A strategic commercial centre, arguably the most important in outer east London, situated two miles north of Barking. The name is a corruption of ‘Hyleford’, ‘Hyle’ being an old name for the River Roding, and meaning ‘trickling brook’. A river crossing is always a promising start to the growth of a town, but Ilford’s particular advantage was that it was high and dry above the flourishing medieval settlement of Barking. Wealthy merchants had homes built here to escape the more feverish environment of the marshes downstream. Brickfields brought employment and prosperity from the seventeenth century but Ilford remained subsidiary to Barking for a further 200 years, after which its farms and manors were broken up and replaced by new streets and estates built for city workers. Two of the earliest employers were Ilford Laundry at Ley Street, where the washing was hung out to dry in the surrounding fields, and Alfred Harman’s Britannia Works, which made photographic materials and later changed its name to Ilford Limited. Ilford Hall was demolished in 1901 and shops stand in its place. The town hall, now headquarters of the borough of Redbridge, was built in the same year and the council was a pioneer of the municipal supply of electricity. From the 1960s, Ilford town centre has undergone radical reconstruction with office blocks replacing several historic buildings.

The frontage of one of Ilford's leading stores

In 1985 the Winston Way relief road diverted traffic from the centre, allowing the High Road to be pedestrianised. The Exchange, an art-deco style mall with over a hundred shops, opened in 1991. Plans for further improvements include a new focal point, Unity Square. The Kenneth More Theatre is regarded as the borough’s premier cultural venue.