Living in Waltham Forest

Waltham Forest is a north-east London borough stretching from Leyton and Leytonstone in the south to Walthamstow and Chingford in the north. It was London's first Borough of Culture, in 2019, and it has become known for independent businesses, community projects and one of the most ambitious low-traffic street schemes in the country.

Walthamstow is the borough's largest town, with its long street market, Walthamstow Village conservation area and the William Morris Gallery in the house where Morris grew up. Leyton and Leytonstone, further south, are near the Olympic Park and have growing café and pub scenes; Leytonstone is also the birthplace of Alfred Hitchcock. Chingford, in the north, borders Epping Forest and has Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, a Tudor timber-framed building.

Green space is a major attraction. Epping Forest runs along the borough's eastern edge, Walthamstow Wetlands and Walthamstow Marshes lie in the Lee Valley to the west, and Lloyd Park, Leyton Jubilee Park and Hollow Pond provide more open space. The borough's Mini Holland scheme has created segregated cycle lanes and quieter residential streets.

The Victoria line serves Walthamstow Central and Blackhorse Road, the Central line serves Leyton and Leytonstone, and the Overground runs from Chingford and Walthamstow to Liverpool Street as well as across north London. Rents have risen quickly since the borough became fashionable, but most of it still costs less than Hackney next door, and the forest, the wetlands and the quieter streets are what keep people here once they arrive.