Ilford Local Information: 10 top things to know... more

  • 1. History of Ilford

    Ilford only had 60 houses in 1650, but the area grew dramatically after the arrival of the Great Eastern Railway in 1839, which accelerated the town’s growth. In 1910 the population was 78,000, and by 1938 the population was an incredible 167,000. The famous Doctor Barnardo’s Village Homes for Girls started in Ilford in 1870, and John Logie Baird, the inventor of the televi...Read moresion, once resided in the area. Read less

  • 2. Now in Ilford

    Ilford is now one of the biggest London suburbs as it is in between the important road that goes from London to Colchester. Ilford has a large retail centre and has over 1.5 million square feet of shopping space. There is lots to do in the area, especially if you want to visit restaurants and shops that aren’t in the busy London centre.

  • 3. Events in Ilford

    Ilford is only a stones throw from London, and there are many excellent transport links, so you can see a wide variety of events in the capital. Locally, there is the annual New Year’s Day Antiques Collectors Fair and there is always something going on at the Valentines Mansion and Gardens, including art exhibitions and installations.

  • 4. Attractions in Ilford

    The Ambulance Service Museum in Ilford offers an insight into the ambulance service in London that dates back to 1897. In the museum you will find vintage memorabilia and equipment from the First and Second World Wars, as well as a wide range of vintage vehicles, including a horse drawn ambulance that dates back to 1870. The Redbridge Museum celebrates the history of the local ...Read morearea. It opened in the year 2000, and retraces the area back over a hundred and fifty thousand years. Read less

  • 5. Things To Do in Ilford

    With one of the biggest shopping areas in London, Ilford is the perfect place to visit if you are planning to shop til you drop. There’s also a host of bars, pubs and restaurants serving up tasty meals and delicious drinks. If you would like a day out at a beautiful country house, then head to the Valentines mansion. Built in the 1690s, the house boasts wonderful gardens and ...Read morerecreated Victorian and Georgian rooms. Read less

  • 6. Business in Ilford

    As well as famous and well known high street names, Ilford also has local shops that have been around since the late 18th century. Bodgers, Harrison Gibson and Fairheads are as popular as ever in the area, and over the kind of service that you would expect from companies with such history and longevity.

  • 7. Transport in Ilford

    Ilford has great transport links to London, including regular trains to Liverpool Street Station and Gants Hills tube station in the North of Ilford is on the London Underground Central line. Ilford also has excellent bus services to Central London and other London suburbs. The number 25 bus from Ilford to Central London operates 24 hours a day.

  • 8. Entertainment in Ilford

    Oscar winners Dame Helen Mirren and Dame Maggie Smith both come from Ilford. There is a fantastic theatre in Ilford, the Kenneth More Theatre that shows great shows all year round.

  • 9. Famous Landmarks in Ilford

    The oldest building in Ilford is the Hospital Chapel of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury, which was built in 1145 by an early Abbess of Barking Abbey, Adelicia.

  • 10. Interesting Facts about Ilford

    Where Boots now stands on the Ilford High Road is where the only complete mammoth skull in the whole of Britain was discovered in 1860. If you want to see the skull you’ll have to go to the Natural History Museum in London, where there are loads more historical finds to see. The Museum is easily accessed using transport links from Ilford.

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