Redbridge: Close to the action but with room to breathe

Visualise the perfect accommodation in London, then visit Redbridge

Redbridge is set to be a fantastic place to spend your nights while taking in the summer Olympics all over the city of London. Far enough from the centre to be relaxed, its proximity to Newham and the Olympic Park make it the perfect choice.

Surrounded on one side by the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Waltham Forest and Newham, a short portion of the eastern border of the borough is in contact with Havering. Redbridge forms an important part of this, the north-eastern edge of the Greater London area. The borough is home to more than 250,000 people, and is administered by its local authority, Redbridge London Borough Council, which is headquartered in Redbridge Town Hall, Ilford.

Ilford itself is a suburban town situated under ten miles from Charing Cross. As one of the big metropolitan centres incorporated into the London Plan, the town is an important retail and commercial centre. This core is surrounded by a large amount of residential land use. Before its absorption into the Greater London area in 1965, Ilford was a municipal borough. Having experienced a significant population boom in the 20th century, it achieved this status in 1926.

The summer sports in Redbridge

While the borough itself is not hosting any of the events, neighbouring Newham forms the centre of the sports action.

With the decision to site the Olympic Park there, the area is experiencing a huge amount of development and is set to be a true jewel in London’s crown for many years to come. By choosing accommodation in Redbridge, you’ll be situating yourself extremely close to the heart of the 2012 events.

The Olympic Park has been chosen as the hosting area for a variety of sports. New facilities have been built for many of the Games’ events. The star of the show has to be, of course, the Olympic Stadium. This purpose-built facility is to form the backdrop for all the athletics events – from the 100m sprints to the pole vault, hammer and javelin. The majestic structure will no doubt be the scene of the display of the complete range of human emotions as the athletes battle it out for the chance to stand alone at the top of the podium.

Other sports at the Olympic Park include the hockey, a large proportion of the cycling action, the swimming events at the aquatics centre and the basketball. In fact, the variety of sports on show is such that it’s unlikely that you’ll want to leave the area at all!

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Things to do in Redbridge

Ilford, first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, was originally known as Ilefort – the ford over the river Hyle. Along with this long human history, the area represents an important site for ages stretching even further back in time.

The only full mammoth skull to be discovered in the UK was, in fact, found in 1860 in the centre of town. While the skull is now in the capable hands of the Natural History Museum, there are still many things to see around the town and the borough as a whole.

Valentines Mansion, dating all the way back to the 1690s, is a fully-featured grand house with all the features you’d expect – a huge garden with 18th century walled sections, period-furnished rooms and art exhibitions on show. The associated park makes an excellent place to enjoy a picnic, as well as the games provided by the venue.

The 12th century Hospital Chapel, along with the Gurdwara Karamsar Temple, represent two of the most interesting buildings in the borough and despite their religious differences, both make equally satisfying days out. Full of history, they are bound to satisfy those with a craving to find out about the past.

Redbridge by public transport

Ilford town, the administrative centre of Redbridge Borough, is less than 20 minutes away from London’s central Liverpool Street station. This illustrates how easy it is to access Redbridge from the centre of the capital.

By extension, Redbridge is also fantastically simple to get to from outside London. From other parts of Britain, National Rail services run into London and transfer to Liverpool Street is a simple process from virtually any major transport hub.

London Underground integration, with ten stations in the borough, means quick and easy access to most areas within the borough. If you prefer to use your own transportation, coming in by car is also an option. The A12, M11 and A406 all provide good road links to both the centre of London as well as more distant areas. The dense road networks also mean that bus transport is an option.

From outside of UK borders, Redbridge is reasonably simple to get to by air. Flying into any of City, Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted Airports will have you within easy public transport-reach of the borough.