Ilford

Ilford
From top to bottom: Redbridge Town Hall on Ilford High Road; Ilford Hill
Ilford Location within Greater London
Population	168,168 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	TQ445865
• Charing Cross	9.0 mi (14.5 km) WSW
London borough	Redbridge
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ILFORD
Postcode district	IG1-IG6
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Ilford North Ilford South
London Assembly	Havering and Redbridge
List of places UK England London 51°33′27″N 00°05′09″E / 51.55750°N 0.08583°E / 51.55750; 0.08583

Ilford is a large town in East London, England, 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a population of 168,168 in 2011, compared to 303,858 for the entire borough.

Identified as a metropolitan centre in the London Plan, Ilford's commercial and retail centre is surrounded by extensive residential development. The town is on the transport corridor between London and coastal Essex, with both the A12 and the central railway station linking the regions. In recent years, as a result of increased levels of immigration, Ilford has become one of the most multicultural towns in England.

Historically a small rural settlement in the ancient parish of Barking in the Becontree hundred of the historic county of Essex, its strategic position on the River Roding and the London to Colchester road made it a coaching town.^[2] The arrival of the railway in 1839 accelerated its growth, leading to the area becoming part of the conurbation with London. It split from the parish of Barking in 1888, and, in the 20th century, Ilford significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1926. In 1965, it merged with Wanstead and Woodford, also incorporating parts of neighbouring districts, to form the London Borough of Redbridge, part of Greater London.