Description
Wanstead War Memorial is on a triangular site that is adjacent to Wanstead War Memorial Wood, a small detached fragment of Epping Forest, locally known as Tarzy Wood. The memorial was designed by N A Trent and depicts a bronze winged figure of victory holding a palm. It was unveiled by Sir James Roll c.1930, dedicated to people from Wanstead who died fighting in WWI and a plaque now commemorates the dead of both world wars. In 2007 a plaque was unveiled on Remembrance Day, dedicated to the memory of a Redbridge Marine who died in Afghanistan. Wanstead War Memorial Wood to the north west is a small fragment of woodland of Epping Forest and contains mainly pedunculate oak and hornbeam.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Epping Forest; Tarzy Wood |
|---|---|
| Site location | New Wanstead Road/High Street/Fitzgerald Road/Wellington Passage, Wanstead |
| Postcode | E11 |
| What3Words | ///hatch.energetic.plus |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Snaresbrook (Central). Bus: 66, 101, 145, 308, W12, W13, W14. |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ402886 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Ltd |
| Listed Structures | LBII: War Memorial |
| 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 | Redbridge |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Wanstead Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - (Woodland) Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Heritage Land |
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
Christ Church Wanstead is a fine large church built by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1861, later enlarged and the ragstone tower and spire were added. It was built as a chapel-of-ease to Wanstead parish church of St Mary the Virgin. Surrounding the church is a wide hard-gravelled path, and the surrounding garden, which has no gravestones, is largely grass with some perimeter shrubs and trees. It is enclosed by wooden picket fencing, which separates it from Christchurch Green Recreation Ground.
Christchurch Green Recreation Ground was formerly known as Spratthall Green. It surrounds Christ Church Wanstead, a small open parkland containing notable horse chestnuts, oak, ash, sycamore and sweet chestnut that possibly dated from the C17th/18th. It was laid out c.1900, a flat grassed area with a network of diagonal intersecting tarmaced paths, predominantly flanked by horse chestnut, with some planting of evergreens.
Snaresbrook Crown Court is the former Infant Orphan Asylum built by Sir Gilbert Scott, set in an informal landscape garden on the south side of Eagle Pond, Epping Forest. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1841 and it was opened on 5 June 1843 by Queen Victoria's uncle, Leopold King of the Belgians. By 1880 3,000 orphans had been 'boarded, clothed, nursed and educated' by the charity. A design of 1841 shows landscaping before the buildings were erected, including island bed and paths. The orphanage was renamed Royal Wanstead School in 1938 and eventually closed in 1971. The grounds have fine cedar, oak, horse chestnut, ash, Scots pine, holly, yew and rhododendron, with sloping lawns to Eagle Pond.
