Description
St John the Baptist Church was built in 1833 to serve the needs of this part of the parish of Leyton, and in 1848 became the parish church when the parish of Leytonstone was formed. William Cotton, who paid for the church to be built, is buried in the churchyard. Also buried here are the members of the Buxton family who lived at Leytonstone House. The churchyard is now closed to burials. The entrance is through fine iron gates, leading to a circular gravelled drive in front of the church with a central planted bed; steps with low handrails lead up to church. The churchyard is surrounded by old iron railings to the road boundaries, with a wall at the back of the churchyard and contains a few headstones set in grass, and a number of trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Leytonstone Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Lane/Church Road, Leytonstone |
| Postcode | E11 1HG |
| What3Words | ///feeds.random.vanish |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Events | Various events, including Leytonstone Festival |
| Public Transport | Tube: Leytonstone (Central. Bus: 66, 145, 257, W13, W14 |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Leyton by the Stone existed as a hamlet by the C14th and became part of the parish of Leyton. St John the Baptist Church was designed by architect Edward Blore and paid for by William Cotton, who is buried in the churchyard. Cotton was Director of the Bank of England, and the inventor of an automatic machine for weighing sovereigns with great accuracy. A philanthropist and advocate of education, Cotton was the first person to stop the practice of paying wages by orders on a public house.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ393873 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.55 |
| Site Ownership | Church of England |
| Site Management | LB Waltham Forest Green Space Service, Environment and Regeneration |
| Dates | 1833 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St John the Baptist Church, gates, gate piers and railings |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Henry Reynolds Park is a pleasant small park near the busy Green Man roundabout; the site was once that of Green Man Pond, a former gravel pit, later drained. Laid out in the 1960s/70s, the park consists of a slightly sunken garden with central circular bed surrounded by circular paths, with a semi-circular outer ring, probably encroached by new housing. Rose beds are laid out on one side of the circle and there are numerous seats throughout. Planting includes wooded areas, shrubs and hedges, with 2 Lombardy poplars at one edge and perimeter shrubs, some on slightly raised ground. Adjacent to a children's play area is single row of bricks set into the grass in the form of a partial octagon, set around a rose bed.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Wanstead Flats is at the most southerly part of Epping Forest and was saved from development as part of the forest in 1878. Known as Wanstead Heath in the early C17th, it has been used for grazing cattle and sheep since the C12th, a practice that continued up until 1996. Wanstead Flats encompasses a number of areas all now managed as part of Epping Forest, including Manor Park Flats, Bush Wood Flats, Bush Wood and Bush Wood North, the latter having remnants of the C18th landscaping of Wanstead Park.
Wanstead Flats is at the most southerly part of Epping Forest and was saved from development as part of the forest in 1878. Known as Wanstead Heath in the early C17th, it has been used for grazing cattle and sheep since the C12th, a practice that continued up until 1996. Wanstead Flats encompasses a number of areas all now managed as part of Epping Forest, including Manor Park Flats, Bush Wood Flats, Bush Wood and Bush Wood North, the latter having remnants of the C18th landscaping of Wanstead Park.
The Weavers' Almshouses at Wanstead were built in 1857-9, designed by Joseph Jennings. They were rebuilt in 1975, retaining their original appearance, by F G Dobson and H M Grellier & Son at which time a parallel range was added behind, with an area of landscaped garden between the two. The almshouse originated from two foundations, the oldest in Shoreditch of 1670 and another of Spitalfields of 1729. The two-storey range has a taller central clock turret with the Weavers' motto 'Weave Truth with Trust' inscribed and a plaque 'The Almshouses of the Worshipful Company of Weavers, 1851, formerly in Porters Fields and Old Street Road Shoreditch'. The buildings are fronted by a garden with hedge to the road, and has a number of mature trees.