This residential Leyton neighbourhood is a friendly area situated in the borough of Waltham Forest. It is primarily comprised of pleasant streets filled with spacious terraced Victorian houses. The northernmost point lies just next to Whipps Cross University Hospital, an NHS-run institution with an excellent 100 year track record of inpatient, outpatient and maternity services. Leyton Sixth Form College is nestled in the centre of this neighbourhood, offering a wide range of A-level and vocational courses to approximately 2,300 full-time students. The nearby Abbots Park provides six tennis courts, an under 12’s playground, and sets of picnic tables. To the East Leyton Flats provides a less curated, but more expansive green space criss-crossed with picturesque ponds and streams. Leyton County Cricket Ground is a final highlight of this locale, being the 200 year old home of the Essex County Cricket Club and seating up to 8,000 spectators.

Leyton Midland Road rail station is a convenient walk from the majority of this area’s residential streets. It offers great commuting prospects with easy access to The Overground. Leytonstone underground station is also just a short walk south, giving residents easy access to the city via the Central Line.

Some argue that Leyton holds the key to a stormy debate about the early Roman occupation of Britain. Camulodunum – now Colchester - was the first place the Romans settled when they invaded Britain in 43AD. However, a decade later, another Roman settlement sprang up. It was called Londinium. It soon began to eclipse Camulodunum in importance and became Britain’s foremost city. A lively interchange was struck up between the two settlements as commerce and trade started to flourish. To facilitate this, a fort named Durolitum was built between the two – a place where tired travellers could rest and from where the trade route lifeline could be defended. Historians believe that Leyton might have been the site of this fort as Durolitum can translate as ‘water of Ley’, which perhaps references the nearby River Lea.

The area’s history isn’t the only exciting thing about the neighbourhood. David Beckham was born in the area at Whipps Cross Hospital on 2nd May 1975. Peter Ashby also hails from Leyton. A new wave musician, he founded bands such as Frenzid Melon, Spasmodic Caress and The Insane Picnic. He is known for combining experimental, free jazz and progressive rock genres. Some of his famous tracks include ‘Register of Electors’ and ‘Hit the Dead.’

Unfortunately, even with ongoing improvements, the area does still struggle with crime. Of the 827 incidences of reported street-level crime in July 2017, 164 were violent. That said, zero of these incidents involved weapons. Fortunately, many of these incidences were concentrated out at the extremities of Leyton, on the border of Stratford. A local resident said, ‘I’ve been here eight years and I’m not planning on going anywhere. Leyton’s home.’

In coming years, the neighbourhood will be undergoing even more changes. In 2021 the Council approved a £520 million plan to redevelop Whipps Cross hospital. Due to be completed in 2026, the scheme would turn the hospital into a healthcare campus with an overhauled layout that more accurately reflects the demands of emergency care. The Council is also completing works to the west of Leyton and Lea Bridge which involve new housing within ten minutes’ walk of the town centre. As a part of this project, 1,500 new homes are in the pipeline with the potential for this figure to increase to over 2,500.