View source for Ilford

{{Short description|Town in Greater London, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name             = Ilford
| region                    = Greater London
| country                   = England
| london_borough            = Redbridge
| population                = 168,168
| population_ref            = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]])<ref>Ilford is made up of 12 wards in the London Borough of Redbridge: [[Aldborough Hatch]], [[Barkingside]], [[Cranbrook, London|Cranbrook]], [[Clementswood]], [[Fairlop]], [[Gants Hill]], [[Vicarage]], [[Loxford]], [[Mayfield, Ilford|Mayfield]], [[Newbury Park, London|Newbury Park]], [[Seven Kings]], [[Hainault, London|Hainault]] and [[Valentines Park|Valentines]]. {{cite web|url=http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |title=2011 Census Ward Population Estimates &#124; London DataStore |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202755/http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |archive-date=22 February 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>
| constituency_westminster  = [[Ilford North (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford North]]
| constituency_westminster1 = [[Ilford South (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford South]]
| post_town                 = ILFORD
| postcode_area             = IG
| postcode_district         = IG1-IG6
| dial_code                 = 020
| os_grid_reference         = TQ445865
| coordinates               = {{coord|51|33|27|N|00|05|09|E|display=inline,title}}
| charingX_distance_mi      = 9.0
| charingX_direction        = WSW
| static_image_name         = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Ilford Redbridge Town Hall.JPG
| photo2a = Ilford Hill - geograph.org.uk - 1626422.jpg
| spacing = 3
| size = 266
|color = white
| foot_montage = From top to bottom: [[Redbridge Town Hall]] on Ilford High Road; Ilford Hill}}
}}
'''Ilford''' is a large [[List of areas of London|town]] in [[East London]], England, {{convert|9|mi|km}} northeast of [[Charing Cross]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/regeneration-and-growth/regeneration-and-growth-areas/ilford/ | title=Redbridge - Ilford }}</ref> Part of the [[London Borough of Redbridge]], Ilford is within the [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] of [[Greater London]]. It had a population of 168,168 in 2011, compared to 303,858 for the entire borough.

Identified as a metropolitan centre in the [[London Plan]], Ilford's commercial and retail centre is surrounded by extensive residential development. The town is on the transport corridor between London and coastal Essex, with both the [[A12 road (England)|A12]] and the [[Ilford railway station|central railway station]] linking the regions. In recent years, as a result of increased levels of immigration, Ilford has become one of the most [[Multiculturalism|multicultural]] towns in England.

Historically a small rural settlement in the [[ancient parish]] of [[Barking (parish)|Barking]] in the [[Becontree Hundred|Becontree hundred]] of the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Essex]], its strategic position on the [[River Roding]] and the [[A12 road (England)|London to Colchester road]] made it a coaching town.<ref name="bho_borough" /> The arrival of the railway in 1839 accelerated its growth, leading to the area becoming part of the [[conurbation]] with [[London]]. It split from the parish of Barking in 1888, and, in the 20th century, Ilford significantly expanded and increased in population, [[Municipal Borough of Ilford|becoming a municipal borough]] in 1926. In 1965, it merged with [[Municipal Borough of Wanstead and Woodford|Wanstead and Woodford]], also incorporating parts of neighbouring districts, to form the London Borough of Redbridge, part of Greater London.

==Origins and administration==
===Toponymy===
Ilford was historically known as '''Great Ilford''' to differentiate it from nearby [[Little Ilford]].<ref name=mills_london>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of London Place Names |year=2001 |last=Mills |first=A.D. |publisher=Oxford}}</ref> The name is first recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Ilefort'' and means "[[Ford (crossing)|ford]] over the Hyle". "Hyle" is an old Celtic name for the [[River Roding]] that means "trickling stream". Great and Little Ilford share the place name origin,<ref name=mills_london/> but the Domesday reference is to the Little Ilford area.<ref>Little Ilford was the place referred to at Domesday described in {{cite book |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol5/pp190-214 |chapter=The ancient parish of Barking: Manors |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |date=1966 |title=A History of the County of Essex |volume=5 |pages=190–214 |via=British History Online}}</ref>

Great and Little Ilford appear to have always been distinct areas separated by the Roding. The place names of Great and Little Ilford both appear to derive from the ford (and river), rather than deriving from the subdivision of a larger Ilford area.

===Manor of Barking===
Barking was a huge Manor (landholding), first mentioned in a charter in 735 AD. The Manor covered the areas now known as [[Barking, London|Barking]], [[Dagenham]] and Ilford. The Manor was held by the Nunnery of [[Barking Abbey]].

===Ancient Parish of Barking===
By the late 1100s (the Parishes of England were, with a few exceptions, fixed for around 700 years from the late 12th century onwards)<ref>{{cite book |title=History of the Countryside |first=Oliver |last=Rackham |date=1986 |page=19}}</ref> the huge Manor of Barking was served by two [[Civil Parish#Ancient Parishes|Ancient Parishes]], Barking (including Ilford) and Dagenham. This reversed the usual situation (for smaller, and even quite large Manors) where a parish would serve one or more manors. As with other manors, the area held by the declined over time, but the parish boundaries based on its former extent remained constant.

[[File:Barking CP Ward Map 1871.svg|thumb|left|A map showing the wards of Barking Parish in 1871. The Ancient Parish covered both Barking and Ilford.]]
The Parish of Barking, in the [[Becontree (hundred)|Becontree]] hundred of [[Essex]], covered the areas now known as Barking and Ilford. Barking was a large ancient parish of {{convert|12307|acre|km2}} in the Becontree hundred of Essex. It was divided into the wards of Chadwell, Great Ilford, Ripple and Town.

===Ilford separates from Barking===
The Barking parish authorities gradually lost responsibility for a variety of functions during the 19th century; from 1836, for the administration of poor relief, Ilford came within the Romford [[Poor Law Union]] and in 1840 the [[Metropolitan Police District]] was extended to cover the area. In 1875, the Romford [[sanitary district|rural sanitary district]] was created, covering a wide area including Ilford.

In 1888, Ilford and the neighbouring ward of Chadwell to its east were split from Barking and together formed a separate Ilford civil parish and also a  new Urban District Council. In 1890, a [[local board of health]] was set up for the parish, replacing the rural sanitary authority, and in 1894 a reform of local government reconstituted it as an urban district. It formed part of the [[London Traffic Area]] from 1924 and the [[London Passenger Transport Board|London Passenger Transport Area]] from 1933.<ref name=robson_london>{{cite book |title=The Government and Mis-government of London |last=Robson |first=William |year=1939 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=London }}</ref> It was incorporated as the [[Municipal Borough of Ilford]] in 1926.<ref name=vision_borough>{{cite vob | url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10108159 | name=Ilford UD/MB | map=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/boundary_map_page.jsp?u_id=10108159&c_id=10001043 | access-date=28 August 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001001349/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10108159&c_id=10001043 | archive-date=1 October 2007 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

The suburban expansion of London caused a significant increase in population and the borough became one of the largest in England not to gain [[county borough]] status.

===London Borough of Redbridge===
In 1965, the municipal borough was abolished and its former area was combined with that of [[Municipal Borough of Wanstead and Woodford|Wanstead and Woodford]], the northern extremity of [[Municipal Borough of Dagenham|Dagenham]] and a small part [[Chigwell Urban District]] (around Hainault), to form the new [[London Borough of Redbridge]].

===Representation===
Two the UK Parliamentary constituencies are named after Ilford: [[Ilford North (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford North]] and [[Ilford South (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford South]].The [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for Ilford North is [[Wes Streeting]] of the Labour Party, who succeeded the previous MP [[Lee Scott (politician)|Lee Scott]] of the Conservative Party in the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]]. The MP for Ilford South from 2024 is [[Jas Athwal]] of the Labour Party. Redbridge forms part of the [[Havering and Redbridge (London Assembly constituency)|Havering and Redbridge London Assembly constituency]].

==History==
===Prehistoric natural history===
The only complete skull of a [[mammoth]] discovered in the United Kingdom was unearthed in 1864 close to where Uphall Road is today. The skull can now be seen in the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] and a cast of the skull and other prehistoric animal remains can be seen at Redbridge Museum, Central Library, Ilford.

===Iron Age===
Redevelopment has destroyed much of the evidence for early Ilford, but the oldest evidence for human occupation is the first- and second-century BC [[Iron Age]] earthwork known as Uphall Camp. This was situated between the Roding and Ilford Lane and is recorded in 18th-century plans.<ref name=bho_borough>{{cite book | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42730 | chapter=The borough of Ilford |title=A History of the County of Essex |volume=5 | year= 1966 | publisher= [[Victoria County History]] |pages=249–266 | via=[[British History Online]] | editor-last=Powell |editor-first=W.R. | access-date=28 August 2009 }}</ref> [[Roman Britain|Roman]] finds have also been made in the vicinity.<ref name=Barking>{{cite book | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42722 | chapter=The ancient parish of Barking: Introduction |title=A History of the County of Essex |volume=5 | year= 1966 |pages=184–190 | publisher= [[Victoria County History]] | via=British History Online | editor-last=Powell |editor-first=W.R.  | access-date=28 August 2009 }}</ref>

===Lavender Mount===
A nearby mound called Lavender Mount existed into the 1960s, when it was removed during building work at Howards chemical works. Excavation has shown that Lavender Mount may have been a 16th-century 'beacon-mound'. Archaeological discoveries are displayed at Redbridge Museum.<ref name="redbridge.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.redbridge.gov.uk/museum |title=Redbridge Museum |publisher=Redbridge.gov.uk |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref>

===Economic development===
[[File:High Road, Ilford IG1 - Redbridge Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 394524.jpg|thumb|255px|High Road Ilford with Waterstones bookshop in the foreground on the left and the town hall in the background]]
[[File:High Road, Ilford IG1 - Redbridge Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 394521.jpg|thumb|255px|Redbridge Town Hall, High Road, Ilford]]
Ilford straddled the important road from London to [[Colchester]]. The Middlesex and Essex [[Turnpike trust|Turnpike Trust]] controlled and maintained the road from 1721. The [[River Roding]] was made navigable for barges as far as Ilford Bridge from 1737.<ref name=Barking/> Ilford remained largely rural until its expansion in the 19th century. This brought about brickworks, cement works and coal yards to service the new buildings, largely centred on the River Roding. In 1839, a railway station was opened on the [[Great Eastern Main Line|line from Romford to Mile End]]. The early businesses gave way to new industries, such as paper making and services such as steam laundries and collar making, to provide for the new commuting class created by the railway.

A number of major businesses have been founded in the town, including the eponymous [[photographic film]] and chemicals manufacturer [[Ilford Photo]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Ilford History and Chronology | url=http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Ilford/Chronology.html | access-date=27 July 2007}}</ref> This was founded in 1879 by Alfred H. Harman, a photographer from [[Peckham]], who established the business in a house in Cranbrook Road making gelatino-bromide 'dry' plates.<ref name=bho_borough/> The business soon outgrew these premises, and its headquarters moved to a site at Roden Street until 1976 when the factory was closed. Many Ilford Limited products are displayed at Redbridge Museum.<ref name="redbridge.gov.uk"/>

The radio, electronics and telecommunications company [[Plessey]], founded in 1917 in [[Marylebone]], moved to Cottenham Road in Ilford early in 1919 and then to Vicarage Lane where it became one of the largest manufacturers in its field. During [[World War II]], the factory was heavily damaged by bombing and the company carried out much of its manufacture, with 2,000 workers servicing a production line, located in the underground railway tunnel between [[Wanstead]] and [[Gants Hill]].<ref name=bho_borough/> In 1955 the company employed 15,000 workers, in sites throughout Ilford and neighbouring areas, with an extensive research department.<ref name=bho_borough/> [[BAL-AMi Jukeboxes]] were manufactured at 290–296 High Road, Ilford, during the 1950s, which also served as the headquarters of the Balfour (Marine) Engineering company.<ref>{{cite web | title=BAL-AMi Jukeboxes | url=http://www.bal-ami.com/balhtml/history.shtml}}</ref> [[Exchange Ilford|The Exchange]] is the main shopping centre.

[[File:Ilford Central Library.JPG|thumb|255px|Central Library and Museum, Clements Road, Ilford]]

===Suburban expansion===
[[File:Ilford buildings.jpg|thumb|High buildings in central Ilford]]
By 1653, Ilford was a compact village of 50 houses, mostly sited north and south of the current Broadway<ref name=bho_borough/> and the area was distinctly rural. In 1801 the population of Ilford was 1,724 and by 1841 it had grown to 3,742.<ref name=bho_borough/> It had a population of 41,244 in 1901 and occupied an area of {{convert|8496|acre|km2|0}}. 2,500 houses of the vast [[Becontree Estate]], built by the [[London County Council]] from 1921, were within the boundaries of Ilford; the addition caused a rise in population of 11,600 by 1926.<ref name=bho_borough/>

The [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] service of the [[London Underground]] to new and former main-line stations in the area began in 1947<ref name=rose>{{cite book | last=Rose | first=D | title=The London Underground: A diagrammatic history | year=1999 }}</ref> and the population of the Municipal Borough of Ilford peaked in 1951 at 184,706, declining to 178,024 in 1961 before being absorbed into Redbridge and Greater London in 1965. At the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 Census]] the combined populations of the [[Ilford North (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford North]] and [[Ilford South (UK Parliament constituency)|Ilford South]] constituencies was 196,414.<ref name="ukpollingreport.co.uk"/><ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ilfordsouth |title=UKPollingReport Election Guide 2010 » Ilford South |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-date=4 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104164710/http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ilfordsouth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Notable events===
[[John Logie Baird]], who invented the [[television]], moved to Ilford in the mid to late 1920s to work on his new invention. He worked in a workshop on the roof of the [[Plessey]] premises in Ley Street, which has long since been demolished to make way for new housing.

In 1922, Ilford became notorious for being the site of the [[Edith Thompson and Frederick Bywaters|Thompson-Bywaters case]], a ''[[Cause célèbre|cause celebre]]'' in the United Kingdom that later influenced the debate around [[Capital punishment in the United Kingdom|capital punishment in the UK]].

Ilford was also the birthplace of the actor [[Maggie Smith]] who left for [[Oxford]] at the age of four.

During World War II an Ilford man lost his life when his [[Royal Air Force]] training aircraft crashed in the United States.  Local residents living near the site, in the [[State of Oklahoma]], erected a monument in 2000 honouring the lives of all four RAF fliers who perished.  The event was attended by the Mayor of Redbridge and his mace-bearer, to much local acclaim.  The residents, who include [[Choctaw Indian]]s and the [[Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma|Choctaw Nation]] government, continue honouring the lives of all four on each anniversary of the crashes, which took place in February 1943.<ref>[[AT6 Monument]]</ref>

===Olympics===
Its proximity to the [[Olympic Park]] in [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] meant that in 2011, Ilford was the fastest-growing tourist destination in Europe due to the [[London 2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8940417/TripAdvisor-Ilford-is-Europes-fastest-growing-tourist-destination.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8940417/TripAdvisor-Ilford-is-Europes-fastest-growing-tourist-destination.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live| author=The Daily Telegraph| author-link=The Daily Telegraph| newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | title=TripAdvisor: Ilford is Europe's fastest growing tourist destination|date=December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Economy==
In 2005, Ilford was ranked sixth in the Retail Footprint ranking for Greater London, behind London's [[West End of London|West End]], [[Croydon]], [[Kingston upon Thames]], [[Bromley]] and [[Brent Cross Shopping Centre]]. It ranked just above Romford and central London's [[Kensington]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.caci.co.uk/msd.asp?url=lsp-retailfootprint.htm |title = ::: CACI - Marketing Solutions ::: |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020003313/http://www.caci.co.uk/msd.asp?url=lsp-retailfootprint.htm |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2020, Ilford has {{convert|145860|sqm|sqft}} of total town centre floorspace, the tenth highest in Greater London and noticeably lower compared to [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] and Romford.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gla_migrate_files_destination/2013%20TCHC%20report.pdf |title=2013 London Town Centre Health Check Analysis Report |date=March 2014 |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=26 August 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Further|Geography of London}}
The town is bounded in the west by the [[A406 road|North Circular Road]], [[Manor Park, London|Manor Park]] and the [[River Roding]], with [[Chadwell Heath]] and [[Romford]] to the east and [[Barking, London|Barking]] to the South. The [[Alders Brook]] is a tributary of the Roding that marks the boundary between Newham and Redbridge. Climate data for Ilford is taken from the nearest weather station at [[Greenwich]], around {{convert|6|mi|km|1}} south south west of the railway station:
{{Greenwich weatherbox}}

==Demography==
===Historic population statistics===
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; font-size:85%; margin-left:10px;"
|+'''Ilford (parish) population'''
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1891
| style="text-align:center;"| 10,913 
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1901 
| style="text-align:center;"| 41,234
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1911 
| style="text-align:center;"| 78,188
|- 
! style="text-align:center;"| 1921 
| style="text-align:center;"| 85,194
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1931 
| style="text-align:center;"| 131,061
|- 
! style="text-align:center;"| 1941 
| style="text-align:center;"| #
|- 
! style="text-align:center;"| 1951 
| style="text-align:center;"| 184,706
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1961 
| style="text-align:center;"| 178,024
|-
|style="font-size:smaller" colspan=2|# no census was held due to war
|- 
| colspan="2" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"|source: [[Census#United Kingdom|UK census]]<ref name=pop_parish>{{cite vob | population=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TOT_POP&u_id=10244109&c_id=10001043&add=N | name=Ilford parish | accessdate=28 August 2009}}</ref>
|}

===Population===
The entire town of Ilford is also made up of its neighbourhoods [[Aldborough Hatch]], [[Barkingside]], [[Clayhall]], [[Cranbrook, London|Cranbrook]], [[Fairlop]], [[Fullwell Cross]], [[Loxford]], [[Gants Hill]], [[Goodmayes]], [[Newbury Park, London|Newbury Park]], [[Redbridge, London|Redbridge]], [[Hainault, London|Hainault]], [[Little Heath, London|Little Heath]] and [[Seven Kings]]. It approximates to 11 [[electoral ward]]s, and the total population counted 168,168 people in the 2011 census, compared to 303,858 for the borough of Redbridge as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |title=2011 Census Ward Population Estimates &#124; London DataStore |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202755/http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |archive-date=22 February 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>

===Ethnicity===
Ilford has a very large ethnic-minority population, and is one of the most diverse towns in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/7259/ilford-manifesto.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 March 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801233142/https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/7259/ilford-manifesto.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ilford North had the fourth-highest Jewish proportion of residents in the 2001 census.<ref name="ukpollingreport.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ilfordnorth |title=UKPollingReport Election Guide 2010 » Ilford North |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807140404/http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/ilfordnorth/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Hindu, Muslim and Sikh population number some 30,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southasian.org.uk/research_popreport_groupings.html |title=South Asian Development Partnership – Research |publisher=Southasian.org.uk |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-date=1 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701034956/http://www.southasian.org.uk/research_popreport_groupings.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The large South Asian community in Ilford speak a variety of languages, including [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Urdu]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thinklondon.com/downloads/london_communities/apac_india/D3_communities_indian.pdf |title=Setting up your business in London |work=Thinklondon.com |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717050947/http://www.thinklondon.com/downloads/london_communities/apac_india/D3_communities_indian.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to the 2001 census, the [[Parliamentary constituencies of the UK parliament|parliamentary constituencies]] of Ilford North and Ilford South consisted of the following demographs:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 
! Ilford North
! Ilford South
|-
| Total Population
| 89,806 
| 106,608 
|-
| White
| 75.6%
| 45.1%
|-
| Black
| 5.2%
| 11.4%
|-
| Asian
| 15.5%
| 39.3%
|-
| Mixed 
| 2.2%
| 2.8%
|-
| Other
| 1.5%
| 1.4%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!
!Ilford North
!Ilford South
|-
| Christian
| 55.1%
| 42.5%
|-
| Hindu
| 6.7%
| 10.5%
|-
| Jewish
| 10.3%
| 7.9%
|-
| Muslim
| 6.4%
| 19.6%
|-
| Sikh
| 2.7%
| 9.4%
|}

<ref name="ukpollingreport.co.uk" /><ref name="ReferenceA" />

At the 2011 census, the Clementswood ward's population with a [[Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom|BAME]] (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) background was 84.2%, one of the highest in Greater London. Most of Ilford's other wards have figures above 70%. The lowest BAME ward in Ilford was Fairlop, 34.9%.<ref name="data.london.gov.uk">{{Cite web|url=https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/ward-profiles-and-atlas|title=Ward Profiles and Atlas – London Datastore}}</ref>

===Housing===
House prices in Ilford are generally far lower than the average for Greater London. The median house price in 2014 in Ilford's Loxford ward was £193,000, which was the sixth lowest out of the 628 wards of Greater London.<ref name="data.london.gov.uk"/>

In most wards, a majority of houses are owned by the households. The exceptions are in Clementswood, Loxford, and Valentines.<ref name="data.london.gov.uk"/>

The table below shows housing type data for Ilford's wards at the 2011 census (but altered to match new ward boundaries in 2015).

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 2011 Census homes %
!Ward !!Detached  !!Semi-detached!!Terraced!!Flats and apartments<ref name=ons>{{cite web|url=https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/2011-census-demography|title= Neighbourhood statistics|publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]}}</ref>{{London ward populations|reference}} 
|-
|Aldborough||4.9%||25.1%||43.5%||26.6%
|-
|Barkingside||4.2%||31.5%||40.2%||24.1%
|-
|Clayhall||7.2%||48.7%||30.4%||13.6%
|-
|Clementswood||7.7%||12.4%||45.0%||34.9%
|-
|Cranbrook||3.5%||27.8%||39.7%||28.9%
|-
|Fairlop||7.4%||28.8%||37.7%||26.2%
|-
|Fullwell||7.6%||43.7%||21.9%||26.8%
|-
|Goodmayes||6.3%||22.1%||42.2%||29.3%
|-
|Loxford||2.9%||12.2%||42.8%||36.0%
|-
|Mayfield||10.8%||26.6%||47.3%||15.3%
|-
|Newbury||4.5%||17.8%||48.2%||29.3%
|-
|Seven Kings||6.1%||20.4%||42.9%||30.5%
|-
|Valentines||4.7%||13.1%||31.6%||50.5%
|-
|}

===Other===
The male life expectancy was 76.4 years in Loxford, and 84.5 years in Barkingside. The female expectancy was highest in Barkingside, 87.5 years, and lowest in Loxford, 81.7 years.<ref name="data.london.gov.uk"/>

==Transport==
=== Rail and tube ===
[[File:Ilford station Ilford Hill entrance 2021 04.jpg|thumb|261x261px|Ilford railway station]]

Ilford station is in [[London fare zone 4]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=London's Rail & Tube services |url=https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/routemaps/London_Rail_Tube_Map.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118033454/https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static/documents/content/routemaps/London_Rail_Tube_Map.pdf |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]], [[National Rail]]}}</ref>

[[Ilford railway station]] is on the [[Great Eastern Main Line]]. It is served by [[Elizabeth line]] trains which also call at the nearby [[Seven Kings railway station|Seven Kings]] and [[Goodmayes railway station|Goodmayes]] stations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=TfL Rail |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-rail-map.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211215352/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-rail-map.pdf |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref>

The station was the scene of two fatal rail crashes in [[1915 Ilford rail crash|1915]] and [[1944 Ilford rail crash|1944]]. A [[Ilford EMU Depot|traction maintenance depot]] for [[electric multiple unit]]s is situated in Ilford, which maintains many [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] and [[London Overground]] trains.

[[London Underground|London Underground's]] [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] is to the north of Ilford, with [[Redbridge tube station|Redbridge]], [[Gants Hill tube station|Gants Hill]], [[Newbury Park tube station|Newbury Park]], [[Barkingside tube station|Barkingside]] and [[Fairlop tube station|Fairlop]] nearby. The stations are on the [[Hainault Loop|Hainault loop]] branch of the Central line, with direct connections to Stratford, [[City of London|the City]], the West End and West London.<ref name=":0" />

=== Buses ===
[[File:LTZ2128-IlfordHill-P1620502 (49708274373).jpg|alt=EL1 London Routemaster at a bus stop in Ilford|left|thumb|253x253px|A [[New Routemaster]] on an EL1 service in Ilford]]

[[London Buses]] link Ilford to other districts in [[East London|east]] and [[central London]].

Routes include [[London Buses route 25|25]], 86, 123, 128, 145, 147, 150, 167, 169, 179, 296, 364, 366, 396, 425, 462, [[London Buses route SL2|SL2]] and W19. Night buses N25 and N86 additionally serve the town overnight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Buses from Ilford East |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-east-a4-0417.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221110623/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-east-a4-0417.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Buses from Ilford West and Little Ilford |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-west-and-little-ilford-a4.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221110653/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-west-and-little-ilford-a4.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Buses from Ilford South and Loxford |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-south-and-loxford-a4.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221110641/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/ilford-south-and-loxford-a4.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref>

[[East London Transit]] route EL1 begins in Ilford; it links up with routes EL2 and EL3 at [[Barking, London|Barking]], with onward connections to [[Chadwell Heath]], [[Becontree]] and [[Dagenham]].<ref name=":2" />

=== Road ===
Ilford is a [[primary route destination]] in east London, and main roads link the town to key destinations throughout the capital and the [[East of England]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Primary routes destinations in England by region |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203664/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-02-primary-route.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303112933/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203664/traffic-signs-manual-chapter-02-primary-route.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[gov.uk]]}}</ref>

The [[A118 road|A118]] runs east-west through Ilford, linking the town with [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] and [[A11 road (England)|the A11]] westbound, and [[Romford]] eastbound. The [[A123 road|A123]] runs north-south through the town, with direct connections to [[Gants Hill]] and [[Chigwell]] northbound, and [[Barking, London|Barking]] southbound.

The [[North Circular Road, London|A406 North Circular Road]] links the town directly with north and west London destinations, such as [[Wood Green]] and [[Brent Cross]]. It carries traffic northbound to [[M11 motorway|the M11]] for [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted Airport]] and [[Cambridge]]. Southbound, the route runs to [[Beckton]], the [[Woolwich Ferry]], and the [[A13 road (England)|A13]] for [[Isle of Dogs]], [[Dagenham]] and [[Tilbury]].

North of Ilford, the [[A12 road (England)|A12]] links the town directly to [[M25 motorway|the M25]], [[Chelmsford]] and [[Ipswich]]. Southbound traffic runs past Stratford, through the [[Blackwall Tunnel]] and onto the [[A2 road (England)|A2]] for [[Dartford]] and destinations in [[Kent]].

=== Cycle ===
There is an intermittent cycle lane between Stratford, Ilford, Romford and [[Harold Wood]] along the [[A118 road|A118]]. The lane is part of the former [[London Cycle Network]], as signposted route number 12.

At Stratford, [[Cycle Superhighway|Cycle Superhighway 2]] begins and runs through [[Mile End]] and [[Whitechapel]] to the City. The route is mostly segregated from other road traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cycle Superhighway 2 |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bcs2-map.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127041421/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bcs2-map.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2022 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[Transport for London]]}}</ref>

Cycleway 16 passes to the north of Ilford, providing a direct cycle connection between the [[Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park]] at Stratford and [[Barkingside]].

The Roding Valley Way is a shared-use route running alongside the [[River Roding]]. It begins in Ilford and runs unbroken to [[Roding Valley tube station]] near [[Buckhurst Hill]], [[Essex]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore the Roding Valley |url=https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/3273/roding-valley-leaflet.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222033908/https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/3273/roding-valley-leaflet.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=[[London Borough of Redbridge]]}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
[[File:Poineer Point, Ilford- geograph.org.uk - 3398883.jpg|thumb|Pioneer Point]]

[[Valentines Mansion]] was built in 1696 and was used as council offices until 1994. It gives its name to [[Valentines Park]], the largest green space in the borough.

[[Pioneer Point]] consists of two buildings: Pioneer Point North is 105 m tall with 33 floors and Pioneer Point South is 82 m tall with 25 floors.

Raphael House is 99m tall and Lynton House is 93m tall; they were completed in 1969.

== Religious buildings ==
[[St Mary's Church, Ilford|St Mary's Church]] is the original parish church, but for much of the 20th century [[St Clement's Church, Ilford|St Clement's Church]] was the main Anglican church until it was demolished in 1977. [[St Alban's Church, Ilford|St Alban's Church]] is a redbrick Neo-Gothic building on Albert Road. [[Ilford Hospital Chapel]] is the oldest building in Redbridge, dating back to {{circa|1140}}. [[St Luke's Church, Ilford|St Luke's Church]] is occupied by the [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church]].

Another building in Illford is St. Augustine's Catholic Church. There are also a number of Muslim, Hindu and Sikh buildings.

==Education==
[[Loxford School]] in [[Loxford]] has over 3000 students from 11 to 18, [[Seven Kings School]] is half that size. [[The Palmer Catholic Academy]] is a Catholic secondary school and [[Ursuline Academy Ilford]] is a Catholic school for girls. [[Cranbrook School, Ilford|Cranbrook School]] was an independent school that closed in 2016. [[Valentines High School]] is another seconday school in Ilford closer to [[Gants Hill]] Station. [[Uphall Primary School]] is in Loxford near the North Circular.

==Culture==
[[File:Ilford Kenneth More Theatre.JPG|thumb|255px|Ilford Kenneth More Theatre]]

===Art, theatre and media===
The local newspaper, covering the town and the borough, is the ''[[Ilford Recorder]]''.

The poets [[Kathleen Raine]] (1908–2003) and [[Denise Levertov]] (1923–1997) were both born and spent their early years in Ilford.<ref>Fulton, D, '[https://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/4347/1/Fulltext.pdf Heaven or Hell: Representations of Ilford in the Writings of Denise Levertov and Kathleen Raine]', 2010, Brunel University Research Paper.</ref> Levertov's Russian father, born a Hassidic Jew but converted to Christianity as a student, settled in Ilford as an Anglican minister.<ref>Ann-Marie Abbasah (2016) '[https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/heritage/blue-plaque-campaign-set-to-honour-ilford-s-most-famous-poet-1-4516395 Blue plaque campaign set to honour Ilford’s most famous poet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801213443/https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/heritage/blue-plaque-campaign-set-to-honour-ilford-s-most-famous-poet-1-4516395 |date=1 August 2020 }}', ''Ilford Recorder'', 30 April</ref> There is a tablet memorialising Levertov's father in Ilford's [[Ilford Hospital Chapel|Hospital Chapel]].<ref>Ursulines.co.uk:[http://www.ursulines.co.uk/announcements/poetry-and-prayer-denise-levertov-1923-1997 Poetry and prayer – Denise Levertov 1923–1997] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801215754/http://www.ursulines.co.uk/announcements/poetry-and-prayer-denise-levertov-1923-1997 |date=1 August 2020 }}</ref> Whilst Levertov wrote lyrically about Ilford, and in particular Valentines Park, in later life,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-map-of-the-western-part-of-the-county-of-essex-in-england/|title=A Map Of The Western Part Of The County Of Essex In England - A Map Of The Western Part Of The County Of Essex In England Poem by Denise Levertov|date=8 April 2010|website=Poem Hunter}}</ref> Raine described it as a "suburban Hades".<ref>Kathleen Raine, ''Farewell Happy Fields: Memories of Childhood'' (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1973)</ref>

The Kenneth More Theatre was officially opened in January 1975. It places emphasis on serving the local community, and stages a mix of professional and amateur productions. Its programme is varied, and runs throughout the year with productions generally changing on a weekly basis. It is well known within the local area for its annual pantomime, which normally runs from mid-December to mid-January.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://visionrcl.org.uk/centre/kenneth-more-theatre/ |title=About us &#124; Kenneth More Theatre |publisher=Kmtheatre.co.uk |date=3 January 1975 |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref>

St. Alban's Singers is a mixed voice choir for men and women based in St. Alban's Church in Albert Road, Ilford. The choir meets to rehearse at the church each Tuesday evening during term-time and aims to give three concerts per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stalbansilford.org.uk/?page_id=519|title=St. Alban's Singers – Choir in Ilford|website=stalbansingers.simdif.com|access-date=22 January 2021|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302040459/https://stalbansilford.org.uk/?page_id=519|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Space Gallery Ilford opened in 2019.
<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spacestudios.org.uk/space-ilford/ |title=SPACE Ilford – &#91; SPACE &#93; }}</ref>

[[Kathy Kirby]] was born in Ilford.

[[Dame Maggie Smith]] Actress was born in Ilford.

[[Louise Lombard]] Actress lived in Barkingside, Ilford in childhood.  Attended St. Augustine's Primary School.

[[Tamzin Outhwaite]] Actress lived in Redbridge, Ilford in childhood.  Attended St. Augustine's Primary School.

[[William Morris]] 1834-1896. Socialist, Interior Designer, Artist, Poet, Craftsman. Lived at 18 Coventry Road, Ilford briefly in 1848.
<ref name="eastlondonhistory.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.eastlondonhistory.co.uk/coventry-road-ilford-essex/ |title=Coventry Road Ilford. The History of Commonwealth Estate |date=25 July 2014 }}</ref>

[[John Logie Baird]] 1888-1946. A Scottish inventor who pioneered television technology.  Lived at 32 Coventry Road<ref name="eastlondonhistory.co.uk"/>

===Sport===
An unspecified venue in Ilford was used for a [[cricket]] match in August 1737 between [[Essex county cricket teams|Essex]] and [[London Cricket Club|London]]. It is the earliest known organised match definitely played in Essex.<ref name=FL18C14>Buckley, p. 14.</ref>

Ilford Cricket Club plays home games at [[Valentines Park]]. This ground was opened in 1897.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/ground/57065.html |title=Valentine's Park &#124; England &#124; Cricket Grounds |publisher=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=2 March 2014}}</ref> It was used regularly by [[Essex County Cricket Club]], but inadequate maintenance meant that the county stopped playing there after 2001.<ref>{{cite news|last=Steen |first=Rob |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/3012369/Cricket-Focus-Essex-heartbreak-at-Valentines-Park.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/3012369/Cricket-Focus-Essex-heartbreak-at-Valentines-Park.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Cricket Focus : Essex heartbreak at Valentines Park |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=8 September 2001 |access-date=2 March 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Two [[Non-League football]] clubs play at the Cricklefield Stadium, [[Ilford F.C.]] of the Essex Senior League and [[Barkingside F.C.]] of the Eastern Counties League Division One South. [[Waltham Forest F.C.]] (now [[Walthamstow F.C.]]) played at the Cricklefield from 2008 to 2013.

[[South Park, Ilford|South Park]] is one of the largest open spaces in the London Borough of Redbridge and has been awarded [[Green Flag Award|Green Flag]] status.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130415053858/http://greenflag.keepbritaintidy.org/park-summary/?ParkID=1418 Green Flag – South Park]</ref> The [[Redbridge Parks Police]] patrolled the parks until they were disbanded in 2011.

[[Nigel Benn]] World Champion Boxer was born in Ilford.

==See also==
*[[List of people from Redbridge]]
*[[List of schools in Redbridge]]
*Ilford pet cemetery is also the final resting place for [[Simon (cat)|Simon, able sea cat]], only cat to earn the PDSA Dickens medal.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Buckley |first=G. B. |author-link=G. B. Buckley |title=Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket |year=1935 |publisher=Cotterell }}
* Ian Dowling ''Valentines Park, Ilford: A Century of History'' (1999) {{oclc|43337735}}
* J E Oxley ''Barking and Ilford: An Extract from the Victoria History of the County of Essex vol 5'' (1987)
* {{Citation |publisher = John Murray |location = London |title = Handbook to the Environs of London |author = James Thorne |date = 1876 |chapter= Great Ilford |hdl = 2027/mdp.39015063815669?urlappend=%3Bseq=388 |chapter-url= http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015063815669?urlappend=%3Bseq=388 }}
* {{Citation |publisher = Cassell & Co. |location = London |title = Greater London |author = Edward Walford |author-link = Edward Walford |date = 1883 |oclc = 3009761 |chapter=Ilford |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greaterlondonnar01walf#page/495/mode/1up }}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}

{{LB Redbridge}}
{{London Districts}}
{{English cricket venues to 1770}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ilford| ]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Redbridge]]
[[Category:Metropolitan centres of London]]
[[Category:Business improvement districts in London]]