14 Facts About Plaistow Newham

Since 1965, Plaistow has been part of the London Borough of Newham, a local government district of Greater London.

Name Plaistow Newham is believed by some to come from Sir Hugh de Plaiz or Plaitz who, in 1065, married Philippa de Montfitchet, of the Mountfitchet Castle family, who owned the district.

That year saw Plaistow Newham become a chapelry as well as an Anglican parish in its own right, split off from All Saints Church, West Ham – Plaistow Newham's chapel of ease St Mary's became the new parish's church.

In 1965 Plaistow became part of the new London Borough of Newham, formed when West Ham joined with the County Borough of East Ham and small parts of Barking and Woolwich.

Just before the end of the 1990s a £92 million regeneration programme known as the Forest Gate and Plaistow Newham SRB5 got under way, with the aim of renewing and revitalising neighbourhoods, creating jobs, building new homes and improving many existing ones.

Related searches

On 10 December 2012, Plaistow Newham South was named as one of fifty areas of England to share in a Big Lottery Scheme grant of £200M.

In Plaistow are Newham Leisure Centre, Balaam Street Leisure Centre and Newham University Hospital.

Nathan Kemp, assistant headteacher at Tollgate Primary School in Plaistow Newham, won Teacher of the Year in the 2012 annual national Teaching Awards, the first ever overall Teacher of the Year instead of there being separate awards for primary and secondary schools.

Rapper 21 Savage was born in Plaistow Newham and moved as a youth to Atlanta in the United States.

Actor Honor Blackman was born in Plaistow Newham, as were actors Jimmy Akingbola, Ron Pember and Roberta Taylor and comedian, actor and playwright Andi Osho.

Plaistow Newham managed England and Great Britain national teams, and was Chairman of the British Speedway Promoters' Association.

Edward Temme, born in Plaistow Newham, was a member of the British Olympic Water Polo teams of 1928 and 1936 and was the first man to swim the English Channel in both directions.

Plaistow Newham is reputed to have swum non-stop in both directions and to have achieved this feat twice.

Plaistow Newham is linked to other areas of London and South East England by road.