Editing Walthamstow (section)

== Geography and locale ==
[[File:Walthamstow Marshes.JPG|thumb|Walthamstow Marshes]]
[[File:Walthamstow Forest (geograph.org.uk 5438870).jpg|thumb|Trees in Walthamstow Forest, part of the greater Epping Forest]]
[[File:Jones's Butchers Shop - 78 Wood St London E17 3HX.jpg|thumb|The [[Grade II listed building]] of the former Jones's Butchers Shop in Wood Street. The trunk of the Wood Street Horse Chestnut, a [[Great Trees of London|Great Tree of London]] is to the left of the shop doorway]]

Walthamstow is bordered to the north by [[Chingford]] and to the south by [[Leyton]] and [[Leytonstone]]. [[Woodford, London|Woodford]] lies to the east with a boundary running through [[Epping Forest]], [[Hackney, London|Hackney]] lies to the south-west beyond the [[Walthamstow Marshes]] and the Lea, while [[Tottenham]] is situated westward on the far side of the [[River Lea]] and the [[Lee Valley Reservoir Chain]]. The A112 (Leyton High Road, Hoe Street, Chingford Road, Chingford Mount Rd) passes south–north through Walthamstow and its neighbouring towns forming part of an ancient route from [[London]] to [[Waltham Abbey (town)|Waltham Abbey]]. Walthamstow is situated south of the [[North Circular Road, London|North Circular Road]]. 
Walthamstow Central is the main transport hub.

[[Walthamstow Village]] conservation area is a district to the east of what has become the commercial centre of Walthamstow. The area is roughly defined as being south of Church Hill, west of Shernhall Street, north of Grove Road, and east of Hoe Street. Orford Road is the main route through the district, though even this is a quiet thoroughfare by the standards of London. The village has a small selection of specialist shops, [[pub]]s and restaurants, and house prices tend to be higher in the streets of this neighbourhood. It was voted best urban village in London by ''Time Out'' magazine in 2004.

''Upper Walthamstow'' is to the east of [[Walthamstow Village]]. The area's main thoroughfare is Wood Street, which has several shops and local businesses, and is served by the [[London Overground]] at [[Wood Street railway station|Wood Street station]] on the [[Liverpool Street station|Liverpool Street]] to [[Chingford railway station|Chingford]] line.

One of the [[Great Trees of London]], the Wood Street [[Horse Chestnut]], is located next to the former Jones's Butchers Shop, a grade II listed, late 18th century weatherboarded building. The tree is thought to be upwards of 175 years old.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Great Trees of London |publisher=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] Guides Ltd |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-84670-154-2 |pages=98}}</ref>

Wood Street is home to Wood Street Indoor Market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://woodstreetmarket.com |title=Wood Street Indoor Market &#124; Wood Street Indoor Market, Walthamstow, E17 Website |publisher=Woodstreetmarket.com |access-date=2015-08-01}}</ref> The market was the site of a cinema from 1912 to 1955, operated by the Penny Picture Theatre Co. It re-opened under new independent management in 1953 as the Rio Cinema, but this was short lived and it closed in 1955.<ref>{{cite web|title=Crown Cinema|url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/22762|access-date=2013-06-30}}</ref> Now the market is filled with quirky market traders, and was documented in a short documentary made by Mark Windows.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bTzubV_Ny8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911015757/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bTzubV_Ny8| archive-date=2013-09-11 | url-status=dead|title=the collectors of wood street |publisher=YouTube |date=2006-07-19 |access-date=2015-08-01}}</ref>

Walthamstow has a wide variety of housing stock, but the vast majority of residential property was built in the early 20th century. From Coppermill Lane in the west (next to the marshes), to Wood Street in the east, there are thousands of terraced streets dating to the [[Edwardian era]] and the 1920s. The area along Markhouse Road and St James Street has many examples of Warner properties. These were developed as affordable housing for the working classes in the early part of the 20th century. [[Bomb Crater Pond (Walthamstow)|Bomb]]ing raids in the [[Second World War]] and urban redevelopment projects in the 1960s and 1970s have left areas with more modern housing, mostly in the shape of low-rise concrete blocks.

The northern continuation of Markhouse Road is St James's Street to which Blackhorse Road follows, served by underground and railway stations, which in turn becomes Blackhorse Lane. This is bound on its western side by industrial units and warehouses. The London Borough of Waltham Forest has proposed developing the area around Blackhorse Road railway station to become a gateway to the town.

Although bounded by the marshes to the west and parts of Epping Forest to the east, there is little open space in the actual town. There used to be two [[Common land|commons]] in the town, Church Common, adjacent to St. Mary's Church in [[Walthamstow Village]] and Markhouse Common, located off Markhouse Lane (now Markhouse Road) and what is now the western end of Queens Road. Both open spaces were lost in the 19th century, when the land was sold to property developers. Lloyd Park has been open to the public since 1900 and is located on Forest Road behind the [[William Morris Gallery]]. It has a formal garden with a pond, and the adjacent Aveling Field has facilities for bowling, tennis, basketball, an outdoor gym, a skate park and a children's play area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/lloyd-park |title=Lloyd Park |website=Walthamforest.gov.uk |publisher=London Borough of Waltham Forest |access-date=6 February 2015 |archive-date=6 Feb 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206201414/http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/lloyd-park |url-status=dead }}</ref>