Visit Ilford Places

Welcome to Visit Ilford Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Ilford

  

Ilford Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Ilford

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Ilford history

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Pre-historic natural history

The only complete skull of a mammoth discovered in the UK was unearthed in 1864 close to where Uphall Road is today. The skull can now be seen in the 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

Oldest evidence for human occupation is the 1st- and 2nd-century BC Iron Age earthwork known as Uphall Camp. This was situated between Roding and Ilford Lane and is recorded in 18th-century plans. Roman finds have also been made in the vicinity.

Lavender Mount

Lavender Mount may have been a 16th-century ‘beacon-mound’ The mound was removed during building work at Howards chemical works in the 1960s.

Economic development

Ilford straddled the important road from London to Colchester from 1721. 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.

Suburban expansion

By 1653, Ilford was a compact village of 50 houses, mostly sited north and south of the current Broadway. In 1801 the population of the area was 1,724 and by 1841 it had grown to 3,742. It had a population of 41,244 in 1901 and occupied an area of 8,496 acres (34 km) 2,500 houses of the vast Becontree Estate, built by the London County Council from 1921, were within the boundaries of Iford.

Notable events

John Logie Baird, who invented the television, moved to Ilford in the 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. The town was also the birthplace of the actor Maggie Smith who left to Oxford aged four.

Olympics

In 2011, Ilford was the fastest-growing tourist destination in Europe due to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Its proximity to the Olympic Park in Stratford meant that in 2011 it was the city’s fastest growing tourist destination.

Ilford culture & places

Art, theatre and media

Kathleen Raine (1908–2003) and Denise Levertov (1923–1997) were both born and spent their early years in Ilford. The Kenneth More Theatre was officially opened in January 1975. It is well known within the local area for its annual pantomime, which runs from mid-December to mid-January.

Sport

Ilford F.C. plays home games at Valentines Park, which was opened in 1897. It was used regularly by Essex County Cricket Club, but inadequate maintenance meant that the county stopped playing there after 2001. The Cricklefield is one of the largest open spaces in the London Borough of Redbridge and has Green Flag status.

Ilford landmarks

Valentines Mansion was built in 1696 and was used as council offices until 1994. It gives the name to Valentines Park, the largest green space in the borough. Pioneer Point is two buildings, Pioneer Point North is 105 m tall with 33 floors and Pioneer Point South is 82 m tall.

Ilford geography / climate

Ilford is bounded in the west by the North Circular Road and the River Roding. It is contiguous with Barking to the south, Gants Hill and Barkingside to the north and Seven Kings to the east. The Alders Brook is a tributary of the Roding that marks the boundary between Newham and Redbridge.

You can visit Ilford places with Walkfo Ilford to hear history at Ilford’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Ilford has 110 places to visit in our interactive Ilford map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Ilford, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Ilford places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Ilford & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 110 audio facts unique to Ilford places in an interactive Ilford map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Ilford Places Map
110 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Ilford historic spots	Ilford tourist destinations	Ilford plaques	Ilford geographic features
Walkfo Ilford tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Ilford

  

Best Ilford places to visit

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Ilford has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Ilford’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Ilford’s information audio spots:

East London East London is a popularly and informally defined part of London. It is east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames. It comprises the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

Visit Ilford plaques