property, homes and houses for sale in Stratford

Quality of life in Stratford is good and getting better, thanks to massive investment spurred on by the 2012 Olympics.

Living in Stratford

Before winning the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Stratford was already undergoing considerable regeneration, including Stratford International Station which forms part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

North of the town centre is Stratford City, a multi-billion pound scheme to regenerate a 73-hectare former railway site. Within the plans is a vast shopping mall similar in size to Bluewater to which John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer have already committed stores.

Adjacent to Stratford City will be 5,000 new homes, schools, offices, public spaces and various other facilities within what will be a major metropolitan centre.

The 2012 Olympic Park lies south-west and north-west of Stratford town centre and will include the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, and London Velopark. It will also provide valuable green space for the residents of Stratford on what was industrial land.

University of East London (UEL) has its main campus in Stratford in University House, an historic listed building that dates from the 19th century. Adjacent to it is the beautiful Passmore Edwards Building which combines stunning frescoes with a domed roof.

Birkbeck College, part of the University of London, operates courses within space provided by UEL, but has plans to construct its own campus in Stratford.

Rail transport to the City of London is incredibly swift and although property prices are climbing you can still get much more for your pound in Stratford than the same distance west of London.

Transport

Stratford railway station is served by National Express East Anglia trains which provide a swift link to Liverpool Street and, in the opposite direction, to stations en route to Norwich.

Stratford High Street DLR station is the terminus for the Docklands Light Railway and connects to Canary Wharf, Lewisham, Bank, Beckton and London City Airport. In 2010 it will also connect to Canning Town.

Stratford tube station is served by the Central Line and is the East London terminus for the Jubilee Line.

For information regarding bus routes that serve Stratford and for tube timetables please visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx

For details of train services throughout the UK please visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

London City Airport lies south-east of Stratford and can be reached via the DLR. For information regarding flights please visit http://www.londoncityairport.com/

Stratford International Station is part of the Eurostar Channel Tunnel Rail Link and is scheduled to open in 2009.

History and culture

The name 'Stratford' derives from the Old English word for "street" combined with "ford" which linked two villages on each side of the River Lea.

Stratford-atte-Bow lay on the west bank and was named after a bow-shaped bridge over the Lea, and is now known as Bow. On the east bank was Stratford Langthorne, now simply Stratford.

Until the arrival of the railways in 1839 much of Stratford was open countryside in the County of Essex, but in 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Newham.

Stratford has a vibrant music scene and there are popular live shows at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. For information regarding performances please visit http://www.stratfordeast.com/

There is also a multi-screen cinema called the Picture House in the heart of Stratford together with a shopping mall and a performing arts centre.

For information regarding Stratford please visit http://www.newham.gov.uk/