Waltham Forest

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is a London borough in north east London and forms part of Outer London.

It is a mainly built-up residential area located between part of Epping Forest in the east and the River Lee in the west.

These form two green corridors, passing into London from the surrounding countryside, and more than a fifth of the borough is made up of forestland, reservoirs, open space, parks and playing fields.

Many Stone Age remains are found in the area. Roman remains have also been found scattered around the borough proving it was a significant area of Roman occupation.

The borough was formed in 1965, by the London Government Act 1963, from the area of the former Municipal Borough of Chingford, Municipal Borough of Leyton and Municipal Borough of Walthamstow which was transferred to Greater London from Essex.

The borough was named Waltham Forest after the forest the area used to reside in now known as Epping Forest. The Epping Forest Act of 1878 not only assisted in preserving the forest but also help develop the towns around it; Chingford, Walthamstow and Leyton. The boroughs location between the City of London and Epping Forest caused the large scale suburban development of much of the borough.