Aldborough Hatch, Redbridge

A semi-​​rural resid­ential locality situated on the north side of the A12, just beyond Newbury Park

Aldborough Hall Farm

The Aldborough name probably derives from the family who built a hall here, while the hatch (a wicket gate) would have led into Hainault Forest. Writing in his Environs of London at the turn of the 19th century, Daniel Lysons described the hall as “a capital mansion situated in the forest.” The woods provided a living for the local charcoal burners and foresters, and game for the frequent royal hunts. Before the extensive defor­estation of the 1850s, according to local historian George Tasker, “the hamlet consisted almost entirely of four or five mansions within a stone’s throw of each other, and a farm or two.” By way of compensation for the destruction of the woodland the government contributed towards the cost of building St Peter’s church, using stones from the old Westminster Bridge.

The Eastern Avenue brought the builders with it in the late 1920s and early 1930s, including Suburban Devel­opments (London) Limited, which laid out the Aldborough Grange estate on land east of Aldborough Road North. The green belt has restricted further expansion into the farmland on the north side of the road.

Aldborough ward has a culturally diverse population. Fractionally over 50 per cent of residents are Christians and the main religious minorities are Jews and Hindus.

Postcode area: Ilford, IG2
Population: 11,611 (Aldborough ward)