This Newham locale is a typical East End residential hideout which rarely generates much talk aside from the quantity of notable figures that have been reared in these cosy Victorian terraces. The housing tends to be more modest in the western part of Forest Gate and Upton, relative to its eastern counterpart. Yet, this does not mean that the locale lacks character compared to its up market neighbour. Wander around Skelton, Dunbar, or Gower Road and marvel at the uniqueness of each home in its row of contemporaries; this is a neighbourhood that has preserved its essence since its inception in the 19th century as a residential area for clerks and skilled workers.

The charming terraces are just one aspect of the area’s allure: Wanstead Flats are a three-hundred-acre open space where picnics and dog-walks easily fill up a Sunday afternoon. A train from Forest Gate station will take commuters into Liverpool Street in no longer than 11 minutes on the newly opened Elizabeth Line. Finally, St Bonaventure Catholic school for boys within the neighbourhood is just one of the local secondaries rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The history of this neighbourhood is best told through flows of different communities who established themselves here. Initially a haven for Quakers, Forest Gate and Upton came to be predominantly a Jewish neighbourhood, after the Quaker Samuel Gurney began selling off his land in the middle of the 19th century. Gurney himself had purchased the manor of the house earlier in the century from Dr John Fothergill, who sowed the grounds with over three thousand species of tropical plants. Ham House and its estate was known across Europe as worthy to challenge the botanical Kew Gardens. The Jewish community grew, spurred by persecution, or pogroms, in Eastern Europe. At the same time, Irish Catholics settled nearby as well. This gave rise to the numerous Roman Catholic churches and schools, seen in the area today. Today, there is a substantial Indian and Bangladeshi presence in the area.

In 2014, Chiwetel Ejiofor won the British Academy of Film Award for his heart- wrenching performance in Twelve Years a Slave. Ejiofor’s father was a doctor who migrated from Nigeria after the civil war with his wife. They settled in the area in 1970 and Chiwetel was born in 1977; his mother worked locally as a chemist whilst the young boy spent his early years in Forest Gate, before the family moved to Brixton in the 80s.

During the construction of a sewer in the 19th century an ancient gold bead was discovered around Sprowston Road. It has been dated to around the sixth or seventh century and probably belonged to a princess of the Kingdom of Essex. It is around this time that the King of Essex married the sister of the King of Kent so the object is likely to have belonged to one of the two families, since such decorative jewels were common fashion for the nobility of this area and age. The item can now be found at the Ashmolean museum in Oxford.

The Elizabeth line now connects Forest Gate to central London without changeovers, making Paddington accessible in less than half an hour. Additional improvements to the plaza on Woodgrange Road have come as a result, including extra pedestrian space, an enhanced public transport hub with bus route connections, as well as extended cycle paths through the neighbourhood. These new transport links are likely to attract new investment spilling over from the highly developed Stratford and Canning Town to the west and the south. One example is the work taking place on West Ham FC’s former home, the Boleyn Ground, which is being turned into a residential quarter. Barratt Homes will be constructing a complex of 18 buildings containing a total of 843 homes. The area will be known as Upton Gardens and will feature roof terraces, a public library as well as a number of commercial spaces.