This Newham neighbourhood area sits roughly between Plaistow and Canning Town and is bisected by Barking Road (A124) – a vibrant and historic high street. The locale has a real ‘rough round the edges’ air to it, with remnants of industrial Victorian red-bricks intertwined with the post-war simplicity of social housing. Compact terraced accommodation also features prominently, some houses more ornate than others, exemplified in the patchwork of dwellings where Newham Way turns north into New Barn Street. If the locale lacks green space, save for Plaistow Park, it compensates with a healthy dose of plane trees lining the residential streets. Newham University Hospital provides Accident and Emergency facilities and an Urgent Care Centre. Newham Sixth Form College, also known as NewVic, is one of London’s largest sixth form colleges and was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in 2015. Kaizen and Ravenscroft Primary Schools are also rated ‘good’ and above by Ofsted.

The marshlands of the River Lea to the west of the area made for a less frantic development trajectory than for other locations. Yet as part of the east end, Plaistow did undergo rapid urbanisation when, in 1845, the Metropolitan Building Act prohibited the construction of dangerous industrial development on the west side of the River Lea. This saw the flocking of factories into what was then known as the Civil Parish of West Ham. Plaistow got away with only a silk weaving and pharmaceuticals factory as most of this locale was largely an outpost for richer city merchants. It was Stratford’s rise to prominence in manufacturing that caused Plaistow to be outcompeted, its transport links somewhat limited, being trapped in the marshes. As a result of heavy bombing during the Blitz, much of the area lost its Victorian consistency, clearing the way for council development in the 60s.

Like much of East London, Plaistow would have been a difficult place to grow up during the late 70s and early 80s. This was very well understood by the parents of Sol Campbell, former captain of the England national football team. Born into a Jamaican family of twelve, the youngest child was prohibited from hanging around the east London streets by his strict father. Thus, enduring an upbringing which left him “no space to grow or evolve”, Campbell found an escape in football, playing first for West Ham United and then for Tottenham Hotspur. Aged 23, the footballer became England’s second youngest captain, after Bobby Moore, another east-ender. In February 2015, Campbell put himself forward for the Conservative Party nominations for the Mayor of London, eager to break the mould of the footballer stereotype.

The Lea River, separating the east and west sides of London is often referred to by locals as “the border”, as business and housing regulations did not historically stretch beyond it. It might not have been entirely fair, then, to talk about London, the capital of the British Empire, leading the industrial revolution – much of the dirty work was taking place in this forgotten part of the city. Indeed, the grubby nature of industry this side of the border led Charles Dickens to describe it as “offensive”, referring probably to the local businesses working in gut spinning and oil boiling.

The locale is served by a multitude of buses, but the obvious transport link missing from within the area is a tube station, the nearest ones being Plaistow on the District, Hammersmith and City lines and Canning Town on the Jubilee line. A typical journey from the locale to London Bridge takes approximately half an hour which may seem unappealing for some. Of course, this comes with the advantage of a local discount on house prices, with the average property costing £300,000 - £380,000.