Walthamstow Maps

28-Nov-2009: Walthamstow Map. Hello! The map shows the Whips Cross Hospital as West Ham Infirmary. The Infirmary was built between 1900-1903 and the name was changed to Whips Cross Hospital in 1918. So my educated guess is that the map can be dated to a period between 1903-1917. Hope this helps. Regards.
Eb Vawda email

27-Nov-2009: Walthamstow Map. I was checking out the WM site this evening as I tend to do every week or so, just in case there is a question I can help answer, actually I've had a fair success rate in that department just recently. Anyway this brings me nicely on to your request regarding the map.
Obviously most W'stow maps are easily roughly dated by the railways, so that puts this one into the 20th century for starters, I do have many old maps myself, but this one appears a little vague and hard to date exactly, probably hence the reason you ask in the first place. Upon first inspection I thought that I had it dated pretty accurately, I usually tend to date them by the growth of the Warner Estate. Carr Road (which is on the map) was built in 1902 but the rest of the roads that followed on the Llyods Park development aren't there, namely Fleeming 1907, Elphinstone 1912 etc, so at first I thought I had solved it, and with a little bit more study I would narrow it down to within a year or two at least.
However having given it a closer look I now find that it omits most of the roads built in Victorian times, namely all the Village, but it seems to replace any developed areas with shaded pink, which in turns seems to suggest that all the park estate would have all been built. To be honest given how basic it is in detail, you wouldn't get lost if you used it today, nothing much has changed apart from the re-routing of the North Circular.
So to conclude my thoughts and coming up with an educated guess, rather ironically my decision is made by Beacontree Ave, I recall that photo you sent me and our discussion at the time. If you look at the end part of the road where it meets Forest Road, you will notice that there is the aforementioned pink shaded area, the very first are Edwardian houses (about a row of ten built around 1908), after that they become 1930's build. Going further down the road to the small road on the left (part of Belle Vue Road, it now runs fully into Hale End) there also appears to be development. This was originally the site of Belle Vue House, a rather grand mansion complete with lake, I'm sure you've read about it during your research at some time. Anyway it wasn't knocked down until 1937. So I'm guessing that coupled with the fact that even this basic map wouldn't miss out a building of such grandeur and that the shaded area appears to have already made its way a good half way down, I would suggest that the map is actually post war, given that no maps would have been printed between 1936/45. Based also on the part construction of the Risings Estate that is my conclusion, and I'm pretty well sure I am correct, I think the map would probably have been one of the first ones to be produced after the war, although possibly based upon a map which would have been surveyed during the late 1930's
I'd be interested to hear if you get anymore suggestions, whether to prove or disprove, it makes interesting debate. Regards
Michael Wood email

25-Nov-2009: I've found an old "Epping Forest" Map and here is the section of it showing the Walthamstow area. There is no date on the map, so if anyone can date it (or have old maps to post)... please let me know. Thanks.
Daniel email