Municipal Borough of Wanstead and Woodford

Wanstead and Woodford was a local government district from 1934 to 1965 in southwest Essex, England. A merger of two former urban districts, it was suburban to London and part of the Metropolitan Police District.

Wanstead and Woodford

Wanstead and Woodford within Essex in 1961
Area
 • 19343,842 acres (15.5 km2)
 • 19653,864 acres (15.6 km2)
Population
 • 193944,057
 • 196161,416
History
 • Created1934
 • Abolished1965
 • Succeeded byLondon Borough of Redbridge
StatusUrban district (until 1937)
Municipal borough (after 1937)
Coat of Arms of the Municipal Borough of Wanstead and Woodford
Coat of Arms[1]

Background edit

A local board of health was set up for the parish of Wanstead in 1854. The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted its area as Wanstead Urban District, governed by Wanstead Urban District Council.[2]

Woodford parish adopted the Local Government Act 1858 in 1873, setting up a local board. In 1894 it became Woodford Urban District, governed by Woodford Urban District Council.[3]

In 1934, as part of a county review order, a new urban district was created as a merger of their areas.[4]

District and borough edit

The urban district was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1937.[4] The charter was presented by the Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 14 October of that year while the ceremonial mace was presented by Winston Churchill, Member of Parliament for the area. [5]

In 1956 the municipal borough was enlarged by gaining 23 acres (93,000 m2) from the Municipal Borough of Ilford while 2 acres (8,100 m2) were transferred the other way.[4]

Abolition edit

In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, the municipal borough was abolished and its former area transferred to Greater London and combined with that of other districts to form the London Borough of Redbridge.[6]

Meeting place edit

The old rectory at St Mary's Woodford was converted into a meeting place for the council in 1937 and became known as Wanstead and Woodford Town Hall.[7][8] After being used as a magistrates court from 1968 to 1988, the building was demolished and the site redeveloped for residential use.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ "Wanstead and Woodford - Coat of arms (crest) of Wanstead and Woodford". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  2. ^ Powell, W.R. (Edr.) (1973). 'Wanstead: Introduction', in A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6. London: British History Online. pp. 317–322. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  3. ^ Powell, W.R. (Edr.) (1973). Woodford: Local government. A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6. London: British History Online. pp. 351–352. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Wanstead and Woodford". A Vision of Britain. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Court and Social". Chelmsford Chronicle. 10 October 1937. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Local Government Act 1963". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Woodford Parish Church Memorial Hall – A Short History". St Mary's Woodford. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. ^ "When Wanstead & Woodford had its own council". East London and West Essex Guardian. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Rectory Court". London Gardens Trust. Retrieved 10 May 2020.

External links edit

51°35′31″N 0°01′48″E / 51.592°N 0.030°E / 51.592; 0.030