[Also see History of West ham - as Stratford is part of West Ham parish]
Stratford has an incredibly interesting history, as do most places, and can be briefly described as follows: - Stratford Langthorne, in Essex started as a village, in the back waters of east London, separated by the river Lea from Middlesex, a navigable waterway. The Bow Bridge was built here in 1110, but not until the 1830's was a reasonable stone bridge built. An Cistercian Abbey existed here from about 1135, built by William de Montfichet. Considerable local industry, particularly the chemical industries built up in this area, and slowly the marshes were reclaimed for light industry. Massive changes were heralded by the building of the railways, and Stratford became a hub of the many railways in the east of London, which it continues to this day. These changes also saw disproportionate increases in the population, as compared to all other parts of England.
Pigots 1833 General
Stratford, Plaistow & West Ham Pigots1839 General - Gentry & Clergy -
Traders in 1839 Academies to Bricklayers , Builders to Curriers , Dairymen to Livery Stables ,
Marine Store Dealers to Surgeons , Tailors to Wheelwrights & Miscellaneous
Whites 1848 General - Commercial - Residential
Post Office Directory 1855 General - Commercial - Residential
Post Office Directory 1874 General Commercial - Private Residents
Post Office Directory 1878 General - Commercial - Private Residents
Post Office Directory 1882 General - Commercial - Private Residents
Post Office Directory 1886 General Commercial - Private Residents
the Stratford 1896 Street Directory Listing
Stratford Public House Listings - Historical
the Stratford 1902 Street Directory Listing
Post Office Directory 1908 - to come
Post Office Directory 1912 - General - Commercial - Private Residents
Stratford High Street - 1890
Kindly provided by Colleen
It will become the major centre for the Olympics in 2012, with the fantastic rail links that have built over a century, and the Olympic village will be built upon an area that resembles the old marsh lands of a century earlier, but soon to be a major International sporting centre.
I started the history of the area with transcriptions of various London Trade Directories, from the Whites 1848 Directory, that of the 1855 Post Office Directory and those of 1878, 1882 and 1886. These give a generalistic overview of the area, which generously described the Christian churches in an area; and included a listing of local residents and commercial vendors in Stratford, Essex / London.
[Lots more to follow - this is a very new site, all additional content is very welcome]
These trade directories do not include every resident in an area, you need to check the local census for this, which exist from 1841 through to 1901 at present, and are listed every ten years, There are census taken every ten years since this time, but they are restricted from public view to protect the anonymity of those whom may still be living.