Chingford is a suburban London district, situated 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Historically a rural Essex parish, it gained Urban district status in 1894, and between 1938 and 1965 formed the core of the Municipal Borough of Chingford, Chingford now forms part of the north-east London Borough of Waltham Forest.[1][2] It borders Essex to the north, Enfield to the north-west, Woodford Green to the east, Walthamstow to the south and Edmonton to the west. To the west are the William Girling and King George V reservoirs, known together as the Chingford reservoirs, and the River Lea. To the north lies Epping Forest, which is in Essex but is maintained by the City of London Corporation.[3]
Coordinates: 51°37′52″N 0°00′58″E / 51.631°N 0.016°E
| Chingford | |
_Chingford_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2638823.jpg) Chingford Mount |
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 Chingford
Chingford shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | TQ395945 |
|---|---|
| - Charing Cross | 10 mi (16 km) SW |
| London borough | Waltham Forest |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E4 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Chingford and Woodford Green |
| London Assembly | North East |
Chingford is a suburban London district, situated 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Historically a rural Essex parish, it gained Urban district status in 1894, and between 1938 and 1965 formed the core of the Municipal Borough of Chingford, Chingford now forms part of the north-east London Borough of Waltham Forest.[1][2] It borders Essex to the north, Enfield to the north-west, Woodford Green to the east, Walthamstow to the south and Edmonton to the west. To the west are the William Girling and King George V reservoirs, known together as the Chingford reservoirs, and the River Lea. To the north lies Epping Forest, which is in Essex but is maintained by the City of London Corporation.[3]
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Toponymy[edit]
The River Ching runs through the area, and the town of Chingford is close to a number of crossings of that river. However, old maps and descriptions give a name for the settlement long before the river has a name and it is likely that the name of the river as "Ching" arose long after the settlement was named. It is also thought that, similarly to how Kingston upon Thames appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Chingestone and Chingetun(e), with ching being old English for king, that Chingford could refer to the King's river, and Kings Ford. This idea is compounded by the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge and links to royalty using the area for hunting in centuries gone by.[citation needed] However, the most generally accepted explanation by place name genealogists is that the settlement's name has its origin as "Shingly Ford"—that is, a ford over a waterway containing shingles.[4]
Landmarks[edit]
One notable local landmark is Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge.[5] Originally called the Great Standing, it was built for King Henry VIII in 1543, and was used as a grandstand to watch the hunting of deer, although it has been heavily altered over time. The building is located on Chingford Plain within Epping Forest and is open to the public.
Originally a barn built in the mid-19th century the Grade II listed building Butlers Retreat is one of the few remaining Victorian retreats within the forest. The building is adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge and takes its name from the 1891 occupier John Butler. Retreats originally served non-alcoholic refreshments as part of the Temperance movement. After closing in 2009 the building was refurbished by the City of London Corporation and re-opened as a cafe in 2012.[6]
All Saints' Church in Chingford Mount (known locally as the Old Church) dates back to the 12th century. Directly opposite the church is Chingford Mount Cemetery, best known today as the burial place of the Kray family.[7]
Friday Hill House, Simmons Lane, off Friday Hill, dating from 1839, was a manor house built and owned by Robert Boothby Heathcote, who was both the lord of the manor and rector of the local church. It was he who paid for the building of the church of St Peter and St Paul in Chingford. He is buried in the Boothby family vault in All Saints' Churchyard (Chingford Old Church), Old Church Road. The vault was purchased by Robert Boothby (died 1733), who lived in the previous manor house. The present building has been used as a further education centre, but was put up for sale in 2012.[8][9]
Pimp Hall Dovecote is situated in a green area at the bottom of Friday Hill and can be viewed by entering the Pimps Hill Nature Reserve. The dovecote, which had nesting space for 250 birds, belonged to Pimp Hall (originally Pympe's Hall), one of three manor houses around Chingford. In 1838 the estate was taken over and became part of the Chingford Earls estate. The farmhouse associated with it survived until just before World War II. This dovecote is depicted in the Mosaic.[which?] It is the fourth down on the left hand side.[where?] There is a local legend telling how on one occasion Charles II was out hunting in Epping Forest and was caught in a snowstorm. He took shelter in Pimp Hall and was so delighted with the food offered him that he jocularly drew his sword and knighted the joint of beef declaring that it was now Sir Loin. Either this story caused the nearby pub on Friday Hill to be called "The Sirloin" or vice versa.[citation needed]
A granite obelisk at Pole Hill was erected in 1824 under the direction of the Astronomer Royal, the Rev. John Pond M.A., to mark true north for the telescopes of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, south of the Thames. It was placed on high ground along the line of the Greenwich Meridian, but when this was recalibrated later in the 19th century, the obelisk was deemed to have been erected 19 feet (5.8 m) west of the revised meridian line. Today, an adjoining triangulation pillar marks the modern line.[citation needed]
Chingford Old Town Hall, dating from 1929, is on The Ridgeway in Chingford. It has more recently been known as the Chingford Municipal Offices. The site has been sold to property developers and the town hall building subsequently put up for sale itself.[10] [11]
Governance[edit]
Chingford is within the Chingford and Woodford Green UK Parliament constituency, which consists of the six Chingford wards in the Borough of Waltham Forest and two wards in the Borough of Redbridge. Iain Duncan Smith has been the sitting MP since 1992.[citation needed]
Former MPs include Norman Tebbit, Leah Manning, Stan Newens, and Winston Churchill (when Chingford was in the Epping constituency).[citation needed]
Chingford is part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, which also includes the east London districts of Walthamstow, Leyton, and Leytonstone. Chingford consists of six council wards, namely:
- Chingford Green
- Endlebury
- Valley
- Larkswood
- Hatch Lane
- Hale End and Highams Park
Each ward is represented by three councillors; at present all of the councillors in Chingford represent the Conservative Party. The London Borough of Waltham Forest is presently controlled by the Labour party.[citation needed]
Chingford falls within the North East constituency of the London Assembly, which is currently represented by Jennette Arnold of the Labour party.[citation needed]
When Chingford was a municipal borough, before 1965, its politics were dominated by the Chingford Ratepayers' Association, which was nominally independent, but against whom the Conservative Party did not field candidates.[citation needed]
Local sport teams[edit]
- Chingford Athletic Football Club was formed as recently as the summer of 2007 and have 2 teams playing in the Essex Olympian League, whilst 1 play in the feeder league to this, being the Ilford & District League. They currently have 3 Saturday Men's teams, with the Essex Olympian sides playing at Wadham Lodge Sports Ground, Walthamstow.[12]
- Chingford's oldest football club is,[13] formerly Old Egbertian FC which was started by former pupils of the St Egberts College, Chingford. The club was formed in 1928 and is affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance (AFA). The club plays in Amateur Football Combination, which is purported to be the biggest league in the world comprising 103 clubs and some 355teams. The league places great emphasis on the attitude and spirit that the game is played in while insisting its member clubs maintain these same principles. In season 2006/07 the club won their first cup competition in their history when they won the LOB Intermediate Cup.[citation needed]
- Chingford Rugby Club was also founded in 1928, having their ground at Waltham Way, Chingford.[14]
When the leagues commenced in 1987 they were placed in London 3 North East. In 1989-1990, the club not only won the Essex Cup but gained promotion to London 2 North, where they stayed until 1997. They then remained in London 3 North East until 2004-05, when they won not only the Essex Cup but also the league title, remaining unbeaten all season. 2008-9 saw them secure the Essex Senior Cup beating both semi-finalists Southend and finalists Barking (both are national league sides) in dramatic fashion away from home. A league restructure sees them playing in London 1 North from 2009, one step below national level.[citation needed]
- Chingford Cricket Club is located on Forest Side, but the entrance to the ground is on Kimberley Way. It is believed to have been founded in 1884, as this is currently the earliest record of a Chingford cricket team playing in a match.[15] They play in The Shepherd Neame Essex League [16] and the 1st Team were promoted to the Premier League for the 2013 season.
- King George Sailing Club was founded in the 1970s to provide dinghy sailing and windsurfing on the largest and best sailing water in the north and east of London. The club enjoys facilities both on and off the water and has an active membership engaged in racing, learning to sail, casual sailing, and windsurfing. In recognition of their good facilities and encouragement of youth sailing, the Royal Yachting Association has awarded the club Volvo Champion Club status.[17]
Local districts[edit]
Nearest places[edit]
- Walthamstow
- Loughton
- Edmonton, London
- Tottenham, London
- Woodford, London
- Enfield, London
- Ponders End
- Buckhurst Hill
- Sewardstone
Transport[edit]
Chingford is served by a railway station which is the terminus of a branch line from Liverpool Street station in the City of London. There is also a station at Highams Park.
The town is served by many bus routes, linking it to Walthamstow, Loughton, Leyton, Woodford, Waltham Abbey and Harlow. The town is also served by the N26 night bus from Trafalgar Square. The North Circular Road skirts the southern part of the town, and gives motorists good access to the north and east of London. The London LOOP walk passes through Chingford on its way from Enfield Lock to Chigwell, passing close to Sewardstone and Gilwell Park on the edge of Epping Forest.
List of Chingford bus routes[edit]
Most bus routes are London Buses routes, apart from route 505 which does not accept any form of London ticketing (i.e. Oyster cards or travelcards).[citation needed]
-
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Also see List of bus routes in London and List of bus routes in Essex.
Nearby railway stations[edit]
- Blackhorse Road station
- Chingford railway station
- Highams Park railway station
- Walthamstow Central station
- Walthamstow Queens Road railway station
- Tottenham Hale railway station
Nearby tube stations[edit]
The London Underground stations nearest to Chingford include:
Education[edit]
Chingford secondary schools include:
Notable people[edit]
- Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake, noted surgeon and pioneer in medical education for women, was born in Chingford
- Edward ('Eddie') Brett, from boy band the Loveable Rogues, who rose to fame on Britain's Got Talent and were later signed to Syco Music, grew up and still currently lives in Chingford.
- The Kray twins are buried in Chingford Mount cemetery.[7]
- The author and games designer Joe Dever was born in Chingford in 1956.[citation needed]
- The footballer David Beckham OBE[18] grew up in Chingford having been born at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone on 2 May 1975.[19] He was educated at the Chingford Foundation School [20] and played football for Ridgeway Rovers F.C.,[21][22] a local side.
- The Apple Mac Designer Jonathan Ive KBE was raised in Chingford.[23]
- Chingford is home to former England, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United player Teddy Sheringham.[24]
- Chingford is home to singer and ex-glamour model Samantha Fox.
- Radio DJ Grant Nelson went to school in Chingford[citation needed].
- Some members of #1 chart group Blazin' Squad live in Chingford. The group grew up in Chingford and attended Highams Park School.[25]
- Leslie Phillips, comedy star of the Carry On Films, lived in Chingford.[26]
- Alan Davies, stand-up comedian and regular guest on quiz show QI, grew up in Chingford.[27]
- Russell Lissack from Bloc Party grew up in Chingford.[28][29]
- Winston Churchill was MP for Epping from October 1924 to July 1945, a defunct constituency that included Chingford.[30]
- Jeanette Kwakye National record holder, World Indoor silver medallist and 100m Olympic finalist[citation needed].
- Charles Alcock, founding father of the Football Association and creator of the FA Cup, moved to Chingford, with his family when he was young.[31]
- Heavy metal band Iron Maiden's former lead singer Paul Di'Anno was born and raised in Chingford.[32]
- John Lloyd (graphic designer), co-founder of the international design consultancy, Lloyd Northover, grew up in Chingford, and lived there from 1948 - 1970.
- Giles Watling,Actor was born in Chingford, started as a child actor in 1962 in the long-running TV series ‘Gideon’s Way’ as Malcolm Gideon, best known to the public for his performances in British sit-coms such as ‘How’s Your Father’, ‘You’re Only Young Twice’, ‘Keep It In The Family’, ‘Allo Allo’ and the vicar Oswald in Carla Lane’s ‘Bread’, & TV Drama in Upstairs Downstairs as 2nd Lt James Marriot.
- Durrty Goodz, a well-known grime artist, is from Chingford.
- Neil Hubbard, rock guitarist.
- Michael Nyman: composer of minimalist music, notably film scores; grew up in Chingford.[33]
- Steve Hillage, guitarist, is from Chingford.
References[edit]
- ^ "History of Chingford, in Waltham Forest and Essex". University Of Portsmouth and others. 2009. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "The parish and borough of Chingford". University of London & History of Parliament Trust. 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "Epping Forest". cityoflondon.gov.uk. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Chingford's Free Art and History". exploringeastlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge". Cityoflondon.gov.uk. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ^ City of London- Butler's Retreat Retrieved 25 February 2013
- ^ a b "Kray funeral date set". BBC News. 2000-10-03. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ Waltham Forest Council, Friday Hill House Disposal at WebCite (archived 2012-07-30)
- ^ Waltham Forest Council, Friday Hill House Sale Particulars at WebCite (archived 2012-07-30)
- ^ Waltham Forest Council, Chingford Municipal Offices disposal at WebCite (archived 2011-10-24)
- ^ Gilmartin Ley, The Old Town Hall, Chingford, London, E4 at WebCite (archived 2012-07-31)
- ^ Retrieved from http://www.chingfordathletic.co.uk www.chingfordathletic.co.uk.
- ^ Egbertian FC Retrieved 27 February 2013
- ^ "Home | Chingford Rugby Club". Chingfordrugby.co.uk. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ^ Chingford Cricket Club History
- ^ Essex Cricket League
- ^ King George Sailing Club Retrieved 27 February 2013
- ^ "Beckham's pride at OBE". BBC Sport. 2003-06-13. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ^ Culpepper, Chuck (2007-07-09). "Beckham - Working-class boy to Man U". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ^ "American Idols". W magazine. 2007-08-01. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ Beckham at Ridgeway Rovers Retrieved 27 February 2013
- ^ The FA - Becks' Brimsdown boost, article from Friday, 24 September 2004, accessed 7th July 2007
- ^ Macadam, Harry (2007-01-11). "Chingford boy is Mr Ive-pod". Sun. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ "E4 (Waltham Forest) area guide". Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ MacKenzie, James (2005-04-09). Kenzie: My Life. HarperCollins Entertainment. ISBN 0-00-721149-X.
- ^ Moyes, Johnathon (2007-06-27). "Ex-pupil Phillips opens old school". Waltham Forest Guardian. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ Pearce, Garth (2008-07-11). "On the move: Alan Davies". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ "Russel Lissacks' Facebook page". Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ "Russell Lissack - Made Of Facts". Retrieved 2009-05-10.
- ^ "List of MPs".
- ^ "England Football Online".
- ^ "Metal-archives.com". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ^ Pwyll Ap Siôn, The Music of Michael Nyman: Texts, Contexts and Intertexts, Ashgate Publishing Ltd 1988 (p.15)
External links[edit]
- Chingford Athletic FC
- London's Railways
- Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge
- The Chingford War Memorial Project
- Chingford rugby club
- Archival material relating to Chingford listed at the UK National Register of Archives
- Images of Chingford at the National Monuments Record, English Heritage
- Chingford Parish (St Peter & St Paul Church; Chingford Old Church)
- St Edmund's Parish Church, Chingford
- St Anne's Parish Church, Chingford
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chingford |
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| Section 18: | London Outer Orbital Path | Section 19: |
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| Enfield Lock | Chingford | Chigwell |
