Forest Gate

Forest Gate is centred on one of the Roman roads developed out from Londinium between 43CE and 68CE, leaving the north-east corner of the capital Londinium, through Old Ford, Stratford, Forest Gate, Ilford and Romford to Camulodunum (Colchester), being recorded by the Romans as Iter IX in the Antonine Itinerary. Antiquarian Ivan Margary labelled the Roman road as RR3, and it became known as The Great Road. The first known record of the name 'Forest Gate' comes from the West Ham parish registers of the late 17th century and describes a gate placed across the modern Woodford Road to prevent cattle straying from the open Wanstead Flats area of Epping Forest onto the main Roman road (Romford…