This neighbourhood consists of mostly late 19th-century Victorian terraces, this area in the Waltham Forest borough lies just north of Stratford. The A12 major road bisects the area from north to south, with a patchwork of ornate yellow-brick houses to the west and a mix of similar houses to the south east, albeit with more modern developments and council homes. The green space in the area is Langthorne Park and Garden which includes multi sport facilities and a small pond, while the Wanstead Flats (part of Epping Forest) are a large open grassland area – a mere 10-minute drive from the locale. Amenities can be found at various street corners such as Grove Green Road, although a large shopping complex – Leyton Mills, just outside the locale is situated next to Leyton tube station and includes, among others, an Asda superstore, a B&Q and a TK Maxx. Both the central and the overground lines can be accessed from within the neighbourhood and Oxford Circus is reachable in just 20 minutes. Newport is the local primary school rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

It is not known why or for whom the area’s oldest surviving building was constructed. It is, however, visible just outside the neighbourhood area at 500 High Road. What was formerly known as Walnut Tree House is now Essex Hall and it dates back to the 16th century. It is currently a private member’s hall. During the centuries, up until the late 1800s, Leyton was known as a the ‘pretty retiring place from London’, accommodating noble gentlemen and their families who liked to build large manors with land attached to them in the Lee Valley. Progressively, as speculative development boomed in response to the arrival of the railways towards the end of the Victorian period, this land would be sold off for the more uniform construction of terraces. As rural turned to suburban, Leyton would lose its countryside charm and impressive Victorian buildings – such as the red-brick town hall at 1 Adelaide Road (just outside the locale) in ‘English Renaissance style’, or the ornate West Ham Union Workhouse, now Langthorne Hospital – would replace the vast natural scenery. Besides post-war reconstruction, the only additions to the locale have been council tower blocks, as part of schemes from the 60s onwards to allow for growing population densities.

This neighbourhood area is incredibly diverse, with only one sixth of the area identifying as British today. In the 70s, the scene was not too different. British rock and pop music legend Damon Albarn recalls the “bohemian” and liberal upbringing that his early east end environment and family life constituted. Albarn is most famous for his membership of Britpop band Blur, and later the revolutionary virtual band Gorillaz. It was arguably Albarn’s stark social awareness which crafted a new opinionated narrative for Blur’s songs which would take them to chart-topping popularity in the early 90s.

When Oasis out-competed Blur for the spotlight, Albarn embarked on the Gorillaz project, taking the helm of the musical side, while Jamie Hewlett would be responsible for visual elements of the virtual cartoon band. In 2008, Albarn was numbered at 18th place in Daily Telegraph’s 100 Most Powerful People in British Culture, and in 2014, Albarn unveiled his blue plaque in Leytonstone at his old home in Fillebrook Road, located within this area.

As previously mentioned, the district was seeing a transformation from natural paradise to a more rough-around-the-edges Victorian neighbourhood – much to the disappointment of established homeowners. So if the compact streets of Leyton seem particularly green, it is as a result of the council mobilising the unemployed to plant thousands of trees in the area in 1903. Thus, this would have contributed to London, in effect, becoming the “world’s largest urban forest” – home to eight million trees. Waltham Forest council has also been a trend-setter in the high street face-lifting domain. The pleasant pastel-coloured shop facades on High Road Leyton around the tube station have been a product of a council programme of redecorating areas, leading the easy-looking aesthetic to be copied around the country by other councils looking to rejuvenate their high streets.

It is true that some locals complain about noise coming from the A12 major road and most of the neighbourhood area sandwiches the road from either side. Planes coming in and out of London City airport also fly over the locale which may deter some prospective interest. Yet the convenience of the location together with fantastic schools and access to a natural escape in the Wanstead Flats continues to drive property value upwards at a rocketing rate – with the average Leyton property increasing 25% over the past two years. One local praises the area as “the oodles of green space is a great plus, the retail park just round the corner, Deeney’s on the high street (for nice coffee and haggis toasties), and Coronation Gardens now has a Saturday food market.”

This part of Leyton and Leytonstone has become increasingly attractive to developers since the olympic park was completed in 2012 and, more recently, the Elizabeth Line began running though Maryland station to the south. One such example is the plans to redevelop Leyton Recycling Centre and the adjacent sports centre in one of the largest planning applications ever submitted to Waltham Forest Council. If completed the project will include 750 homes, a new indoor sports complex, a health centre, commercial space, a civic square and a nursery.