Leytonstone, Urban district in East London, United Kingdom
Leytonstone is a residential area in east London, within the borough of Waltham Forest, made up largely of red-brick terraced houses built in the late 19th century. The High Road runs through its center and is lined with shops, cafes, and an outdoor market that serves the local community.
The name comes from a Roman milestone known as the High Stone, which marked an old boundary and can still be seen today at the Hollybush Hill junction. The area was farmland until the late 19th century, when suburban development turned it into rows of terraced streets.
The Underground station is decorated with mosaic panels showing scenes from Alfred Hitchcock films, celebrating the director who grew up nearby. Visitors passing through the tunnels can see these images on the walls as they make their way to the platforms.
The area has its own Central Line Underground station, which gives easy access to central London in one direction and to the edge of Epping Forest in the other. This station is a junction where the line splits, so it is worth checking which branch the train is heading toward before boarding.
Alfred Hitchcock, the director known for films such as Psycho and The Birds, was born in Leytonstone in 1899 and spent his childhood years there. A plaque marks the site of his birthplace on Lime Grove, which is easy to miss but well worth a short detour.
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