Editing Forest Gate

{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name            = Forest Gate
| static_image_name        = Forest Gate.JPG
| static_image_caption     = Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate
| map_type                 = London
| region                   = London
| country                  = England
| london_borough           = Newham
| constituency_westminster = [[Stratford and Bow (UK Parliament constituency)|Stratford and Bow]]
| post_town                = LONDON
| postcode_area            = E
| postcode_district        = E7
| dial_code                = 020
| os_grid_reference        = TQ405855
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.550832|0.02737|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 33,619
| population_ref           = (2011 Census. Forest Gate North and South Wards)<ref>{{cite web|title=Newham Ward populations 2011}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Wanstead Flats at Forest Gate.JPG|thumb|Wanstead Flats at Forest Gate]]
'''Forest Gate''' is a district of [[West Ham]] in the [[London Borough of Newham]], [[East London]], [[England]]. It is located {{Convert|7|mi|}} northeast of [[Charing Cross]].

The area's name relates to its position adjacent to [[Wanstead Flats]], the southernmost part of [[Epping Forest]]. The town was [[historic counties of England|historically]] part of the parish (and later [[County Borough of West Ham|borough]]) of [[West Ham]] in the [[Becontree Hundred|hundred of Becontree]] in [[Essex]]. [[London Government Act 1963|Since 1965]], Forest Gate has been part of the London Borough of Newham, a [[Districts of England|local government district]] of Greater London. The town forms the majority of the [[E postcode area|London E7]] postcode district.

Neighbouring areas include [[Leytonstone]] to the north, [[East Ham]] to the east, [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]] to the south and [[Stratford, London|Stratford]] to the west.

==History==
The first known record of the name 'Forest Gate' comes from the [[West Ham]] parish registers of the late 17th century<ref name="autogenerated1983">The London Encyclopaedia, 1983, edited by Weinreb and Hibbert</ref> and describes a gate placed across the modern Woodford Road to prevent cattle straying from the open [[Wanstead Flats]] area of [[Epping Forest]] onto the main [[Roman roads in Britannia|Roman road]] ([[Romford]] road) linking [[Camulodunum]] to [[Londinium]]. The gate was located close to the former Eagle & Child public house. It never was a toll gate and was demolished along with the keepers' cottage in 1881.
 
At the time of the gate's construction, the Forest and its mosaic of habitats (coppice woodland, common grazing and wood pasture) extended from [[Epping, Essex|Epping]] to the Romford Road where a coppice woodland called 'Hamfrith' (meaning the woodland belonging to the [[London Borough of Newham#Ham(me): Pre-partition origins|Ham]] area) Wood, which existed until around 1700,<ref name="autogenerated1983"/> formed the southernmost point.

An [[Anglo-Saxon]] jewelled bead was found in Forest Gate in 1875 during sewer construction behind the former Princess Alice public house in the Sprowston Road area. The 'bead' is made of gold, garnet and blue glass dating to the late sixth or early seventh century with the workmanship suggesting that it belonged to a woman of wealth or high status such as a 'princess' and dates from the 6th–7th centuries (500 – 699 AD). At this time [[Essex]] was an independent kingdom with a territory extending over Essex, Middlesex and London and half of Hertfordshire.  Having been found as a single object, it is surmised that the bead was lost casually whilst travelling along the ancient Roman road (now the Romford Road) rather than as a burial object, but this is by no means certain as there is a lack of detail about how it was recovered.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}} Stylistically, the piece is said to relate to similar jewellery produced in [[Kent]], which influenced designs in Essex. It is known that King [[Sledd of Essex]] married [[Ricula]], the sister of King [[Æthelberht of Kent]] in about 580 AD. The piece was acquired by [[Sir John Evans]] and was presented to the [[Ashmolean Museum]] in Oxford by [[Sir Arthur Evans]] in 1909.

The area remained rural until the 19th century. From the 18th century a number of wealthy city dwellers had large country houses in the area and many of them were [[Quakers]]; the best known of these were the families of Gurney, Fry and Lester. As the population expanded, new churches were built in the area, such as [[Emmanuel Church, Forest Gate|Emmanuel]] (1852) and its mission church [[St Mark's Church, Forest Gate|St Mark's]] (1893-1898).

In 1890 a fire at the Forest Gate Industrial School in Forest Lane, occupied by children belonging to the Whitechapel Union, killed 26 boys between the ages of 7 and 12 years old.

Forest Gate formed part of the [[County Borough of West Ham]] since its creation (initially as a municipal borough) in 1886. The county borough was abolished to form part of the present-day London Borough of Newham in 1965.

Local history blog ''E7 Now and Then'' details other Forest Gate history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e7-nowandthen.org |title=E7 Now & Then |publisher=E7-nowandthen.org |access-date=23 May 2019}}</ref> An [[ethnographic study]] of the neighbourhood by researcher Dr Joy White, ''Terraformed: Young Black Lives in the Inner City'', was published in 2020 by [[Repeater Books]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terraformed: Young Black Lives in the Inner City |url=https://repeaterbooks.com/product/terraformed-young-black-lives-in-the-inner-city/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Repeater Books |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Review – Terraformed: Young Black Lives in the Inner City by Joy White |url=https://www.redpepper.org.uk/review-terraformed-young-black-lives-in-the-inner-city-by-joy-white/ |access-date=2022-03-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Newham has the second highest percentage of [[Islam in the United Kingdom|Muslims in Britain]] at 24.3% and Forest Gate reflects this with 23.4% stating their religion as [[Islam]] in the 2001 census. Many have their [[British Bangladeshis|roots in Bangladesh]] and [[British Pakistanis|Pakistan]] and most follow the [[Deobandi|Sunni Deobandi]] or the [[Salafi]] tradition.

==Residential areas==
The Woodgrange Estate [[Conservation Area]] is a residential area with predominantly double-fronted [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] three and four bedroomed houses built between 1887 and 1892 by developer Thomas Corbett and sons who went on to oversee the construction of more than 1,100 houses to exploit the transport links provided by one of the first Essex lines, opened by [[Eastern Counties Railway]] in 1839, running through Forest Gate in 1840. Corbett paid £40,000 ({{Inflation|index=UK|value=40000|start_year=1877|r=-5|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) for land associated with Woodgrange Farm, Essex, in 1877, which was formerly used as a market garden serving London. The Woodgrange Estate consists of four roads from north to south: Hampton Road; Osborne Road; Claremont Road and Windsor Road, all of which link to Woodgrange Road to the west. There are blocks of council flats at the western end of Claremont and Windsor roads built on the site of houses damaged during bombing in [[World War II]]. Nearby Godwin Junior School in Forest Gate recently picked up a [[British Council]] International School Award, while the [[Ofsted]] Outstanding-rated [[Forest Gate Community School]] remains one of the best in the country, by measure of Progress 8 scores. The secondary school is also a member of World Class Schools, having been accredited following a process.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} To the north of the railway running through Forest Gate is the "village" with terraced streets named for the [[Oxford Martyrs]] (Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer) running up to the open spaces of [[Wanstead Flats]].

==Leisure==
Forest Gate also houses [[West Ham Park]], providing a place for sports to be played and to the north Forest Gate borders [[Wanstead Flats]], which has numerous football pitches and areas set aside for bio-diversity and walking.

Among the many teams playing on the flats is Sunday League football team [[Senrab F.C.]] Based in Forest Gate, Senrab operates fifteen teams for age groups ranging from 5 to 17 years old and has produced several players who have gone on to successful professional careers, including: [[John Terry]] (who gave an undisclosed sum to keep the club running in April 2011), [[Sol Campbell]], [[Jermain Defoe]], [[Ledley King]], [[Bobby Zamora]] and [[Paul Konchesky]]. Several professional coaches also started out at Senrab, most notably [[Dario Gradi]], [[Ray Wilkins]] and [[Alan Curbishley]].

Pubs include the [[Spotted Dog, Forest Gate|Spotted Dog]] at 212 Upton Lane.

==Transport==
[[Forest Gate railway station]] is in Travelcard Zone 3 on the [[Great Eastern Main Line]] and was first opened in 1840, a year after the line was built, but closed in 1843, before re-opening after pressure from local residents on 31 May 1846. The station is now on the [[Elizabeth line|Elizabeth Line]], with services westbound to [[London Paddington station#Elizabeth line station|Paddington]] and eastbound to [[Shenfield railway station|Shenfield]]. Other stations in the area include [[Wanstead Park railway station]], which is on the [[Gospel Oak to Barking line]] in Zone 3.

===Bus===
Forest Gate is on the [[London Buses]] network, served by routes: [[London Buses route 25|25]], 58, 86, 325, 330, 308 and 425. Night bus [[London Buses route N25|N25]] and [[London Buses route N86|N86]] run overnight through Forest Gate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/forest-gate-a4-210522.pdf|title=Buses from Forest Gate|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=19 March 2023|date=21 May 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520190056/https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/forest-gate-a4-210522.pdf|archive-date=20 May 2022}}</ref>

==Music==
Forest Gate has various associations with music and acting: it was for many years the home of the [[Tonic Sol-fa]] College of [[John Curwen]], which taught large numbers of people to play music without learning conventional notation and the [[Forest Gate School of Music]]. In December 1966 [[Jimi Hendrix]] wrote ''Purple Haze'' in the Upper Cut Club, owned by Douglas Bayle and George and Billy Walker, it had been opened by The Who, and had The Small Faces as the house band, for a while. It later became the Ace of Clubs in Woodgrange Road.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.londonrockandpop.com/page7.htm |title=London Rock & Pop - Timeline |access-date=23 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507195736/http://www.londonrockandpop.com/page7.htm |archive-date=7 May 2006 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[De Underground Records]], the seminal [[Jungle music|jungle]]/[[drum and bass]] record shop and studio was located in Sebert Road, Forest Gate, from 1991 to 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-30|title=Crate Digging: The Influence of De Underground Records {{!}} Newham Heritage Month|url=https://www.newhamheritagemonth.org/records/crate-digging-the-influence-of-de-underground-records/|access-date=2021-06-10|website=www.newhamheritagemonth.org|language=en-GB}}</ref> The [[Newham Generals]] (D Double E & Footsie) are also from Forest Gate, and the video for their song 'Frontline' was filmed at [[Forest Gate railway station]]. Ben Drew aka [[Plan B (musician)|Plan B]] grew up in Forest Gate and lived in Hampton Road on the Woodgrange Estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.juniormuscle.com/jmi2003/Wag_bennett.html|title=Wag Bennett's Gym|date=2003|website=Junior Muscle International|publisher=juniormuscle.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070418222145/http://www.juniormuscle.com/jmi2003/Wag_bennett.html|archive-date=2007-04-18|url-status=dead|access-date=28 October 2013}}</ref> [[Depeche Mode]] started recording in John Bassett's studio on Sebert Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e7-nowandthen.org/2016/07/a-nod-at-our-neighbours-3-bridge-house.html|title=The Bridge|date=2016|website=E7 Now and Then}}</ref> The first [[Rock Against Racism]] concert was held at the Princess Alice pub at the junction of [[A118 road|Romford Road]] and Woodgrange Road in 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=John|title=Forest Gate: scene of Rock Against Racism's first gig|url=http://www.e7-nowandthen.org/2016/12/forest-gate-scene-of-rock-against.html|access-date=2021-06-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-04-20|title=1978, the year rock found the power to unite|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/20/popandrock.race|access-date=2021-06-15|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

[[Damnably]] Records began in Forest Gate on Salisbury Road and many of its bands including [[Shonen Knife]], [[Geoff Farina]], [[Chris Brokaw]], [[Wussy]] stayed or visited there while on tour and [[Kath Bloom]] played a house concert there in 2011. Also based in the same E7 cul de sac that Damnably Records once called home are Vacilando '68 Recordings (previously operating as The Orchestra Pit Recording Co.) who have released vinyl records by international artists such as Howe Gelb, Orkesta Mendoza, [[Marianne Dissard]] and Naim Amor, as well as having a heavy involvement in the Medway music scene through the likes of The Singing Loins, Theatre Royal and Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society. Damnably and Vacilando '68 have teamed up numerous times to promote live shows including at the now defunct Moka East based in the Olympic Park, Stratford.

==Sport==
Forest Gate is home to [[non-league football]] club [[Clapton Community F.C.|Clapton CFC.]], who completed the purchase of London's oldest senior football ground [[The Old Spotted Dog Ground]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-09|title=The purchase of the Old Spotted Dog Ground|url=https://www.claptoncfc.co.uk/2020/08/09/the-purchase-of-the-old-spotted-dog-ground/|access-date=2021-06-15|website=Clapton Community FC|language=en-GB}}</ref> The area is also home to well-known Sunday league side [[Senrab F.C.]]

== Notable people ==

===Business and politics===
* [[Sam Alper]] – [[Travel trailer|caravan]] designer and founder of [[Little Chef]]
* [[David Amess|Sir David Amess]] – Conservative MP (Basildon 1983 to 1997, Southend West 1997 to 2021)
* [[Tony Banks, Baron Stratford]] – Labour MP (Newham North West 1983 to 1997, West Ham 1997 to 2005)
* [[Dawn Butler]] – Labour MP (Brent South 2005 to 2010)
* [[Mark Stephens (solicitor)|Mark Stephens]] – lawyer, mediator, broadcaster, writer

===Sport===
Former managers of [[West Ham United Football Club]] associated with Forest Gate include [[Alan Curbishley]] and [[Ted Fenton]]. Other footballers from the area include England international [[Ken Brown (footballer)|Ken Brown]], Republic of Ireland international [[Chris Hughton]], [[Simon Royce]], [[Jason Lee (footballer)|Jason Lee]], [[Linvoy Primus]], [[Bondz N'Gala]] and [[Jay-Emmanuel Thomas]].

[[JJ Jegede]], the long jumper, was born and raised in Forest Gate and won the silver medal at the 2011 UK Championships and gold at 2012 UK Indoor Championships.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9206973/London-2012-Olympics-East-side-stories-of-those-for-whom-the-Olympics-really-is-home-from-home.html | title=London 2012 Olympics: East side stories of those for whom the Olympics really is home from home | work=The Telegraph| date=20 April 2012 | access-date=23 July 2012 }}</ref>

[[Mark Hunter (rower)|Mark Hunter]] was born and raised in Forest Gate and won the gold medal in the lightweight double scull at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold medals in the lightweight double scull at 2010 and 2011 World Championships.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.britishrowing.org/gb-rowing-team/biographies/mark-hunter | title=Mark Hunter MBE | publisher=British Rowning 2012 | access-date=23 July 2012 }}</ref>

Other sportsmen and women connected with Forest Gate include heavyweight boxing champions [[Bombardier Billy Wells|Billy Wells]]<ref>{{cite book| title=Stratford, West Ham & The Royal Docks| last=Pewsey| first=Stephen| year=1996| publisher=Sutton Publishing| isbn=0-7509-1417-3| page=87}}</ref> and [[Lennox Lewis]], 7 times world karate champion [[Molly Samuel]], cricketer [[Ravi Bopara]], sprinter [[Damien Greaves]], Olympic fencer [[Linda Strachan]], and Olympic and Commonwealth Games athlete [[Jean Pickering|Jean Desforges]].

===Arts and entertainment===
[[Anna Neagle]] was born in the area in 1905, and has a road named after her off Dames Road.  Other actors born in Forest Gate include [[David Farrar (actor)|David Farrar]], [[Malcolm McFee]], [[Billy Murray (actor)|Billy Murray]],  [[Terrence Hardiman]] and [[Chiwetel Ejiofor]].

Other actors associated with the area include ''[[The Wire]]'' star [[Idris Elba]], and ''Eastenders''{{'}} [[Ricky Norwood]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/eastenders/interviews/enders-ricky-im-just-a-boy-from-forest-gate/12847|title=Enders' Ricky: 'I'm just a boy from Forest Gate'|date=25 May 2011|work=[[What's on TV]]|publisher=[[IPC Media]]|access-date=25 May 2011|location=London}}</ref>

[[Jimi Hendrix]] is reputed to have composed "Purple Haze" in the Upper Cut Club in Woodgrange Road.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rokpool.com/content/rokpool-re-visits-the-legendary-upper-cut-club|title=Rokpool revisits the legendary Upper Cut Club'|access-date=27 July 2012|location=London|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425203401/http://www.rokpool.com/content/rokpool-re-visits-the-legendary-upper-cut-club|archive-date=25 April 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Musicians from Forest Gate include biographer, composer and pianist [[Norman Charles Suckling]], [[John Ashton (musician)|John Ashton]], [[Kele Le Roc]] and heavy metal vocalist [[Sarah Jezebel Deva]].  [[Ronnie Lane]] of the [[Small Faces]] was born in [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]] but spent his childhood and early adulthood in Forest Gate, living at 385 Romford Road.<ref name="Angelfire">[https://www.angelfire.com/home/telleveryone/mojo97.html Ronnie Lane spent childhood in Forest Gate] accessed 07/01/08</ref> Roy Carter, a rhythm guitarist with 70s hit funk band [[Heatwave (band)|Heatwave]], was raised in Forest Gate.

Some British hip hop artists are associated with the area including [[D Double E]] and [[Tempa T]]. Top-selling [[Grime (music)|Grime]] artist and rapper [[Plan B (rapper)|Plan B]], has a song "Raking the Dead" which refers to a friend who discovered a body on Wanstead Flats.

Artists from Forest Gate include [[Betsy Schneider]], [[John Bowstead]], [[Walter Westley Russell]] and [[Barry Windsor-Smith]]. Writer [[Mary Renault]] was born in the area.

===Other===

* [[Hannah Dadds]] - the first female train driver on the [[London Underground]]
* [[Christopher Charles Dalliston]] – Dean of Newcastle
* [[Vera Day]] – glamour girl and actress
* [[Elizabeth Fry]] – prison reformer, lived at The Cedars on Portway between 1829 and 1844.<ref>{{cite book| title=Stratford, West Ham & The Royal Docks| last=Pewsey| first=Stephen| year=1996| publisher=Sutton Publishing| isbn=0-7509-1417-3| page=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = WEST HAM PARK, Newham - 1001685 | publisher = Historic England | access-date = 22 March 2018 | url = https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001685}}</ref>
* [[John Grahl]] – economist
* [[Joseph McCabe]] – writer and speaker on [[freethought]]
* [[Claude Scudamore Jarvis]] – British colonial governor
* [[Edward Whymper]] – climber, who married at [[Emmanuel Church, Forest Gate|Emmanuel Church]] in 1906
* [[Jane Rebecca Yorke]] – the last person convicted under the [[Witchcraft Act 1735]] ([[9 Geo. 2]]. c. 5)
* [[Shirley Anne Field]] - Actress

==See also==
*[[Forest Gate railway station]]
*[[London Borough of Newham]]
*[[Stratford, London|Stratford]]
*[[2 June 2006 Forest Gate raid]]

==References==
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{{wikinews|has=news coverage 2006 Terror Suspect Raid| British police shoot man in anti-terrorism raid}}
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{{LB Newham}}
{{Areas of London}}
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[[Category:Forest Gate| ]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]