Stratford

1800 – 1850

1834

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.

1839

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.

Archival Image courtesy of Newham Archives and Local Studies Library.

1850 – 1900

1858

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

1869

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.

1896

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.

1899

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.