Eastside Community Heritage is absolutely delighted and warmly welcomes the designation of Redbridge as a HLF priority area.

The London Borough of Redbridge derives its name from a bridge over the River Roding, which was demolished in 1921. The bridge was constructed using red bricks, and, despite its official name of Hocklee’s Bridge, it was known locally as the Red Bridge. The name of Redbridge was first used in what is now the borough of Redbridge in 1947, when Redbridge Tube Station opened.  Even before 1965 when modern day Redbridge came into existence, the area was well known for its industries and parks.

Industry was incredibly important to the area, and opportunities for local people to do factory based jobs were abundant. Examples of these factory based industries include working for Ismay & Sons and Plessey’s. Ismay & Sons were an electrical lamp manufacturer and opened their Ilford works in 1927. Plessey’s were an international electronics company, originally opening in Cottenham Road, Ilford in 1919 before moving to a new site in Vicarage Lane in 1923. During the Second World War, Plessey’s undertook essential work for the war effort by manufacturing electronic components for field radios amongst other things.

[quote=Judith Garfield ] The prospect of funding also coincides with the development of Redbridge's own culture and arts strategy [/quote]

Parks were incredibly important to local people for recreational activities, and this remains true to this day. Redbridge is one of London’s greenest boroughs and has 35 parks, including Valentine’s Park, Goodmayes Park and South Park. Valentine’s Park is the largest park in the borough; however it was originally earmarked for housing developments. The Ilford District Council of the time chose to keep the land as green space in order to ensure it was able to enlarge land already secured for recreational and relaxation use. The park is also home to Valentine’s Mansion, a restored Georgian Mansion House, and Ilford County Cricket Club. South Park is an Edwardian park, and had been home to the Ilford Broadway Clock Tower (which was moved from the Broadway to the park), until a direct hit from a V1 Rocket in June 1944. The park was extensively restored after the war, but the Clock Tower was never rebuilt.

Over the last 10 years the fantastic investment in capital projects like Valentines Mansion and Redbridge Museum have allowed for local history to have a focal point within the borough. The prospect of funding also coincides with the development of Redbridge’s own Culture and Arts strategy. Not only will this funding allow local community groups to secure a foothold in the future by discovering, celebrating and commemorating their past, but it will provide the impetus for the strategy to be equitably owned and shared by more than one agency in the borough.

Redbridge has also often been slow to recognise the nature of local change, and this designation will also allow local faith, ethnic minority and community groups to share their understanding of and contribution to the borough. It will build on recent successes of projects led by organisations like Redbridge Rainbow Community and RAMFEL, that highlight the very real personal and community challenges that affect some sections of the local community.

The borough’s reputation is one of a leafy affluent suburb, and is one that often leads to the mislaid belief that it does not need inward investment and funding.