Enjoy Redbridge Green spaces Culture Historic buildings Shopping Eating out Activities London Borough of Redbridge Central Library Redbridge is a borough in north east London only five miles by road from the Olympic Park. The Borough has award- winning parks and open spaces, great shopping, and diverse places to eat out Valentines Mansion & Gardens and be entertained. Redbridge is one of London’s greenest CONTENTS boroughs and we are home to a diverse and vibrant population of 270,000 4 Valentines Mansion & Gardens people. This is reflected in the variety of 6 Gants Hill our restaurants, shopping and places Fairlop Waters Country Park 7 Valentines Park of interest. 8 Hainault Forest Country Park With our strong arts and cultural heritage, 9 Roding Valley Park Redbridge has lots of fun days out for residents and visitors alike. For those 10 The James Leal Centre wanting to stay longer, we have a range of The James Leal Centre 11 Redbridge Cycling Centre hotels ranging from boutique to budget chains, and other accommodation. 12 Fairlop Waters Country Park 14 Wanstead We welcome visitors to Redbridge – and hope this guide will remind residents 16 Woodford why you love living here! Redbridge Drama Centre Redbridge Cycling Centre 19 Claybury Woods & Park For more information and ideas 20 South Woodford see our website, Redbridge i 21 Ilford www.redbridge.gov.uk 23 Redbridge Museum 24 Redbridge Central Library 25 Seven Kings & Goodmayes 26 Barkingside This guide is produced by the London Borough of Redbridge and Vision, the trust that runs the Council’s parks, libraries and leisure facilities. Please send comments 28 Planning your visit 2or suggestions about this guide to [email protected] 3 Entry FREE (Pre-booked tours £3) Opening times Tuesday and Wednesday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm Bus 123, 128, 167, 179, 296, 396 Rail Ilford (buses stop outside station) Underground Gants Hill (Central line) – see Did you Valentines Mansion & Gardens know? on p6 A magnificent Georgian country house and gardens in the Parking Valentines Gardens through the seasons Pay and display parking at the Mansion grounds of Valentines Park, Ilford, the 300 year-old restored Visit the historic gardens, including the Diamond Bikes building now attracts thousands of visitors every year. Jubilee Dry Garden opened by HM The Queen in Racks by car park These include HM The Queen on a Jubilee March 2012, fine Rococo landscape with grottos, Wheelchair access visit in March 2012 and BBC film cameras for wildfowl on the ornamental pond, raised beds in Yes throughout site, with some width the Great British Bake Off and Great Sport the kitchen garden and fine borders and beds. restrictions Relief Bake Off in 2011. Toilets See the seasons change in the gardens: Yes, with facilities for the disabled Join them to see: Dogs Bluebells and narcissus brightening up spring Guide dogs only inside the mansion Georgian rooms with views over parkland The Old English Rose Garden in summer Victorian kitchen sunshine Emerson Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4XA Historic gardens Maple and oak trees in full glorious Phone: 020 8708 8100 Art installations and exhibitions autumn colour Email: [email protected] Gardeners Cottage Café Parsley and sage in the winter herb garden Website: www.valentinesmansion.com open daily from 10am till dusk Gift shop with hand-made artworks Events for all ages throughout the year Free family fun resources 4 For art and culture lovers… Riddle Paul Photo: Riddle Paul Photo: 5 Entry Valentines Park FREE Opening times This award-winning park is next to 8am until dusk Valentines Mansion, and was once the parkland to the house. It offers Bus a wide range of family-friendly fun, 123, 128, 167, 179, 296, 396 with weekly Park Runs, events and Rail attractions including: Ilford (buses stop outside station) Underground Bandstand Gants Hill (Central line) – Lake (boats for hire - seasonal) see Did you know? on p6 Ornamental gardens and flowering Parking meadows Pay and display, access via Melbourne Road, Perth Road and Cranbrook Road Trees, including a 300-year-old Bikes field maple Can be used in the park. Racks available next Nature and wetland areas with to Emerson Road car park diverse wildlife Wheelchair access Cricket pitch for hire Available throughout the park Bowling green Refreshments Café by the bandstand Make a day of it Children’s play areas FREE tennis courts Toilets By Café There are a number of other attractions near Valentines Outdoor gym Mansion and Gardens. You could spend the whole day there, Dogs but if you want to enjoy more Redbridge attractions, take a look Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome at other interesting places to visit in the Valentines area… Main entrance to pedestrians on Cranbrook Road, Ilford Gants Hill What’s nearby? Enjoy the cafes, restaurants and interesting one-off shops at nearby Ilford town centre, for shopping Gants Hill, which is a few minutes’ walk away. Kenneth More Theatre The borough’s oldest and newest Did you know? buildings – Ilford Hospital Chapel Gants Hill is one of the renowned Art Deco London Underground stations and Pioneer Point – see page 24 designed by famous architect Charles Holden. The station’s vaulted ceilings were inspired by another of Holden’s projects, the Moscow underground. Holden also designed the free-standing ticket office in Hainault station. Valentines Park boating lake 6 www.redbridge.gov.uk/enjoyredbridge 7 Hainault Forest Country Park Roding Valley Park Redbridge is the gateway to the countryside with around 300 hectares of countryside accessible from the Underground station at Fairlop. Hainault Forest Country Park, Roding Valley Country Park and Fairlop Waters offer the visitor a vast area of green open spaces and woodland with a rich variety of animal and plant species. The 300-acre Hainault Forest Entry Country Park has been open FREE for over 100 years and offers bridleways, woodland, lakes Opening hours 7am to dusk, 7 days per week and activities all year round. These include: Bus 247 Adventure play areas Rail Orienteering course Romford Café Underground Hainault (Central line) – see Did you know Events on page 6 Fishing lake Parking Guided walks Two in park, with pay and display parking Nature trail Bikes Racks by entrance. Sensible cyclists can use The park is a wildlife sanctuary Picnic area whole site, on paths shared with horse riders with ducks, herons, dragonflies, Farm/zoo Wheelchair access Opposite New North Road to lake, car park, butterflies, and different species of café, visitors centre and around the lake flowers to see, and river-side and Toilets woodland areas to explore. Yes, with facilities for the disabled The River Roding is a lowland clay river Dogs What’s nearby? Allowed on a lead which is ideal for walking and cycling – and is a useful green cycling link Wanstead Park Romford Road, Hainault IG7 between Wanstead Park and the James Claybury Park Phone: 020 8500 7353 Leal Centre. The park is open from 8 am Hainault Lodge Local Email: [email protected] to dusk. See James Leal Centre (page10) Nature Reserve www.redbridge.gov.uk/hainaultforest for travel and parking information for Ray Hainault Forest Golf Course Park, next to Roding Valley Park. James Leal Centre 8 Our green and pleasant land… www.redbridge.gov.uk/enjoyredbridge 9 The James Leal Centre Redbridge Cycling Centre The Centre - next to Ray Park - is an interesting modern eco Among the excellent sporting venues in Redbridge are the fantastic Olympic- building where you can start or end a visit to the nearby sized training tracks at Redbridge Cycling Centre and Fairlop Waters Country Roding Valley Park. It is also next to a children’s play area Park, including top class water sports at Fairlop Activity Centre. Their facilities are with an outdoor gym, tennis and basketball courts. open to all, with cycling on specialist tracks, bouldering, angling, orienteering, sailing and canoeing opportunities just some of the activities on offer... The traffic-free Centre is open for all cyclists, and has specialist road and off-road tracks. The new complex is playing host to Olympic mountain biking teams, and offers the opportunity for the more adventurous to explore the cycle maps of the borough on a wide range of vehicles. The large stock of hire bikes includes: Mountain bikes Entry Child from £1.30 and adult from £2, Road bikes depending on course, plus bike hire from £9 BMX Opening times Children’s bikes Monday to Thursday, 9am - 8pm, Friday to Trailer bikes Sunday, 9am - 5pm The Centre offers: Bikes with child seats Bus Bus Café with indoor and outdoor 275 stops immediately opposite the 247 bus - Romford Road stop – from Hainault Adapted bikes for disabled users seating park gates underground (Central line). Underground During school holidays, qualified national Sales of home and garden Underground The nearest underground station is Fairlop ornaments Woodford (Central line), 15 minutes’ walk cycling coaches offer courses which (Central line) which is two miles away teach adults and children how to ride. Parking Wheelchair access Parking Pay and display parking in Ray Park Interactive computers Available Bikes Bikes Bring your own to use on the courses Exhibitions and displays with local Stands available information Refreshments Wheelchair access Available, call for details Events and activities Café Refreshments Toilets From reception, and separate café area Entry FREE Yes, with baby changing facilities Toilets Available Opening times Dogs Dogs Spring/summer (April-September):