Leyton

Cityultimas guide to Leyton , London. Leyton's History, Find Takeaways, Martial Arts Clubs, Businesses and much more .

Leyton is at the heart of Lea Valley. The name Leyton has been used since the 9th century. Leyton is situated on the Prime Meridian and is less than 1 mile east of the site of the 2012 Olympic Park. Leyton Orient Football Club is also based here. The area is made up largely of terraced housing. Many high rise council estates that dominated the skyline have been demolished over the past 15 years.

Leyton History

Leyton was historically part of Essex and formed an urban district of that county from 1894. It gained the status of municipal borough in 1926. In 1965 the Municipal Borough of Leyton was abolished and its former area transferred to Greater London to be combined with that of other districts to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

The main route through 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 still stands at the spot.

During World War II, Leyton suffered as a target because of its proximity to Temple Mills Yard. The yard 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 trains. More...

History of Bakers Arms

A crossroads on the Lea Bridge Road where High Road Leyton meets Walthamstow’s Hoe Street. Formerly known as Leyton Corner, the locality now shares the identity of its unprepossessing public house, which was named in honour of the neighbouring almshouses built in 1857 by the London Master Bakers’ Benevolent Institution. The almshouses fill three sides of a quadrangle facing a well-kept garden, set back from the north side of the Lea Bridge Road. The name of the Rank family of flour millers features prominently in the homes’ roll of honour. The Greater London Council later converted the almshouses into one-bedroom flats, after a change of heart over their demolition for road widening. Plans by Tesco to build a superstore on the site were also resisted, with the help of English Heritage, which has ensured that all renovations have been in keeping with the original design and materials More...