Rachel from East Blam Blog tells us why it’s worth heading out to the most easterly part of east London…
Hi, we’re East Blam. We moved to East Ham a year ago and have been bragging about it ever since.
So when City Hall asked us to tell you why we love it, we said 'No problem boss but can we keep it on the downlow please?' Don’t want to start a gold rush now do we?! Let this be our little secret…
Cute and sassy bloggers that we are, we’ve dubbed anything Newham based as Far East(London), because it is well, um, quite far east. East Ham is the most easterly point and is frankly HAMAZING (geddit? HAM-AZING? Shall we start a hashtag?). Here are our top reasons why:
1. It’s PRETTY. East Ham’s tree lined streets are home to Victorian terraces and beautiful historical buildings. Check out this instagram feed of Newham buildings to whet your architectural whistle.
2. It’s GREEN. East Ham has a whopping eight parks to its name, including the lovely Central Park (no, not the New York one, but isn’t it a cool namesake, huh?) and Plashet Park which recently had a revamp courtesy of the lovely folks at the Heritage Lottery Fund.
3. It’s CLEVER. With at least three East Ham primary schools rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, the kids are alright!
4. It’s CONNECTED. You are spoilt for choice with the District / Hammersmith & City line, and in 2018 there will be two Crossrail stations in a three mile radius (in Custom House and Forest Gate). Zoom Zoom Zoom!
5. It’s YUMMY East Ham has some seriously good eats going on. Artisan Bread and Gastropubs aside (none of that here, I am afraid), East Ham gives Brick Lane a run for its money. It specialises in South Indian food and curry lovers come from far and wide for a taste of its authentic spicy goodness. Our faves are Ananthapuram and The Taste of India (if Indian food is not your thang, then we’d also recommend Tippy’s Cafe for tasty Thai grub).
But really we just love its VIBE. It is diverse, multicultural and full of creative and community minded folks. We love Red Door Studios for arty stuff and Greatfield Residents Association’s blog for community get-togethers plus a community craft market which they host quarterly (to find out more follow their Facebook page), and with the Olympic Park and new hipster hotspot Forest Gate both less than a 15 minute cycle away, there is no shortage of fun things to do.
East Ham and Newham have been given a bad rap over the years, but scratch the surface and you might find that this is one of the East End’s best kept secrets.
For local reviews, or to find out about local events, check out our blog on eastblam.co.uk or like our Facebook page.
©eastblam 2016. All rights reserved.