Redbridge

At the outer north-east of London is Redbridge, a borough named after an ancient bridge over the River Roding (replaced in 1921). It takes in areas including Ilford, Wanstead and Woodford.

Some 40% of the borough is open space, including Hainault Forest Country Park, Roding Valley Park and Wanstead Park. The latter was once the site of a beautiful villa called Wanstead House. It was demolished in 1825 to pay off an extravagant earl’s debts.

Ilford is where fragments of woolly mammoth were unearthed some 200,000 years after its death. Nearby, in 1879, Alfred Harman started a photographic business in his basement. It went on to become the world-famous Ilford Photo.

A statue of Winston Churchill stands on Woodford Green, a reminder of the 40 years he served as MP for Woodbridge.