadium. Although they reached the top flight of English football when promoted to the Football League First Division in 1962, Orient currently play in League One. Leyton Orient's future in the heart of Leyton is uncertain. In October 2011, Orient submitted a request to the Football League to move into and become tenants of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, following complaints over West Ham United being given
2016-466: The 2012 London Olympic Games site. The Olympics authority also funded the smartening up of pavements and street furniture. Leyton is in the Lower Lea Valley , the river forming its western boundary. The area rises from low-lying marshland along the river Lea to over 90 feet at Whipps Cross on the southern edge of Epping Forest . Leyton is partially bisected by the A12 (M11 link road, built in
2128-563: The A1 east and south to the current junction 3 with the M20 ) was to be built and connected to the southern and western section of Ringway 4 to create the M25. The remaining parts of the two rings became redundant. The South Mimms to Potters Bar section (junction 23 to junction 24) was opened in 1975, temporarily designated as an A-road ( A1178 ). The remaining sections of the northern Ringway 3 were constructed over
2240-637: The A2 to Kidbrooke , meeting the South Cross Route. The South Cross Route ran beneath Blackheath Park in a tunnel, following railways as much as possible for its route though Peckham , Brixton , where it was planned to connect with the " South Cross Route to Parkway D Radial " a motorway running south-east to Ringway 3, and Clapham to Nine Elms . There was then a link to the West Cross Route and Ringway 2 at Wandsworth . The West Cross Route followed
2352-568: The A4 at Colnbrook to the A13 at Tilbury . In May 1938, Sir Charles Bressey and Sir Edwin Lutyens published a Ministry of Transport report, The Highway Development Survey, 1937 , which reviewed London's road needs and recommended the construction of many miles of new roads and the improvement of junctions at key congestion points. Amongst their proposals was the provision of a series of orbital roads around
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#17328522406992464-587: The Knights Templar ) 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 Eurostar trains. After World War Two, Leyton suffered from large-scale industrial decline in the second half of the 20th century. But, like much of east London, Leyton, which also borders the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park , has benefited from significant regeneration projects over
2576-864: The Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre , and compete in the Women's England Hockey League and the London Hockey League . The Lee Valley Ice Centre is home to the Lea Valley Lions Ice Hockey Club who play in the English National Ice Hockey League . Leyton borders the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympic Games . The training facilities at the Waltham Forest Pool & Track were used by Olympians to prepare for
2688-629: The London Motorway Box . In 1963, Colin Buchanan published a report, Traffic in Towns , which had been commissioned by the Transport Minister, Ernest Marples . In contrast to earlier reports, it cautioned that road building would generate and increase traffic and cause environmental damage. It also recommended pedestrianisation of town centres and segregating different traffic types. The report
2800-523: The London Underground . The GLC attempted to hold on to the Ringway plans until the early 1970s, hoping that they would eventually be built. By 1972, in an attempt to placate the Ringway plan's vociferous opponents, the GLC removed the northern section of Ringway 1 and the southern section of Ringway 2 from the proposals. In January 1973, the enquiry recommended that Ringway 1 be built, but that much of
2912-547: The M20 motorway (then also being planned) near Wrotham in Kent and ran west as motorway around the capital to Hunton Bridge near Watford. From Watford, the road was to head east until it met Ringway 3 near Navestock in Essex . Construction began on the first section of the motorway between Godstone and Reigate (junctions 6 to 8) in 1973, and included a junction with the M23 motorway which
3024-595: The North Circular Road ( A406 ) in South Woodford ) to join Ringway 1. Part of this plan was eventually achieved in a modified form when, in the 1990s the 'A12 Hackney to M11 link road', or 'M11 Link Road' was constructed through Leyton , Leytonstone and Wanstead to connect to the ECR at Hackney Wick. This extension was designated as the A12 and required just the sort of controversial construction methods and widescale demolitions of residential areas that caused
3136-604: The North Circular Road from Hanger Lane to Gants Hill , Western Avenue and Eastern Avenue , the Great West Road bypassing Brentford , and bypasses of Kingston , Croydon , Watford and Barnet . In 1924, the Ministry of Transport proposed another circular route, the North Orbital Road. This ran further out from London than the North Circular and was planned to be around 70 miles (110 km) long, running from
3248-477: The Second World War through Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan , 1943 and Greater London Plan, 1944 to a 1960s Greater London Council (GLC) scheme that would have involved the construction of many miles of motorway standard roads across the city and demolition on a massive scale. Due to the huge construction costs and widespread public opposition, most of the scheme was cancelled in 1973 and
3360-806: The West London line , with a bridge over the Thames near Chelsea Basin. There was a planned interchange with Cromwell Road ( A4 ) at Earl's Court and with Holland Park Avenue at Shepherd's Bush . The section north Shepherd's Bush to the Westway was constructed as planned. North of the Westway, it would have continued to follow the West London line, crossing the Great Western railway and the Grand Union Canal , linking with
3472-508: The cabinet cancelled funding and hence the project. Ringway 1 was the London Motorway box, comprising the North , East , South and West Cross Routes. Ringway 1 was planned to comprise four sections across the capital forming a roughly rectangular box of motorways. These sections were designated: Much of the scheme would have been constructed as elevated roads on concrete pylons and
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3584-534: The 17th and 18th centuries, Leyton was a "pretty retiring place from London" for wealthy merchants and bankers; in 1766 there were said to be 50 or 60 gentlemen with houses in the parish. Leyton's development from an agricultural community to an industrial and residential suburb was given impetus by the arrival of the railway. First at Lea Bridge Station in 1840, then at Low Leyton in 1856 (now Leyton Underground ). Finally Leyton Midland Road opened in 1894, after an elevated line had been built on brick arches across
3696-500: The 17th century. Several were built in the early 20th century such as the North Circular Road , Western Avenue and Eastern Avenue , and further plans were put forward in 1937 with The Highway Development Survey , followed by the County of London Plan in 1943. The Ringways originated from these earlier plans, and consisted of the main four ring roads and other developments. Certain sections were upgrades of existing earlier projects such as
3808-506: The 1930s. South of the river, Ringway 2 would have headed roughly toward the North Circular Road at Chiswick , though there was no definite proposed route. Much of the Ringway, particularly the southern section where a new route was required, would have been placed in cuttings to mitigate disruption to local residents. The North Circular Road was to have been improved to motorway standard along its existing route. Some plans refer to
3920-513: The 1960s schemes to be cancelled and provoked to the major M11 link road protest . After the new road was built, the northern part of the ECR became the A12. Had the North Cross Route been built incoming traffic from the M11 would have been able to continue west from Hackney Wick junction on a motorway standard road past Dalston, Highbury, Camden Town, under West Hampstead to Kilburn (where a link to
4032-565: The 1990s), with most of the district lying on the north-west side of this busy traffic artery through east London. The High Road Leyton bridge crossing the A12 offers some of the best views in London of the Olympic Park, which also borders the district, as well as of skyscrapers further west. It borders Walthamstow along Lea Bridge Road and areas of the London Borough of Hackney via the River Lea. Leyton, which comprises three electoral wards with
4144-473: The 2012 Games, will "be a valuable area of open green space for the neighbouring communities" and "a place for jogging, kickabouts, children’s play and family picnics". Leyton has a number of secondary schools, including George Mitchell School , Lammas School and Norlington School . There is also a college, Leyton Sixth Form College , which is the second sixth form college in Southern England to get
4256-592: The A1 road. It is probable that this road would have been named "Eastway" to form a pair with the Westway now which performs a similar function from Paddington to White City and, in fact, a short section of road adjacent to the ECR north of the Hackney Wick junction does bear this name today. At the southern end of the ECR, the plan was to connect it at Kidbrooke to the South Cross Route (running west across south London),
4368-649: The A13 in another grade separated junction, becoming the A102, and then enters the Blackwall tunnel. South of the River Thames , the ECR (A102) skirts Tunnel Avenue and flies over Blackwall Lane ( A2203 ) and Woolwich Road ( A206 ) before climbing the hill towards the Sun-in-the-Sands interchange where it passes under Shooters Hill Road ( A2 / A207 ) and becomes the Rochester Way Relief Road (A2). It squeezes through
4480-417: The A2 (heading east out of London) and the A20 (heading south-east out of London). In fact, a new dual carriageway section of the A2 was constructed through Eltham to meet the ECR at Kidbrooke in the 1980s providing an efficient route out of London in this direction and the A20 passes only about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the south although it does not connect directly to the ECR and it was never upgraded to
4592-480: The Bakers Arms, there is also a municipal gym and Leyton Leisure Centre swimming pool, which was formerly called the Leyton Leisure Lagoon and was reopened in October 2013 following a period of renovation. There are two public libraries in Leyton. One on the High Road next door to the former Town Hall, and the other on Lea Bridge Road which has been recently modernised to offer extensive computer facilities. The London Borough of Waltham Forest also operates Brooks Farm,
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4704-467: The British Road Federation surveyed 2,000 Londoners, 80% of whom favoured more new roads being built. In contrast, a public enquiry was held to review the GLDP in a climate of strong and vocal opposition from many of the London Borough councils and residents associations that would have seen motorways driven through their neighbourhoods. The Westway and a section of the West Cross Route from Shepherd's Bush to North Kensington , opened in 1970. It showed
4816-527: The Covid pandemic, a memorial plaque and tree has been placed in Jubilee Park as a tribute. The majority of homes in the area consists of Victorian and Edwardian terraces built between 1870 and 1910 during Leyton's phase of rapid development from what had been a small village at the beginning of the 1800s. These properties range in size from two- to seven-bedroom houses. As a result, the area is popular with families. Large-scale redevelopment and inner city regeneration has been underway in Leyton for many years, as
4928-413: The ECR and the West Cross Route and Westway in west London were the only significant parts to be built. At the northern end of the ECR, the unrealised plans would have seen it connect at Hackney Wick to the unbuilt North Cross Route which would have run west across north London via Dalston, and also to the M11 motorway which was originally planned to continue south from its current starting point at
5040-474: The GLC continued to develop its plans, and began the construction of some of the parts of the scheme. The plan, still with much of the detail to be worked out, was included in the Greater London Development Plan, 1969 (GLDP) along with much else not related to roads and traffic management. In 1970, the GLC estimated that the cost of building Ringway 1 along with sections of 2 and 3 would be £1.7 billion (approximately £33.2 billion as of 2023). In 1970,
5152-422: The GLC expected the 25-mile (40 km) long southern ring to cost £305m, including £63m for property purchases. It would require 1,007 acres (4.08 km ) and affect 5,705 houses. Ringway 3 was a new road, the north section of which became part of the M25 from South Mimms to Swanley via the Dartford Crossing . It was intended for traffic bypassing London, and was a central government scheme outside of
5264-399: The Games. Also in Leyton is the Lee Valley VeloPark , which has a 6,000-seat indoor velodrome for track cycling and a 6,000-seat outdoor BMX racing track. The Lee Valley Tennis and Hockey centres at Eton Manor are also due to open to the public in late 2013. The London Legacy Development Corporation said this North Park area, the first section of the Olympic Park to reopen to the public after
5376-447: The London Borough of Greenwich, the motorway crossed to Baring Road (the A2212 ) near Grove Park station . After this, there was a cut-and-cover tunnel underneath playing fields at Whitefoot Lane, followed by an elevated section over Bromley Road ( A21 ). West of Bromley Road, Ringway 2 remained on an elevated alignment towards Beckenham Hill station . From here, it continued through more open land towards Lower Sydenham station where
5488-407: The London area, including a suggestion for "constructing a circular road about 75 miles in length at a radius of 12 miles from St Paul's ". Between 1913 and 1916, a series of conferences took place, bringing all road plans in Greater London together as a single body. Over the next decade, 214 miles (344 km) of new roads were constructed, primarily as post-war unemployment relief. These included
5600-416: The M1 would have been built) and then west to Harlesden, where it would have connected with the West Cross Route, running south to connect with the A40, A4 and on to cross the Thames to connect with the South Cross Route. Also at Hackney Wick a route was proposed running across Victoria Park to Bethnal Green; it would have then run over the Regent Canal to finish at the Angel, Islington, here it would have met
5712-535: The North Circular, but much of it was new-build. Construction began on some sections in the 1960s in response to increasing concern about car ownership and traffic. The Ringway plans attracted vociferous opposition towards the end of the decade over the demolition of properties and noise pollution the roads would cause. Local newspapers published the intended routes, which caused an outcry among local residents living on or near them who would have their lives irreversibly disrupted. Following an increasing series of protests,
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#17328522406995824-450: The North Cross Route at Willesden Junction. Ringway 2 was an upgrade of the North Circular Road (A406) and a new motorway to replace the South Circular Road (A205). The North Circular Road was largely a coherent route (see "Background" above), but the South Circular Road was merely a signposted route through the suburbs of South London on pre-existing sections of standard roads, involving twists and turns, selected by route planners in
5936-415: The Ringways as a complete scheme, protesters against specific parts of it in different areas were able to unite against a common goal, which led to the Layfield Inquiry successfully challenging the proposals. The Labour party made large gains in the GLC elections of April 1973 with a policy of fighting the Ringways scheme. Given the continuing fierce opposition across London and the likely enormous cost,
6048-414: The Stadium with 750 new homes set to be built by 2027, known as The Score Centre. The town is the home to the football club, Leyton Orient F.C. , viewed by many residents as one of the most important parts of Leyton's identity. Orient came to Brisbane Road, Leyton in 1936 from Clapton . The stadium has over time been re-constructed and changed its name from Leyton Stadium to the Matchroom Stadium and
6160-414: The West Cross Route between North Kensington and Shepherd's Bush was opened by John Peyton and Michael Heseltine in 1970, simultaneously with Westway , to protests; some residents hung a huge banners with 'Get us out of this Hell – Rehouse Us Now' outside their windows and protesters disrupted the opening procession by driving a lorry the wrong way along the new road. The East Cross Route, incorporating
6272-456: The already developed streets. However, not all the green spaces were lost, 200 acres (81 ha) of Epping Forest within Leyton's borders were preserved by the Epping Forest Act 1878 . In 1897 Leyton Urban District Council purchased the land for a formal park close to the town hall ; it opened in 1903 as Coronation Gardens, named after the coronation of King Edward VII . In 1905, the "Lammas land", common pasture land on Leyton Marshes ,
6384-542: The architect/planner Lord Esher and Michael Thomson, a transport economist at the London School of Economics , calculated that costs had been enormously underestimated and would show marginal economic returns. They predicted large quantities of additional traffic that would be generated purely as a result of the new roads. Access to the new roads would soon be overwhelmed even before the rings and radial roads were near capacity, while about 1 million Londoners would find their lives blighted by living within 200 yards of
6496-417: The area. 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". In the Domesday Book , the name is rendered as Leintun . at which time
6608-479: The average traffic speed on three of London's radial routes was 12.5 miles per hour (20.1 km/h), and consequently their construction was essential. The plans stalled, as the London County Council were responsible for roads in the capital, and could not find adequate funding. The Ringway plan had developed from early schemes prior to the Second World War through Sir Patrick Abercrombie's County of London Plan , 1943 and Greater London Plan , 1944 . One of
6720-421: The borough – is the Northwood Tower in Walthamstow. However, smaller 1960s-built blocks, such the 10-storey Slade Tower in the Leyton Grange estate, still dot the area. A host of modern apartment buildings have also been built since the late 1990s, including the flats built at each end of Leyton Orient Football Club's Brisbane Road stadium. There is now further development taking place opposite Coronation Gardens and
6832-399: The city with the outer ones built as American-style Parkways – wide, landscaped roads with limited access and grade-separated junctions. These included an eastern extension of Western Avenue, which eventually became the Westway . Bressey's plans called for significant demolition of existing properties, that would have divided communities if they had been built. However, he reported that
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#17328522406996944-439: The construction works needed to upgrade the existing London streets and roads to dual carriageway or motorway standards was considered significant; the A ring would have displaced 5,300 families. Because of post-war funding shortages, Abercrombie's plans were not intended to be carried out immediately. They were intended to be gradually built over the next 30 years. The subsequent austerity period meant that very little of his plan
7056-411: The current M25 junction 23 with the A1 clockwise to the current junction 3 with the M20). Two additional sections of motorway were added to the plan to join the two original sections and the remaining parts of the two rings were cancelled. The south-eastern section of Ringway 4 between Wrotham and Sevenoaks was redesignated as the M26 . Except for a deviation from the original plan around Leatherhead,
7168-473: The current M26 and the M25 between junctions 5 and 19 mostly follow the planned Ringway 4 route. One short section of the dual-carriageway portion of Ringway 4 was constructed in Hoddesdon linking the town to the A10 . In the central London area, only the East Cross Route and part of the West Cross Route of Ringway 1 were constructed together with the elevated Westway which links Paddington to North Kensington . These were all begun and completed before
7280-420: The diversity of Leyton's population, with cuisines on offer including Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, Indian, Mauritian, Somali and Cypriot. There are also several fast-food takeaway shops, cafes and bakeries. Leyton lies on the eastern side of the Hackney Marshes , one of the largest areas of open land in London. A bridge to the marshes crosses the Orient Way road and railway tracks from Leyton Jubilee Park, which
7392-427: The easiest alignment, the Ringway continued towards a junction with the A24 at Colliers Wood . An elevated section alongside the Sutton Loop Line between Tooting and Haydons Road took it up to the Wandle Valley. It crossed the South West Main Line to meet the A3 at a major junction in Wandsworth . From here, it continued to Putney alongside railways, before meeting the northern section at Chiswick. In 1970
7504-410: The fastest rising boroughs in terms of house prices since 2013. 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 district, located at opposite ends of the High Road. There is a large retail park at Leyton Mills, next to the station. This has
7616-409: The first section of the motorway between South Mimms and Potters Bar in 1973 and the motorway was initially designated as the M16 motorway before its opening. While the construction of the first section was in progress, the plan for Ringways 3 and 4 were modified considerably. Broadly speaking, the northern and eastern section of Ringway 3 (from the current junction 23 of the M25 motorway with
7728-420: The help of the multimillion-pound Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust scheme during the early 2000s. The redevelopment of the problematic Avenue Road Estate followed. Demolition of the last large high-rise estate in the area, the Beaumont Road Estate, began in 2006. It has since been almost completely redeveloped. The only remaining 20-storey tower block left in Waltham Forest – from a 1970s peak of 20 across
7840-436: The junction of the North Circular Road and the A10 was only completed in 1990 after several other schemes had been blocked. At the western end of the North Circular Road a new section of motorway would have been constructed to take the route of Ringway 2 eastwards from the junction with the M4 at Gunnersbury along the course of the railway line through Chiswick to meet and cross the River Thames at Barnes . This section
7952-399: The most recent of which was the Thames Gateway Bridge , cancelled in 2008. The South Circular Road was in the 1960s, and remains still, little more than an arbitrary route through the southern half of the city following roads that are mainly just single carriageway. The road planners considered the existing routing unsuitable for a direct upgrade so a new replacement motorway was planned for
8064-431: The motorway standard road that was intended. Without the construction of the other parts of the 1960s motorway plans the context of the ECR has been lost in the subsequent road renumbering and the only section of the East Cross Route which continues to carry the name is the former northern motorway section of the route in Hackney Wick. Parts of the route, at the northern end between Hackney Wick and Old Ford and south of
8176-399: The motorway would have turned south to run alongside the railway line past New Beckenham station . It then rose to an interchange with Elmers End Road ( A214 ). Continuing along the railway line south-west of Birkbeck station , near Cambridge Road there was a proposed interchange with another of the GLC's planned motorways, the "South Cross Route to Parkway D Radial" coming south-east along
8288-529: The neighbouring municipal boroughs of Walthamstow and Chingford to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest , a local government district of Greater London . The town has become one of the most ethnically diverse areas in England, with 69 per cent of residents belonging to a non-British ethnic background. Once a traditional, working class area, it is undergoing large-scale regeneration and gentrification , with large numbers of young professionals moving into
8400-554: The new 'eastern bore' of the Blackwall Tunnel opened in 1967, was completed in 1979. The North Cross Route began south of Willesden Junction and followed the North London line eastwards then passed under the Midland main line and Metropolitan line at West Hampstead , where it was intended to meet a planned extension of the M1 motorway with a link to Finchley Road . It diverged away from
8512-413: The next eleven years: the M25 motorway was completed in 1986 with the opening of the Ringway 4 to Ringway 3 linking section from Micklefield to South Mimms (junction 19 to junction 23). One part of Ringway 3 in west London was eventually built as The Parkway/Hayes Bypass ( A312 ). Unlike many other Ringway proposals it was favourably viewed by local residents, for it solved serious congestion problems. It
8624-526: The past decade. Parks have been spruced up, some new small parks and gardens created and several tower blocks have been demolished. The millennium was marked with a clock tower in the Lea Bridge Rd area and a major piece of street art at Baker's Arms. And, most recently, in the build-up to the Olympics, Waltham Forest Borough Council spent £475,000 restoring 41 shopfronts on the part of Leyton High Road closest to
8736-418: The plan was cancelled. With its elevated roadway on concrete pylons flying above the streets below at rooftop height, the Westway provides a good example of how much of Ringway 1 would have appeared had it been constructed. The East Cross route was the only part to be built in its entirety and it includes a permanently unfinished junction at Hackney Wick with the proposed North Cross Route. Another relic of
8848-527: The population is under the age of 30, according to the most recent census. It is also highly multi-cultural, with just 34% of the population recorded as White British, the lowest White British proportion in Waltham Forest. Once a more traditional, working class district, it has become much more gentrified and expensive in recent years. A number of articles have referenced the large numbers of young professionals and other university-educated people moving into Leyton, and its subsequent gentrification and location as
8960-573: The population was 43. The ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin was largely rebuilt in the 17th century. 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. The parish and urban district were officially known as Low Leyton until 1921. In 1965, the Municipal Borough of Leyton
9072-420: The public what the Ringways would be like for local residents and what demolition would be required, and led to increased complaints over the scheme. The GLDP received 22,000 formal objections by 1972. The GLC realised that the South Cross Route might be impractical to build, and looked instead at integrating public transport through a new park-and-ride scheme at Lewisham that would serve a new Fleet line on
9184-456: The railway and passed through Hampstead in a cut-and-cover tunnel owing to local geography, and over British Rail 's goods depot at Camden Town , where there was to be an interchange with the proposed Camden Town bypass. It again followed the North London line to the north of St Pancras and King's Cross , then ran in a tunnel through Highbury , and crossed Kingsland High Street in Dalston on
9296-495: The railway line from Ringway 1 at Brixton and heading to Ringway 3. Like Ringway 2 this road was never built. Ringway 2 took another elevated route crossing the railway by Goat House Bridge, before running in a cutting by South Norwood and Thornton Heath . It then passed under the Brighton Main Line up to a major junction with the M23 coming north from Mitcham . This area would have required extensive demolition. Taking
9408-518: The remit of London County Council. The route was roughly based on the earlier "D" ring designed by Patrick Abercrombie . The southern section was never planned in detail, so a specific route does not exist. The section in west London was eventually built to a lower standard as the A312 . Ringway 3 was planned to link the capital's outer suburbs linking areas such as Croydon , Esher , Barnet , Waltham Cross , Chigwell and Dartford . Construction began on
9520-501: The rest of the Ringway schemes be abandoned. The project was submitted to the Conservative government for approval and, for a short period, it appeared that the GLC had made enough concessions for the scheme to proceed. A report around this time commissioned by planning lawyer Frank Layfield showed that the GLDP was too dependent on roads for its transport plans. Because the GLC had proposed
9632-710: The river between the Blackwall Tunnel and the Sun-in-the-Sands interchange, were previously classified as urban motorways and given the designation A102(M). The status was downgraded to a standard A-road in 2000 when responsibility for trunk roads in Greater London was transferred from the Highways Agency to the Greater London Authority . 51°32′14″N 0°01′32″W / 51.53734°N 0.02566°W / 51.53734; -0.02566 London Ringways#Ringway 1 The London Ringways were
9744-496: The road transport industry, with more than 70 members of parliament being members of the British Road Federation . Political pressure to build roads and improve vehicular traffic increased, which led to a revival of Abercrombie's plans. The Ringway plan took Abercrombie's earlier schemes as a starting point and reused many of his proposals in the outlying areas but scrapped the plans in the inner zone. Abercrombie's A Ring
9856-515: The route was then planned to cross the ancient woodland of Oxleas Wood and the adjacent Shepheardleas Wood to connect to the "Rochester Way Relief Road" ( A2 ) at a junction at Falconwood . Heading south from the A2, Ringway 2 would have crossed Eltham Warren Golf Course and Royal Blackheath Golf Club to reach the A20 at Mottingham where its next junction would have been constructed. Next, heading west out of
9968-620: The routes were designed to follow the alignments of existing railway lines to minimise the amount of land required for construction, including the North London line in the north, the Greenwich Park branch line in the south, and the West London line to the west. Ringway 1 was expected to cost £480 million (£9.38 billion today) including £144 million (£2.74 billion today) for property purchases. It would require 1,048 acres (4.24 km ) and affect 7,585 houses. Only two parts of Ringway 1 were completed and opened to traffic. Part of
10080-520: The scheme is Southwyck House in Brixton, which was designed to shield the housing estate to its south from the noise of Ringway 1, leading to its nickname of "Barrier Block". Leyton Leyton ( / ˈ l eɪ t ən / LAY -tən ) 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
10192-465: The scheme was cancelled in 1973, at which point only three sections had been built. Some traffic routes originally planned for the Ringways were re-used for other road schemes in the 1980s and 1990s, most significantly the M25 , which was created out of two different sections of Ringways joined together. The project caused an increase in road protesting and an eventual agreement that new road construction in London
10304-531: The section in east London as the M15 , but this was not planned to refer to the entire road. Since the Ringways Plan was cancelled, most of the route has been upgraded, some of it close to motorway standard, but this has been done piecemeal. In places, the road is a six-lane dual carriageway with grade separated junctions, while other parts remain at a much lower standard. In some cases this has been because of protests;
10416-465: The south, with Clapton , Hackney Wick and Homerton , across the River Lea , to the west. The area includes New Spitalfields Market , Leyton Orient Football Club , as well as part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park . The town consists largely of terraced houses built between 1870 and 1910, interspersed with some modern housing estates. It is 6.2 miles (10 km) north-east of Charing Cross . It
10528-533: The tight space between Rochester Way (the old A2 route) and Woolacombe Road before it ends at the Kidbrooke interchange where it connects to Kidbrooke Park Road ( A2213 ) or continues as the later section of the Rochester Way Relief Road built in the 1980s. The ECR and the other roads planned in the 1960s for central London which formed Ringway 1 of the London Ringways scheme had developed from early schemes prior to
10640-403: The topics that Abercrombie's two plans had examined was London's traffic congestion, and The County of London Plan proposed a series of ring roads labelled A to E to help remove traffic from the central area. Even in a war-ravaged city with large areas requiring reconstruction, the building of the two innermost rings, A and B, would have involved considerable demolition and upheaval. The cost of
10752-501: 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. During
10864-554: 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 . Although Leyton did not become officially part of London until 1965, the borough formed part of London's built-up area and had been part of the London postal district since its inception in 1856 and the Metropolitan Police District since 1839. The main route through
10976-606: Was carried out. The A Ring was formally cancelled by Clement Attlee 's Labour government in May 1950. After 1951, the County of London focused on improving existing roads rather than Abercrombie's proposals. By the start of the 1960s, the number of private cars and commercial vehicles on the roads had increased considerably from the number before the war. British car manufacturing doubled between 1953 and 1960. The Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan , had strong ties to
11088-401: Was created as a merger of two previously separate playing fields to mark the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II . A major focal point in the centre of Leyton is Coronation Gardens, a park built in 1902 to commemorate the coronation that year of King Edward VII . It includes a fountain, landscaped gardens, a bandstand and a children's maze. On the High Road, near the site of
11200-605: Was historically part of the ancient parish of Leyton St Mary in the Becontree hundred and part of the ancient county of Essex . The town expanded rapidly in the late 19th century, forming part of the conurbation of London and becoming a suburb , similar to much of south-west Essex. It became part of the Metropolitan Police District in 1839 and has been part of the London postal district since its inception in 1856. The parish became an urban district in 1894 and gained municipal borough status in 1926. In 1965, it merged with
11312-587: Was hugely ambitious, and almost immediately attracted opposition from several directions. Ringway 1 was designed to be an eight-lane elevated motorway running through the middle of many town centres such as Camden Town , Brixton and Dalston . A principal problem was the route of Ringway 2 in south London, given that the South Circular Road was largely an unimproved series of urban streets and there were fewer railway lines to follow. Parts would be built with four lanes in each direction, and in some cases there
11424-540: Was initially designated as part of the A102 , but has, subsequently, been partially renumbered so that sections of it are now the A2 and A12 . At its northern end, the ECR (A12) follows part of the route of the former North London Railway between the closed Victoria Park and Old Ford stations. The railway junction at Victoria Park, where the still open section of the North London Line to Stratford station diverged,
11536-466: Was never well planned and did not have an exact proposed alignment. The route of the eastern section of the North Circular Road south from its junction with the M11 at South Woodford to the junction with the A13 (the "South Woodford to Barking Relief Road" ) was built on the planned motorway alignment, opening in 1987. The section between South Woodford and Redbridge roundabout ( A12 junction) was, for
11648-414: Was no other plan than to destroy whatever urban streets were in the way of the new road. At Blackheath , the road would have run in a deep-bored tunnel to avoid any impact on the local area, at an estimated cost of £38 million. However, until around 1967, the opposition was more towards specific proposals instead of the concept of Ringways generally. The report Motorways in London , published in 1969 by
11760-489: Was not generally possible without huge disruption. Since 2000, Transport for London has promoted public transport and discouraged road use. London has been significantly congested since the 17th century. Various select committees were established in the late 1830s and early 1840s in order to establish means of improving communication and transport in the city. The Royal Commission on London Traffic (1903–05) produced eight volumes of reports on roads, railways and tramways in
11872-524: Was one of the few major road schemes approved by the GLC after Labour took control in 1981. Ringway 4 was more commonly known by the names "North Orbital Road" and "South Orbital Road", and was first mentioned in Bressey's report. The southern section became part of the M25 and M26 from Wrotham Heath to Hunton Bridge . Sections of the A405 and A414 through Hertfordshire follow its proposed route. The road
11984-404: Was planned as a combination of motorway and all-purpose dual carriageway , connecting a number of towns around the capital including Tilbury , Epping , Hoddesdon , Hatfield , St Albans , Watford , Denham , Leatherhead and Sevenoaks . Despite its name, the route of Ringway 4 did not make a complete circuit of London. It was, instead, C-shaped. The planned route started at a junction with
12096-533: Was published by Penguin Books and sold 18,000 copies. Several key ideas in the report would later be perceived as being correct as road protesting grew from the 1980s onward. The London Traffic Survey was published the following year, and concluded that the Ringways should be built in order to cater for future network traffic, instead of Traffic in Towns which said if a road was not built, there would be no demand along that route anyway. The 1960s plans were developed over
12208-562: Was purchased by the council for use as a recreation ground. In World War I , about 1,300 houses were damaged by Zeppelin raids. By the 1920s, it had become a built-up and thriving urban industrial area known for manufacturing neckties and for its Thermos factory. During the Blitz of 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
12320-494: Was reconstructed to permit the construction of the junction with the non-dual carriageway section of the A102 and the A106 and A115 roads, above which the line passes. The branch track to the docks that ran alongside the ECR to Old Ford, which had been used only for freight since the 1940s, was subsequently closed and lifted in the early 1980s. At Bow Road, the junction with the A11 involves
12432-421: Was scrapped as being far too expensive and impractical. The innermost circuit, Ringway 1, was approximately the same distance from the centre as the B Ring. It used some of Abercrombie's suggested route, but it was planned to use existing transport corridors, such as railway lines, much more than before. The location of these lines produced a ring that was distinctly box-shaped, and Ringway 1 was unofficially called
12544-411: Was under construction at the same time. This opened in 1976; the remaining sections of the southern Ringway 4 were constructed over the next ten years. While the construction of the first section was in progress, the plan for Ringways 3 and 4 was modified considerably. Broadly speaking, the motorway section of Ringway 4 was to be built and connected to the northern and eastern section of Ringway 3 (from
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