(A) Plashet Park - Plashet means "an enclosure in the wood" and was first mentioned as a small hamlet in the parish of East Ham in 1560. The park was formed from the grounds of Wood House, an 18th century house, and is remembered in the name of Woodhouse Grove which runs along one side of the park. The grounds were purchased in 1889 by the vicar of East Ham and a Mr. J.H. Bethall, with the help of a grant from the City Parochial Trust, to be used as a public park. It opened in 1891. Plashet Park also has a zoo, started in 1964. The park has what appear to be the original gas lamps inscribed "Ford & Co. Regent Street, London".
(B) Trebor Sweet Factory and Factory Chimney - Now turned into live/work units by Burwell Deakins Architects, this 1937 art deco factory was the home of Robertson & Woodcock, the makers of Trebor sweets and Sharpe's toffees. It closed in the 1980s but, for many years, was the largest employer in the area, employing a workforce of 300, most of whom were women. The factory chimney was, and possibly still is, the tallest structure in the locality. Every few years the whole stack was given a coating of linseed oil to weatherproof the brickwork. When the company closed the Trebor brand was bought by Cadbury Schweppes and production was transferred to Bourneville. There is a humourous story attached to the works. One morning in the 1970s a policeman on a moped was posted to crossing patrol duty for the nearby school. A British Sugar Corporation tanker pulled up onto the works forecourt and coupled up the hoses to the rising main that pumped sugar to the silos at the top of the building. Unfortunately, the hose burst and a stream of fast cooling sugar arched across the forecourt, splashing both the policeman and his moped. The firm telephoned Forest Gate police station who sent a van to pick up man and machine. Trebors, of course, paid for the cleaning of the uniform and the bike. The unfortunate policeman, however, was thereafter nick-named "the candy coated copper"!
(C) Shaftesbury Road School was built in 1893 by the East Ham School Board. In 1904 it was badly damaged by fire and largely rebuilt. It was re-organised in 1929 for senior girls, junior girls, and infants; in 1945 for juniors and infants; and in 1951 for juniors only. The East Ham School Board was formed in 1873. At that time the only school in the parish was a National school in Wakefield Street, founded about 1811. Between 1873 and 1900 the board opened 10 elementary schools and also took over a school at Beckton, previously maintained by the Gas Light & Coke Co.
(D) S K S Swaminarayan Temple - Look at the carvings over the doorway. The doors are also elaborately carved with figures in the same style. This is a Hindu temple which follows the teachings of Bhagwan Swaminararyan (1781-1830).
(E) St Antony's Church - The foundation stone for this church, St.Anthony of Padua, was laid in 1884. By 1891 the church, St.Bonaventure's school, and the friary (Franciscan) buildings were completed to the design of Pugin & Pugin (sons of Augustus Pugin, designer of the interior of the Houses of Parliament). The large church is in the Early English style. By 1903, with Sunday congregations totalling over 2,600, St.Anthony's was the strongest Roman Catholic church in Greater London.
(F) West Ham Park - A late 19th century public park laid out on the site of a botanic garden of the second half of the 18th century. The records show that there had been a house on the site as far back as 1566. By 1762 the house, known as Upton House, was owned by a Quaker physician Dr.John Fothergill who added 30 acres to the estate and commissioned plant-hunters to build up his collection of specimens from the Americas, Far East, Europe and Africa. The rock garden was described by Sir Joseph Banks as "second only to Kew". In 1812 the house, now known as Ham House, was bought by the Quaker banker and philanthropist, Samuel Guerney, who opened up the garden to the park and added more plants. He also rebuilt Upton Lane House for his sister, Elizabeth Fry, the prison reformer, who lived there from 1829 to 1844. The house was demolished in 1872, and after a long fund-raising campaign, the site transferred to the Corporation of the City of London as a public park in 1874. The public park was laid out by 1887, incorporating features from the earlier park including the pleasure gardens, mature trees, and the carriage drive. Part of the kitchen garden was retained while the northern section was developed for housing. The garden continued to evolve throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The park is still in the ownership and management of the Corporation of London who have their nurseries here where the plants that fill the flower beds of the City are grown.
On the central island in the Broadway, by the churchyard of St John's Church (I) and opposite the old Town Hall stands the Gurney Monument. Samuel Gurney (1786 – 1856) was a resident of West Ham and a prominent Quaker. He supported his sister Elizabeth Fry in her work to improve prison conditions, he played an important role in securing the emancipation of black slaves and campaigned to abolish the death penalty. He also was largely responsible for founding the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, which flourished in the 19th century and many of their troughs still survive today.
(G) Stratford Park - A peaceful haven for relaxation that is just a short distance from the bustle of central Stratford. It was formerly known as West Ham Lane Recreation Ground and was opened in stages between 1899 and 1912. The section of the park, which is next to Whalebone Lane, was formerly part of the grounds of a grand house named 'Senables' or 'Sanables', which had belonged to the Archdeacon of Essex from the 15th to the 18th century. By the second half of the 19th century, the house had gone but the estate was still in the possession of the Archdeacon and included land and houses on the western side of West Ham Lane. The freehold was sold to West Ham Council in 1899. There is a boundary marker that was set up by the Carpenters Company, whose arms are displayed on it. The Carpenters Company originally owned much of the land in Stratford. There is a bandstand/stage/walk-through sculpture. The tiled backing wall centre piece stands within a large circular area with low walls.
(H) Old Dispensary - This wood-clad building on the corner of Romford Road and Mantle Way, as its name implies, was used in the 19th century as a dispensary. Mrs. Mary Curtis provided the building and refused to charge rent. This was the beginning of what later became Queen Mary hospital. Built originally about 1700, it is now a listed building.
(I) St John's Church - was originally part of the ancient Parish of West Ham, which covered an area from the River Lea on the west to Green Street (or White Post Lane) on the east, and from the river Thames in the south to Leyton and Wanstead in the north. The present church dates from 1834 and was a Mission Church for West Ham. The architect was Edward Blore, one of the leading architects of his day and had worked on Buckingham Palace. The design is in the Early English style with a tall, ornate spire. One of the famous names connected with St.John's is the poet, Gerald Manley Hopkins, who was born in 1844 at 87 The Grove, Stratford, which was opposite St.John's and was baptised in the church. Due to the growing population, with the coming of the docks and the railways, the church was extended in 1884. During WWII the crypt was used as a shelter but the building was badly damaged by bombing, having all its windows blown out. It was restored in 1951. There is a Protestant Martyrs Memorial in the churchyard. It was erected in 1878 to remember the Protestant martyrs who died during the reign of Queen Mary and who met their death on June 27th, 1556. These people were burnt at the stake on Stratford Green before a large crowd of onlookers. Stratford Green or Common used to stretch from here down Romford Road to about where the University of East London now is.
(J) and (N) The Shoal - This eye catching sculpture is made up of around 100 titanium giant 'leaves' mounted between 15 and 19 metres high on metal posts along Great Eastern Road, past Stratford Station and the main shopping centre. The leaves will gently move in the breeze to create a dynamic and natural motion.
(K) Memorial Streetlight with coloured lights in Salway Place bears a plaque with the inscription: "This lighting feature is dedicated to the memory of Alan Higgs, Newham's Lighting Engineer 1987 to 2003."
(L) Stratford Circus - is a high quality performing arts centre, dedicated to providing artistic excellence in the region. Alongside the professional programme, the centre offers a regular portfolio of education and training opportunities to showcase the talent of local community whilst supporting the ambitions of local and international artists through a variety of live platforms.
(M) The Theatre Royal - Actor-manager, Charles Dillon, engaged architect James George Buckle, to design Stratford's first permanent playhouse in 1884. It opened with Lytton Strachey's "Richelieu". Dillon sold the theatre to Albert O'Leary Fredericks and it stayed in the family for the next 50 years. The stage is 38ft deep - one of the deepest in London. Frank Matcham oversaw the refurbishing of the theatre in 1902 when electric light was installed. In 1953 the theatre was taken over by the Theatre Workshop, a touring company, with Joan Littlewood as director, Gerry Raffles as Manager, and John Bury as designer. The theatre was in a dreadful state with no funds, so in between rehearsing the plays they cleaned and painted and tried to get the boiler to work. They also lived in the dressing rooms. The turning point came when the company went to Paris for the International Festival of Theatre and came back covered in glory. England and the Arts Council became aware of this internationally famed company resident at Stratford as did the critics. "The Quare Fellow" and "The Hostage" by Brendan Behan; "A Taste of Honey" by Shelagh Delaney; "Fings Ain't Wot they Used to Be" by Frank Norman and Lionel Bart; and "Oh, What a Lovely War" by John Wells and Richard Ingrams cemented their reputation. In the late 60s as regeneration took place, Gerry Raffles got the theatre listed as Grade II and made sure the theatre was saved for the future. Gerry Raffles died in 1975 just as sufficient support had been obtained to pay proper salaries. The square next to the theatre was named in his memory. Joan Littlewood left, in grief, never to return. Various directors followed until Philip Hedley, assistant to Joan Littlewood, took over in 1979 and stayed to 2004. Kerry Michael now runs it as Artistic Director and Chief Executive and is committed to develop new work for the local community.
(O) Robert - a 38-tonne steam saddle locomotive. Robert was restored at the East Anglia Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne Station near Colchester, Essex. Robert was built by the Avonside Engine Company of Bristol to work the Lamport Ironstone mines railway near Brixworth, Northamptonshire. After the ironstone railway closed in 1969, Robert moved to various preservation railways before being acquired by the London Borough of Newham as part of the collection at the then North Woolwich Station Museum. As a typical example of a 20th Century industrial steam locomotive, Robert was later displayed on the site of the former Beckton Gas Works. Robert moved to Meridian Square outside Stratford Station in 1999 and was relocated to its present position in 2011.
(P) Arcelor Mittal Orbit Tower - designed by sculptor Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, structural engineer, designer and artist. 115 metres high the tower is made from 2200 tonnes of steel provided by steel company Arcelor Mittal, which donated £19.6million of the £22.3 million price tag. It has a lift and observation decks.