Redbridge

Parts of Chigwell and Dagenham, along with Wanstead and Ilford, were combined in 1965 to make what is the present borough of Redbridge in east London, seven miles from the City. The name 'Redbridge' is thought to have come from the bridge which used to cross the river Roding in the area.

A leafy suburb, a third of which is green-belt, and which contains part of Epping Forest within it's boundaries, the borough is so rich in prehistoric remains that in Victorian times the aristocracy were often to be seen locally on 'Elephant Hunting' tours in the hope of finding mammoth skeletons, which were apparently abundant at that time.

Redbridge has had some political big-hitters living in the community over the years: Winston Churchill was MP for Wanstead for over forty years, and the first post-war Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, also lived in the district.