Chingford

Chingford

Chingford Mount
Chingford
 Chingford shown within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ395945
   – Charing Cross 10 mi (16 km)  SW
London borough Waltham Forest
Ceremonial county Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district E4
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK ParliamentChingford and Woodford Green
London Assembly North East
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°37′52″N 0°00′58″E / 51.631°N 0.016°E / 51.631; 0.016

Chingford is a suburban area in North east London,[1] 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 is now part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.[2][3] 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.[4]

Toponymy

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 links to royalty using the area for hunting in centuries gone by.[5] 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.[6]

Landmarks

Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge

One notable local landmark is Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge.[7] 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, Butler's Retreat, a Grade II listed building, 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.[8]

All Saints Church, Old Church Road, E4

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.[9]

Friday Hill House

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.[10][11]

Pimp Hall Dovecote is situated in a green area at the bottom of Friday Hill and can be viewed by entering the Pimp Hall 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 Millennium Heritage Mosaic on the front of Chingford Assembly Hall. It is the fourth item down on the left-hand-side of the mosaic, also see the Key. 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.

Pole Hill Obelisk

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.

Chingford Old Town Hall building, The Ridgeway
Chingford Old Town Hall building, The Ridgeway

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.[12] [13]

Governance

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.[14]

Former MPs include Norman Tebbit, Leah Manning, Stan Newens, and Winston Churchill (when Chingford was in the Epping constituency).

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:

Each ward is represented by three councillors; at present all of the councillors represent the Conservative Party except for two Labour ones in Valley and Hale End and Highams Park. The London Borough of Waltham Forest is presently controlled by the Labour party.

Chingford falls within the North East constituency of the London Assembly, which is currently represented by Jennette Arnold of the Labour party.

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.

Local sport teams

King Georges Reservoir home to the Sailing Club

Local districts

Nearest places

Transport

Chingford Station

Chingford is served by Chingford 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. Chingford lost its rail link to Stratford with the removal of the 500m length of track known as the Hall Farm Curve in 1970, and there have been campaigns for its re-instatement.

The town is served by many bus routes, linking it to Walthamstow, Loughton, Leytonstone, Stratford, Ilford, Potters Bar 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.

Nearby London Overground stations

Stations operated by London Overground nearest to Chingford include:

Nearby rail stations

Nearby tube stations

The London Underground stations nearest to Chingford include:

Education

Chingford secondary schools include:

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "London's Places" (PDF). GLA. Greater London Authority. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "History of Chingford, in Waltham Forest and Essex". University Of Portsmouth and others. 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "The parish and borough of Chingford". University of London & History of Parliament Trust. 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Epping Forest". cityoflondon.gov.uk. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/epping-forest/visitor-information/Pages/queen-elizabeths-hunting-lodge.aspx
  6. ↑ "Chingford's Free Art and History". exploringeastlondon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge". Cityoflondon.gov.uk. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  8. ↑ City of London- Butler's Retreat Retrieved 25 February 2013
  9. 1 2 "Kray funeral date set". BBC News. 3 October 2000. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  10. ↑ Waltham Forest Council, Friday Hill House Disposal at WebCite (archived 2012-07-30)
  11. ↑ Waltham Forest Council, Friday Hill House Sale Particulars at WebCite (archived 2012-07-30)
  12. ↑ Waltham Forest Council, Chingford Municipal Offices disposal at WebCite (archived 2011-10-24)
  13. ↑ Gilmartin Ley, The Old Town Hall, Chingford, London, E4 at WebCite (archived 2012-07-31)
  14. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/mr-iain-duncan-smith/152
  15. ↑ Egbertian FC Retrieved 27 February 2013
  16. ↑ http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk/organizations/index.php?org_id=312
  17. ↑ "Home | Chingford Rugby Club". Chingfordrugby.co.uk. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  18. ↑ Chingford Cricket Club History
  19. ↑ Essex Cricket League
  20. ↑ King George Sailing Club Retrieved 27 February 2013
  21. ↑ "Beckham's pride at OBE". BBC Sport. 13 June 2003. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  22. ↑ Culpepper, Chuck (9 July 2007). "Beckham - Working-class boy to Man U". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
  23. ↑ "American Idols". W magazine. 1 August 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  24. ↑ Beckham at Ridgeway Rovers Retrieved 27 February 2013
  25. ↑ The FA - Becks' Brimsdown boost, article from Friday, 24 September 2004, accessed 7 July 2007
  26. ↑ Macadam, Harry (11 January 2007). "Chingford boy is Mr Ive-pod". Sun. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  27. ↑ "E4 (Waltham Forest) area guide". Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  28. ↑ MacKenzie, James (9 April 2005). Kenzie: My Life. HarperCollins Entertainment. ISBN 0-00-721149-X.
  29. ↑ Moyes, Johnathon (27 June 2007). "Ex-pupil Phillips opens old school". Waltham Forest Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  30. ↑ Pearce, Garth (11 July 2008). "On the move: Alan Davies". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  31. ↑ "Russel Lissacks' Facebook page". Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  32. ↑ "Russell Lissack - Made Of Facts". Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  33. ↑ "List of MPs".
  34. ↑ "England Football Online".
  35. ↑ "Metal-archives.com". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  36. ↑ Pwyll Ap Siôn, The Music of Michael Nyman: Texts, Contexts and Intertexts, Ashgate Publishing Ltd 1988 (p.15)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chingford.
Section 18: London Outer Orbital Path Section 19:
Enfield Lock Chingford Chigwell
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.