Find out more about Forest Gate
Forest Gate is affordable and about to become well connected, for the majority of Londoners this east London neighbourhood remains something of a well-kept secret.
Forest Gate is seven miles north-east of central London with Wanstead to the north beyond Wanstead Flats; Manor Park and Ilford to the east; Upton Park and Plaistow to the south and Stratford to the west.
From September 2021, or whenever the Elizabeth line finally opens, passengers will be able to travel from Forest Gate through central London without having to change trains. The station and its neighbouring public realm are benefitting from various enhancements. The arrival of Crossrail will cut the journey time to Canary Wharf from 23 to 12 minutes and to Bond Street and the West End from 28 to 19 minutes.
Forest Gate is made up almost entirely of Victorian housing, mainly terraces. The Woodgrange Estate conservation area is just the place to look for a big renovation. Built between 1887 and 1892 by the Corbett family, one of the most prolific London house builders of the era, it comprises Hampton Road, Osborne Road, Claremont Road and Windsor Road in a grid to the east of Woodgrange Road. There are semi-detached and double-fronted detached houses, some with glazed canopies giving the streets an almost-jaunty, seaside feel.
Location
Trains from Forest Gate station to Liverpool Street take between 10 and 15 minutes and stop at Stratford, where there are connections to the London Underground network.
Best roads
The Woodgrange Estate conservation area is the top area, its stately streets of double-fronted late Victorian houses around the station rather a plum find. Look north towards Wanstead Flats; south, the streets around West Ham Park are a good bet.
Postcode
E7 is the Forest Gate postcode and is more desirable than the E6 East Ham or E13 Plaistow postcodes to the south.
Green Space
You’re not short for open space in Forest Gate. Wanstead Flats is a large open space with a pond, football pitches and a children’s play area. Nearby Wanstead Park is a Grade II listed park complete with a visitor centre where you can discover the history of Wanstead House. The park regularly hosts events and an open air theatre.
In the town centre in Earlham Grove, Forest Gate Community Garden is a lovely little volunteer-run garden which holds events.
West Ham Park is a restored Victorian Park maintained by the City of London, while the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is not far away in Stratford.
Education
All the primary schools in Forest Gate are rated good or better by Ofsted. Receiving outstanding are the very popular Sandringham; Elmhurst; St Bonaventure’s RC and Shaftesbury.
Forest Gate Secondary (co-ed, 11-16) gets outstanding along with St Angela’s Ursuline RC (girls, 11-18).
Secondaries which get the outstanding rating are: Plashet (girls, ages 11-16) in East Ham; School 21 (co-ed, ages 4-18) in Stratford and Little Ilford (co-ed, 11-16) in Manor Park.
The London Academy of Excellence (co-ed, 16-18) in Broadway House in Stratford is also outstanding.
There are two grammar schools near by in Redbridge: Ilford County (boys, 11-18) in Barkingside and Woodford County (girls, 11-18) in Woodford Green.
There is a private primary school Grangewood which is co-ed, ages 2-11.
There are two private girls’ Islamic schools: Azhar Academy (3-16) and Quwwat-ul-Islam (girls 4-16).
