Chingford

Chingford
Clockwise from top: Old Church Road in Chingford Mount, Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, Kings Head Hill and War Memorial, Station Road, and the former Bull & Crown public house
Chingford
Location within Greater London
Population70,583 (2021 Census)
OS grid referenceTQ379935
• Charing Cross9.2 mi (14.8 km) SW
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtE4
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

Chingford is a suburban town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The centre of Chingford is 9.2 miles (14.8 km) north-east of Charing Cross. Chingford is bounded by the River Lea to the west, Epping Forest to the north and east, and Walthamstow to the south. It had a population of 70,583 at the 2021 census.

The name Chingford was first recorded in 913AD, with the ancient parish of Chingford being a largely rural farming community until urbanisation began in the late 19th century and became particularly pronounced in the interwar period.

The parish of Chingford was part of the Waltham hundred of Essex. The parish was granted urban district status in 1894, and municipal borough status in 1938. Its administrative headquarters were at Chingford Town Hall until 1965 when the Municipal Borough of Chingford merged with the municipal boroughs of Walthamstow and Leyton to form a new borough, Waltham Forest, within the new Greater London.