Editing Stratford, London (section)

==History==
Stratford's early significance was due to a [[Roman road]] (later known as the ''Great Essex Road'') running from [[Aldgate]] in the [[City of London|City]], across the [[River Lea]], to [[Romford]], [[Chelmsford]] and [[Colchester]]. At that time the various branches of the river were tidal and without channels,{{clarify|date=February 2025}} while the marshes surrounding them had yet to be drained. The [[Lea Valley]] formed a natural boundary between [[Essex]] on the eastern bank and [[Middlesex]] on the west, and was a formidable obstacle to overland trade and travel.

===Original ford and place name origin===
The name is first recorded in 1067 as Strætforda and means '[[Ford (crossing)|ford]] on a Roman road'.<ref name="Mills">{{ cite book |last=Mills |first=D. |title=Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names |year=2000 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> It is formed from Old English 'stræt' (in modern English 'street') and 'ford'.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=884}} [[Old Ford#Location of the ford|The former river crossing lay at an uncertain location north of Stratford High Street]].

The district of [[Old Ford]] in northern [[Bow, London|Bow]] – west of the Lea – is named after the former crossing, while Bow itself was also initially named Stratford, after the same ford, and a variety of suffixes were used to distinguish the two distinct settlements, including Stratford-le-Bow.<ref name="Mills"/>
 
The settlement to the east of the Lea was also known as ''Estratford'' (recorded in 1291), referring to the location east of the other Stratford, ''Statford Hamme'' (recorded in 1312) alluding to the location within the parish of West Ham, ''Abbei Stratford'', referring to the presence of [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]],<ref name="Mills"/> and ''Stretford Langthorne'' (recorded in 1366) after a distinctive thorn tree (possibly a pollarded [[Crataegus monogyna|Hawthorn]]) which stood in the area. The thorn tree itself, was mentioned much earlier, in a charter of the [[London Borough of Newham#Manor of Ham|Manor of Ham]], in 958 AD. The tree is thought to have stood in the vicinity of the modern Channel Sea rail junction, around 200 metres north-north-west of the [[London Aquatics Centre]].<ref>The Place Names of Essex, P.H. Reaney, English Place-name Society Volume 12, Cambridge University Press, p 97</ref>

===Bow Bridge===
In 1110 [[Matilda of Scotland|Matilda]], wife of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], ordered a [[Bow Bridge (London)|distinctively bow-shaped (arched)]] bridge to be built over the River Lea, together with a [[causeway]] across the marshes along the line now occupied by Stratford High Street.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=884}} Reports state she (or her retinue) encountered problems crossing the river to get to [[Barking Abbey]].

The western Stratford then become suffixed by "-atte-Bow" (at the Bow), eventually became known simply as [[Bow, London|Bow]], while over time the eastern Stratford lost its "Langthorne" suffix.
 
[[File:ECR(1851) p18b - Bow Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bow Bridge depicted in 1851]]

The bridge was repaired and upgraded many times over the centuries until eventually demolished and replaced in the 19th century.

===Stratford Langthorne Abbey===
In 1135 the [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] Order founded [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]], also known as West Ham Abbey. This became one of the largest and most wealthy monasteries in England, owning {{convert|1500|acres|abbr=off}} in the immediate area and 20 manors throughout Essex.<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42760  ''West Ham: Stratford Abbey'', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6 (1973), pp. 112–14] Date accessed: 28 April 2008</ref>

The Abbey lay between the [[Channelsea River]] and Marsh Lane (Manor Road). Nothing visible remains on the site, as after it dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, local landowners took away much of the stone for their own buildings and the land was subsequently urbanised.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=884}}

A stone window and a carving featuring skulls – thought to have been over the door to the charnel house – remain in [[All Saints Church, West Ham]] (dating from about 1180). The Great Gate of the abbey survived in Baker's Row until 1825.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol6/pp112-114 |title=A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6. West Ham: Stratford Abbey, pages 112–114) |editor-last1=Powell |editor-first1=W R   |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |publisher=British History Online  |access-date=8 November 2015 }}</ref>

[[File:West Ham arms.png|thumb|upright|Arms of the [[County Borough of West Ham]]]]

The doorway to the Old Court House, in Tramway Avenue (Stratford), displays the Abbey's coat of arms. The chevrons from this device, originally from the arms of the Mountfitchet family, together with an abbot's [[crozier]] were incorporated into the arms of the former [[County Borough of West Ham]] in 1887. The new [[London Borough of Newham]] adopted the same arms in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/great_london.html#newham_lb |title=NEWHAM, LONDON BOROUGH OF |website=www.civicheraldry.co.uk |publisher= Civic Heraldry of England and Wales |access-date=8 November 2015 }}</ref>

===Industrialisation===
The industrialisation of Stratford started slowly and accelerated rapidly in the early Victorian era.
[[File:2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (18).jpg|thumb|London 2012 Opening Ceremony – Stratford's historically agrarian economy]]
[[File:London 2012 olympics industrial revolution.jpg|thumb|London 2012 Opening Ceremony – Industrial Revolution]]

The Stratford and national experience of the [[Industrial Revolution]] inspired scenes in the [[2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony|2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony]] covering the traumatic transition from a 'Green and Pleasant Land' to the 'Pandemonium' of the revolution and the huge social and economic changes it brought. The level of industrialisation experienced by the parish and borough of West Ham led to it becoming known as the ''Factory centre of the south of England''.<ref>Brewers Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable, Russ Willey, Chambers 2009</ref> Stratford was the base the greatest concentration of manufacturing activity within West Ham.

====Pre-industrial economy====
Stratford was originally an agricultural community, whose proximity to London provided a ready market for its produce. By the 18th century, the area around Stratford was noted for potato growing, a business that continued into the mid-1800s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol5/pp2-9|title=Metropolitan Essex since 1850: Population growth and the built-up area {{pipe}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> Stratford also became a desirable country retreat for wealthy [[merchant]]s and financiers, within an easy ride of the [[City of London|City]]. When [[Daniel Defoe]] visited Stratford in 1722, he reported it had "...increased in buildings to a strange degree, within the compass of about 20 or 30 years past at the most". He continues that "...this increase is, generally speaking, of hansom large houses... being chiefly for the habitations of the richest citizens, such as either are able to keep two houses, one in the country, and one in the city; or for such citizens as being rich, and having left off trade, live altogether in these neighbouring villages, for the pleasure and health of the latter part of their days".<ref>Defoe, Daniel (1722), [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/Defoe/2 ''A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies'' (Volume I, Letter I)]</ref>

====Early developments====
An early industrial undertaking at Stratford was the [[Bow porcelain factory]], which despite the name, was on the Essex side of the River Lea. Using a process that was patented in 1744, [[Edward Heylin]] and [[Thomas Frye]] operated a factory near Bow Bridge called "New Canton" to produce some of the first [[soft-paste porcelain]] to be made in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol2/pp146-150|title=Industries: Pottery, Bow porcelain {{pipe}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> The site of the factory was to the north of Stratford High Street near the modern Bow Flyover; it was the subject of [[Excavation (archaeology)|archaeological excavation]]s in 1921 and 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1793|title=Bow Porcelain – 34 – The Newham Story|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316203451/http://newhamstory.com/node/1793|archive-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>

====Victorian acceleration====
The Victorian era saw growth hugely accelerated by three major factors: the [[Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844]], the arrival of the railway and the creation of the nearby [[Royal Docks]].

Rapid growth followed the Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844, which restricted dangerous and noxious industries from operating in the metropolitan area, the eastern boundary of which was the [[River Lea]]. Consequently, many of these activities were relocated to the banks of the river, and West Ham became one of Victorian Britain's major manufacturing centres for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and processed foods. This rapid growth earned it the name "London over the border".<ref name=charter>{{cite news |title=The Incorporation of West Ham |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=1 November 1886 |page=12 }}</ref> The growth of the town was summarised by ''[[The Times]]'' in 1886:

<blockquote>''"Factory after factory was erected on the marshy wastes of Stratford and Plaistow, and it only required the construction at Canning Town of the [[Royal Docks|Victoria and Albert Docks]] to make the once desolate parish of West Ham a manufacturing and commercial centre of the first importance and to bring upon it a teeming and an industrious population."''<ref name=charter/></blockquote>

By the early 19th century, Stratford was an important transport hub, with [[Wagonette|omnibus]]es and [[stagecoach|coach]]es running into London four times every hour and coaches from [[East Anglia]] passing through hourly. The route into London was plied by [[Walter Hancock]]'s [[History of steam road vehicles#Early steam carriage services|steam coach]]es for a period during the 1830s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol6/pp61-63|title=West Ham: Transport and postal services {{pipe}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> A small dock and a number of [[wharf|wharves]] were operating on the River Lea at Stratford by the 1820s, serving the needs of local industries. The opening of the Victoria Dock (later [[Royal Victoria Dock]]) nearby on the Thames in 1855, and the subsequent construction of the [[Royal Group of Docks]] (at one time the largest area of impounded water in the world), increased Stratford's importance as a transport and manufacturing centre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol6/pp57-61|title=West Ham: Rivers, bridges, wharfs and docks {{pipe}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> Rising population levels led to two major new Anglican churches in the area, [[St John's Church, Stratford|St John's Church]] in 1834 and [[Christ Church, Stratford|Christ Church]] in 1851.

[[File:Stratford Railway Works.jpg|thumb|right|Engine repair shop of the Stratford Railway Works, 1921]]

Stratford station was opened on 20 June 1839 by the [[Eastern Counties Railway]] (ECR). The [[Northern and Eastern Railway]] opened a section of its authorised line from {{stnlnk|Broxbourne}} to join the ECR at Stratford on 15 September 1840.<ref>{{cite book|author=White, H.P.|editor1=Thomas, David St John|title=A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain — Volume 3: Greater London|edition=3rd|year=1987|publisher=[[David & Charles]]|location=Dawlish}}</ref> A railway works and depot for engines and rolling stock was established by [[Great Eastern Railway|Great Eastern]] in 1847 to the north of Stratford. At its peak, the works employed over 2,500, many of whom had homes, along with other railway workers, in the town that developed nearby. It was originally called Hudson Town, after [[George Hudson]], the "Railway King", but after his involvement in bribery and fraud was revealed in 1849, the settlement quickly became better known as '''Stratford New Town''', which by 1862 had a population of 20,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol5/pp570-576|title=The northern suburbs: The Lea and Stratford-le-Bow {{pipe}} British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> During the lifetime of the Stratford works, 1,682 [[locomotive]]s, 5,500 [[Railroad car|passenger coach]]es and 33,000 [[goods wagon]]s were built. The last part of the works closed in March 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1609|title=Stratford Railway Works – General Offices Building – The Newham Story|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316121313/http://newhamstory.com/node/1609|archive-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>

===20th century===
Stratford, like many areas of London, particularly in the East End, suffered significant de-industrialisation in the 20th century.<ref name="rgs.org">{{cite web| url = http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Planning+your+fieldtrip/Fieldwork+locations/London+2012+Olympic+Park/Stratford.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111001084649/http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Planning+your+fieldtrip/Fieldwork+locations/London+2012+Olympic+Park/Stratford.htm| archive-date = 1 October 2011| title = Stratford}}</ref> This was compounded by the closing of the London Docks in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/2012/newsid_9041000/9041124.stm|title=Remembering 'Stinky Stratford'|date=1 October 2010|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Around this time, the Stratford Shopping Centre was built, beginning efforts to guide the area through the process of transformation from a working-class industrial and transport hub to a retail and leisure destination for the contemporary age.<ref name="rgs.org"/> These efforts continued with the Olympic bid for Stratford, and the ongoing urban regeneration work going on there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stratfordlondon.info/ |title=stratfordlondon.info |access-date=31 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101194805/http://www.stratfordlondon.info/ |archive-date=1 January 2014 |url-status=usurped  }}</ref>