Move to... Aldersbrook
Aldersbrook remains largely undiscovered due to the fact it’s surrounded by Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats. The setting fools you into thinking that you are far away from the city however this is an illusion.
It is a very convenient location, just a 10 minute drive from Stratford, and 30 minutes from Wanstead Station to Oxford Street. Soon to be made even quicker with the arrival of Cross Rail at Manor Park Station. The housing stock is predominantly Edwardian and is in a designated conservation area. It is a fantastic place to live if you enjoy running or dog walking. There is also real sense of community. Aldersbrook has a bohemian feel about it which is distinctly more London that neighbouring Wanstead. Of a weekend most Aldersbrook residents can be found enjoying the local eateries and independent shops of Wanstead High Street.
Aldersbrook’s name dates from the 16th century and refers to alders growing beside a tributary of the River Roding. This place was earlier called Nakedhall.
The dynasty that owned Wanstead House steadily acquired and altered the farmland of Aldersbrook from 1786 onwards, knocking down its manor house, selling land to the Corporation of London for use as a cemetery and auctioning building plots from 1899. The plots’ conditions of sale included clauses stipulating that the properties be relatively expensive, especially on the edges of the estate where the £500 detached houses had views over Wanstead Park and Flats. These sold to professional persons, while the £300 semis and terraces on the main streets went to lower middle class occupiers, usually renting rather than buying.
More than a thousand homes were built by 1910 and the variety of developers, combined with the rapidly changing architectural fashions of the time, resulted in a variety of styles.
Junior and infant schools were built in 1908 and 1911, and they have since merged to form Aldersbrook primary school.
St Gabriel’s church was completed in 1914 with financial assistance from the Misses Nutter, who also helped fund the construction of Holy Trinity church in South Woodford. The architect was Charles Spooner.
Some houses that were bombed in the Second World War were afterwards rebuilt almost indistinguishably from their predecessors.
Location
Great road and rail links - just 10 minutes drive from Stratford, and 30 minutes journey from Wanstead Station to Oxford Street.
Scenic setting
Redbridge council belatedly designated Aldersbrook a conservation area in 2002. If you are feeling energetic, it is also a great place for a run or walking the dog.
Postcode
The post code districts that cover Aldersbrook are E12 and E11. The area and the estate fall within the London Borough of Redbridge.
Green Space
Aldersbrook Wood is a small piece of scrub and woodland next to Wanstead Park, forming a valuable buffer between development and the park. The woodland comprises a variety of tree species including horse chestnut, oak, beech, silver birch, hawthorn, ash and sycamore.
Wanstead Park is also very close which is a must-see grade II listed park with woods, a nature reserve, grassland, lakes, a museum, a stream and even a grotto. Wildlife also appreciate the park with plenty of herons in the lake and squirrels in the woods. Wanstead Flats are a large area of open grassland and makes up the southernmost part of Epping Forest. It’s home to over 60 football pitches. It’s also perfect for other sports as well as picnics and enjoying nature.
Education
Aldersbrook is a relatively small area so the numbers of schools with in it are limited, however Aldersbrook primary school does have an Ofsted Outstanding rating. There are also a number of other primary schools, within a mile or so, such as: Godwin Junior School, Avenue Primary School, Cranbrook Primary School, Salisbury Primary School all of which have the Ofsted Good rating.
