This neighbourhood sits to the south east of Stratford; a neat and homely chunk of east London not yet warped by luxury apartments, though well-pampered by regeneration and an influx of creatives. On the west side, the Old Town Hall is a 19th century grade-II listed building in the Italianate style. Next door, the Queen’s Head pub is charmingly Irish – few walk past its bold red exterior and stained glass windows without peering inside.

Heading south the East End atmosphere radiates, as pollarded trees line elegant streets of Victorian terraces. Green space comes in the form of Stratford and West Ham Parks, the latter of which facilitates a range of sports activities, such as weekly Health Walks, allowing both mind and body to unwind and escape from the toil of inner city living. A web of transport links connects the area to the heart of the capital: the Jubilee and Central and Elizabeth lines run from Stratford while Stratford International is on the DLR and HS1 routes. With Stratford’s amenities such as Westfield, Theatre Royal, and Olympic Park on one’s doorstep, all tastes and ages are catered for.

A year after the Normans invaded Britain in 1066, Straetforda – meaning ford on a Roman road – first appeared on historical records. It was where the ancient transport link from London to Colchester crossed the River Lea. In the early 12th century, Stratford had one of the largest monasteries in the country – Langthorne Abbey. However, this came to an end when King Henry VIII dissolved the monastic system, breaking with the Catholic Church in the early 16th century. Stratford’s industrial prominence in the 19th century was a product of its optimal location between the capital and the east coast, leading to the vast web of transport connections whose legacy is visible today. Maryland, meanwhile, was the retail and leisure playground for the capitalists of the 1800s. However, the 20th century was not kind to the area. After a period of gradual economic decline and rising unemployment, the announcement of the 2012 Olympic Games acted as the light at the end of the tunnel.

The London-based fashion designer Alexander McQueen who in 2003 was honoured with a CBE for his services to the British fashion industry spent a portion of his childhood not too far from the area. McQueen was truly a self-made man and possessed a talent which always seemed to be overgrown for any given environment. Placed as head of Givenchy by Bernard Arnault in 1996, McQueen didn’t last more than half a decade at the Louis Vuitton owned company before leaving due to being creatively constrained. A four-time winner of the British Fashion Designer of the Year, McQueen was nonetheless mired in controversy until his tragic death in 2010, aged only 40.

Not too far from the aforementioned Queen’s Head, the King George is undoubtedly a unique asset for the locale. The grade-II listed pub on Broadway, of which a gabled door remains, dates back to the early 1700s. Originally the public house was named the King of Prussia, though it is not certain as to whether this was after Frederick the Great or Frederick William of Prussia. The latter seems plausible on account of the so-called “Emperor of the Germans” visiting the area in 1842 to meet the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry. Predictably, it was the outbreak of WWI which elicited the name being changed to its more patriotic name.

There is a limited choice of schools directly within the area, those being West Ham CofE Primary, Park Primary, John F Kennedy Primary School, and the East London Independent School, the latter two providing Special Educational Needs services.

With the Elizabeth Line opening earlier this year, fast trains now run through both Stratford and Maryland, with the latter station recently receiving a facelift. Further housing is planned to add to developments in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with 1,500 new homes scheduled for completion before 2030. Elsewhere, IQL developers have confirmed two new residential blocks which will reach 14 and 35 stories respectively. The hexagonal towers are set to be a fresh take on traditional 20th century residential towers, incorporating green roofs, planted terraces and “park ledges”.

Further south, West Ham FC’s former home, the Boleyn Ground, 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.