History of Stratford

St John’s Church opened in 1834 to serve the growing population of Stratford as a chapel of ease. It is now one of the key landmarks for the town centre.

Stratford Station opened in 1839 by the Eastern Counties Railway marking a key moment for the industrialisation of Stratford. Here you can see Stratford Station in 1940s.

Stratford Broadway has always been a thriving market with traders setting up stalls from 1858.

Built for the vestry in the late 1850s, it finally opened in 1869. Giles and Angell designed the building in Italian style, with figurative ornaments, and a group of statuary depicting of the arts, sciences, agriculture and commerce.

Borough Theatre was built in 1896, a very ambitious project of its time to serve as the largest theatre in Essex. The initial venue had 3,500 seats, having no central pillars to obstruct the view and was electricity lit. In March 1933, it became ‘Rec Cinema’ with a new Art Deco auditorium of 1,889 seats, leaving the exterior almost untouched.

The Empire Theatre opened in 1899 and was designed by the architect W.G.R Sprague. Its exterior was built in Neo-Classical style and had on its roof a very distinct female figurine holding a globe that would be electricity lit.

In the 17th century, this site was known as the ‘The Swan’ a pub and holsterie. It was a very important stop for omnibus terminus, and later coaches and tram terminal, the last stop before the City of London. Here is an image from the area in 1904.

Stratford has always had great connectivity with buses and trams connecting the East with central London. Here is a pic of Stratford High Street in 1906.

Here is a pic of Stratford Grove in 1920s. In the background, one can see the Methodist Church and Stratford Congregational Church. By 1953, they were both demolished.

Boardmans department store was located here 64-76 Broadway. That was a time when Broadway was a thriving ‘Victorian Emporia’, with three big department stores located in the town centre including Roberts and Co-op. Here is a pic of Boardmans in 1971.

Stratford Broadway in 1973.

The Railway Tree is also known as the ‘rhubarb sculpture’ locally. It was created and placed in Stratford in 1996, designed by Malcolm Robertson, a 10-metre height tree like structure. It relates to Stratford’s close relation and past with the railway and its industries.

Stratford Circus opened in 2001. It was designed by Levitt Bernstein architects. The new building stands today where an old Chemicals Works was until 1970s.

The Shoal, was erected in 2012 as part of the Olympic Games projects in the area. It is an iconic installation for the new identity of Stratford. The installation represents a tree with 73 leaves.

Stratford Original and London Borough of Newham brought jointly five colourful murals with creative lighting in Stratford town centre in November 2017.

The Stratford town centre improvement scheme began in autumn 2017 introducing changes into a two-way traffic system. The scheme aims to create a safer and more welcoming public realm for all.

The theatre opened in 1884, built on site of a wheelwright’s shop. It became “Theatre Royal” in 1887. Here is a pic of its latest refurbishment in 2018.
Image courtesy of Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Four high impact pedestrian colourful crossings have been applied across Stratford Town Centre and can be found by Meridian Square, Theatre Square, on the Broadway and the Grove by the Library.