South Woodford
Encyclopedia
South Woodford is a suburb of north-east London
in the London Borough of Redbridge
, situated 8.9 miles (14.3 km) north-east of Charing Cross
. Together with Woodford Green
, Woodford Bridge
and Woodford Wells
it forms the area known as Woodford, the origins of which date back at least to the Saxon
period. It was part of Essex
until 1965.
for the district — and Woodford Green High Road. There are a number of well-known chain store
shops, such as Boots
and Marks & Spencer
, and a good selection of smaller shops, restaurants, cafes, and two post offices, including a Royal Mail sorting office
.
There is an Odeon cinema
in the High Road, which is the only cinema in the area. Other amenities include a number of green areas, many of which form part of Epping Forest
.
There are numerous churches and chapels representing many Christian denomination
s, as well as several synagogue
s and a mosque
.
This area was also, until 2004, home to the student residences of Queen Mary, University of London
, but the distinctive tower blocks were demolished in 2007 and replaced with lower-rise privately-owned apartments, as well as some council housing, known as Queen Mary's Gate.
There is also the Redbridge Drama Centre, situated next to Churchfields primary school. It provides workshops for children aged 5 and above right up until 65, it provides education to local schools and brings culture to the surrounding area. It has an in-house theatre company under the name Vital Stages. There are shows at least once a week from touring companies.
South Woodford lies within the London Borough of Redbridge, covering the wards of Church End and Roding. Since 1994 both wards have returned Liberal Democrat councillors. Each ward has a team of Neighbourhood Police, both managed by one sergeant.
rail track with the northern part of the road containing the majority of shops and businesses. There was originally a level crossing
at this point, but now a flyover (locally referred to as 'the Viaduct') carries traffic between the east and west sides of George Lane.
South Woodford sits at the junction of the North Circular Road
with the start of the M11 motorway
, which begins at "Charlie Brown's" roundabout. The roundabout is named after a pub/transport café which was demolished when the roundabout was enlarged to accommodate flyover sliproads onto the newly-constructed motorway.
The area is served by South Woodford tube station
in Travelcard Zone 4
on the Central Line
of the London Underground
. There are many bus routes which connect South Woodford to other parts of London, including the N55 night bus from central London.
The nearest London Underground stations are South Woodford
, Snaresbrook
and Woodford
on the Central Line
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the London Borough of Redbridge
London Borough of Redbridge
The London Borough of Redbridge is a London borough in outer north-east London. Its administrative headquarters is at Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford. The local authority is Redbridge London Borough Council.-Etymology:...
, situated 8.9 miles (14.3 km) north-east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. Together with Woodford Green
Woodford Green
Woodford Green, formerly in the county of Essex, is part of the North East London suburb of Woodford, on the edge of Epping Forest, mostly within the London Borough of Redbridge with a small part on the western side of the green within the London Borough of Waltham Forest .-History:Woodford Green...
, Woodford Bridge
Woodford Bridge
Woodford Bridge is a suburb of north-east London, England in the London Borough of Redbridge. It includes Monkhams. It is on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone....
and Woodford Wells
Woodford Wells
Woodford Wells is an old hamlet now part of the northern suburbs of London, England in the district of Woodford, about north of Woodford Green and on the edge of Epping Forest. The name is first shown on a map in 1805, and refers to mineral water wells...
it forms the area known as Woodford, the origins of which date back at least to the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
period. It was part of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
until 1965.
Amenities
South Woodford's retail and business area is centred around George Lane — the main high streetHigh Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
for the district — and Woodford Green High Road. There are a number of well-known chain store
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
shops, such as Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
and Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, and a good selection of smaller shops, restaurants, cafes, and two post offices, including a Royal Mail sorting office
Sorting office
Sorting office or Processing and Distribution Center is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, which may be a direct delivery or sent onwards to another regional or local sorting office, or to another postal...
.
There is an Odeon cinema
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
in the High Road, which is the only cinema in the area. Other amenities include a number of green areas, many of which form part of Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
.
There are numerous churches and chapels representing many Christian denomination
Denomination
Denomination may refer to:*Religious denomination, such as a:**Christian denomination**Jewish denomination**Islamic denomination**Hindu denominations**Buddhist denomination...
s, as well as several synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
This area was also, until 2004, home to the student residences of Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, but the distinctive tower blocks were demolished in 2007 and replaced with lower-rise privately-owned apartments, as well as some council housing, known as Queen Mary's Gate.
There is also the Redbridge Drama Centre, situated next to Churchfields primary school. It provides workshops for children aged 5 and above right up until 65, it provides education to local schools and brings culture to the surrounding area. It has an in-house theatre company under the name Vital Stages. There are shows at least once a week from touring companies.
South Woodford lies within the London Borough of Redbridge, covering the wards of Church End and Roding. Since 1994 both wards have returned Liberal Democrat councillors. Each ward has a team of Neighbourhood Police, both managed by one sergeant.
Train
George Lane itself is split into two by the Central LineCentral Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
rail track with the northern part of the road containing the majority of shops and businesses. There was originally a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at this point, but now a flyover (locally referred to as 'the Viaduct') carries traffic between the east and west sides of George Lane.
South Woodford sits at the junction of the North Circular Road
A406 road
The A406 or the North Circular Road is a road which crosses North London, UK, linking West and East London. It, together with the South Circular Road, forms a ring road through the inner part of Outer London...
with the start of the M11 motorway
M11 motorway
The M11 motorway in England is a major road running approximately north from the North Circular Road in South Woodford in north-east London to the A14, north-west of Cambridge.-Route:...
, which begins at "Charlie Brown's" roundabout. The roundabout is named after a pub/transport café which was demolished when the roundabout was enlarged to accommodate flyover sliproads onto the newly-constructed motorway.
The area is served by South Woodford tube station
South Woodford tube station
South Woodford tube station is a London Underground station on the Central Line, between Snaresbrook and Woodford in Zone 4.-History:The station opened as South Woodford on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton, which was eventually extended to Epping and...
in Travelcard Zone 4
Travelcard Zone 4
Fare zone 4 is a zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services...
on the Central Line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
of the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. There are many bus routes which connect South Woodford to other parts of London, including the N55 night bus from central London.
Bus
From South Woodford many other local places can be reached using the bus services. All services serve George Lane and South Woodford Station, excluding route 123 which only serves the North Circular stops in South Woodford, and route 549 which only serves South Woodford Station and George Lane South. All services are low floor and wheelchair accessible.| Route Number | Route | Places served in South Woodford | Operator | Operation |
| 123 | Ilford Hainault Street Ilford Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail... to Wood Green Station Wood Green tube station Wood Green is a London Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. The station is between Turnpike Lane and Bounds Green stations and is in Travelcard Zone 3. It is located at junction of Wood Green High Road and Lordship Lane... via Tottenham Tottenham Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham... |
North Circular Road (Southend Road) | Arriva London Arriva London Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green... |
Daily. Times |
| 179 | Chingford Station Chingford railway station Chingford Station stands on the edge of Epping Forest, and serves the suburb of Chingford in North-east London.- History :The Eastern Counties Railway had begun its venture into a main line railway that would head north to compete with the Great Northern... to Ilford Hainault Street Ilford Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail... via Woodford Green Woodford Green Woodford Green, formerly in the county of Essex, is part of the North East London suburb of Woodford, on the edge of Epping Forest, mostly within the London Borough of Redbridge with a small part on the western side of the green within the London Borough of Waltham Forest .-History:Woodford Green... |
High Road Woodford Green, George Lane, Hermon Hill | First London First London .First London is one of many operators of London Buses and owned by First Group. They did also run the Tramlink network, in a partnership with Tramtrack Croydon before June 2008. Their registered office is at Paddington station in London... |
Daily. Times |
| 549 | South Woodford Station South Woodford tube station South Woodford tube station is a London Underground station on the Central Line, between Snaresbrook and Woodford in Zone 4.-History:The station opened as South Woodford on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton, which was eventually extended to Epping and... to Loughton Station Loughton tube station Loughton is a London Underground station, some two miles north of the Greater London boundary, in the Epping Forest district of Essex.It is served by the Central Line and lies between Buckhurst Hill and Debden... via Buckhurst Hill Buckhurst Hill Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.- Overview :... |
George Lane South, Hermon Hill | Docklands Buses Docklands Buses Docklands Buses is one of many bus companies operating contracted services on behalf of London Buses.-History:The company was formed by Transit Holdings in 1993 as 'Docklands Transit'. It initially operated local commercial routes using minibuses, but these proved not to be viable so it switched to... |
Mon-Sat. Times |
| W12 | Wanstead Station Wanstead tube station Wanstead tube station is a London Underground station in Wanstead, on the Hainault loop of the Central Line. It is in Zone 4.Construction of the station had started in the 1930s, but was delayed by the onset of World War 2. Wanstead was not opened until December 14, 1947... to Walthamstow Coppermill Lane Walthamstow Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross... via Walthamstow Walthamstow Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross... |
Woodford Road, George Lane, Hermon Hill | CT Plus | Daily. Times |
| W13 | Woodford Wells Woodford Wells Woodford Wells is an old hamlet now part of the northern suburbs of London, England in the district of Woodford, about north of Woodford Green and on the edge of Epping Forest. The name is first shown on a map in 1805, and refers to mineral water wells... Horse & Well to Leytonstone Station Leytonstone tube station Leytonstone tube station is on the Central Line of the London Underground, on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. Towards London the next station is Leyton, while going east from Leytonstone, the line divides into two branches... via Wanstead Wanstead Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill".... |
High Road Woodford Green, George Lane, Hermon Hill | CT Plus (See route N55 for a night service) | Daily. Times |
| W14 | Woodford Bridge Woodford Bridge Woodford Bridge is a suburb of north-east London, England in the London Borough of Redbridge. It includes Monkhams. It is on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone.... to Leyton Asda Leyton Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney.... via Leytonstone Leytonstone Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex... |
Woodford Road, George Lane, Hermon Hill | Arriva London Arriva London Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green... |
Daily. Times |
| N55 Night Bus | Woodford Wells Horse & Well Woodford Wells Woodford Wells is an old hamlet now part of the northern suburbs of London, England in the district of Woodford, about north of Woodford Green and on the edge of Epping Forest. The name is first shown on a map in 1805, and refers to mineral water wells... to Oxford Circus Oxford Circus Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :... via Leytonstone Leytonstone Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex... |
High Road Woodford Green, George Lane, Hermon Hill | East London East London (bus company) East London is one of many operators of bus services contracted to Transport for London, mainly in the east of the city. Its legal name is East London Bus & Coach Company Ltd, and it is currently owned largely by Stagecoach Group, as part of Stagecoach London.-History:East London was established in... |
Daily nights. Times |
Education
Churchfields and Oakdale schools, both with junior and infant departments are in the area, together with St Josephs' Convent voluntary maintained school, and Woodbridge secondary school.Notable people
For a comprehensive list of notable individuals of Woodford:- Tony RobinsonTony RobinsonTony Robinson is an English actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and political campaigner. He is best known for playing Baldrick in the BBC television series Blackadder, and for hosting Channel 4 programmes such as Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Robinson is a member of the Labour Party...
, actor and TV personality
Nearest areas
- ChingfordChingfordChingford is a district of north east London, bordering on Enfield and Edmonton to the west, Woodford to the east, Walthamstow and Stratford to the south and Essex to the north. It is situated northeast of Charing Cross and forms part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest...
- Highams ParkHighams ParkHighams Park is a district in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England, adjacent to Epping Forest. The forest at Highams Park contains a boating lake formed by Humphry Repton after damming the River Ching. There are parks and basic shopping facilities such as Budgens, but no major supermarket...
- SnaresbrookSnaresbrookSnaresbrook is an area of north-east London, mostly in the London Borough of Redbridge. A small part falls within the London Borough of Waltham Forest...
- WansteadWansteadWanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
- Woodford BridgeWoodford BridgeWoodford Bridge is a suburb of north-east London, England in the London Borough of Redbridge. It includes Monkhams. It is on an old road between Chigwell and Leytonstone....
- Woodford GreenWoodford GreenWoodford Green, formerly in the county of Essex, is part of the North East London suburb of Woodford, on the edge of Epping Forest, mostly within the London Borough of Redbridge with a small part on the western side of the green within the London Borough of Waltham Forest .-History:Woodford Green...
The nearest London Underground stations are South Woodford
South Woodford tube station
South Woodford tube station is a London Underground station on the Central Line, between Snaresbrook and Woodford in Zone 4.-History:The station opened as South Woodford on 22 August 1856 as part of the Eastern Counties Railway branch to Loughton, which was eventually extended to Epping and...
, Snaresbrook
Snaresbrook tube station
Snaresbrook station is a London Underground station on the Central Line, located in Snaresbrook.The station is in Zone 4, between Leytonstone and South Woodford tube stations.-History:...
and Woodford
Woodford tube station
Woodford is a London Underground station in Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, United Kingdom.The station is on the Central Line between South Woodford and Buckhurst Hill. The station is also a terminus for services via the Hainault loop....
on the Central Line
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
.