The stereotype holds that E4 is a haven for entrepreneurs and retirees with enough cash but no real desire to leave the East End behind entirely. The kind of place that any self-regarding West End sophisticate worth their Maldon sea salt would catch a public bus to avoid. Unless they'd come for a mockney gawp at the Kray brother's graves, of course. Detractors sensed the musty smell of Maggie worship pervading the air and cruelly suggested that residents' down to earth demeanour had more to do with the gold bars of jewellery attached to all visible appendages...
It's all too easy to be misled by stereotypes, of course. Whilst you'll probably feel at home in your pastel golfing threads, there are few visible shrines to the Goddess of self help, and the population across E4 is a fairly diverse mix, from young families and professionals escaping the urban grind, to well established commuters and the retired.
E4 marks the point at which the avenues of Waltham Forest broaden and London submits to the suburban pretensions of Essex. To the south is Highams Park, which runs on from Walthamstow (E17), but is considerably smarter. Sizeable Victorian and Edwardian properties sit in large gardens and mark something of a city exit. Plenty of conversions offer good value to flat seekers, and the easterly roads back directly on to the Highams Park section of Epping Forrest, with its attractive boating lake.
To the west, sitting above the A406, is South Chingford. You'll find the cheapest property in the area here, with Victorian terraces and 1930's houses carving out a suburban enclave of affordability beside the Lea Valley. Chingford Mount with its shopping facilities is on hand, making this a popular family spot, although the train stations are a little further off.
North Chingford is more salubrious with leafy avenues lined with large Victorian family houses and part-timbered Edwardian efforts. A few older period properties are dotted around, making up an affluent neighbourhood whose architectural variety is provided by the towers and stained glass fancies so beloved of wealthy suburbia. The Ridgeway offers a typically grand template for the area, but the really sought after properties nudge onto Epping Forest in the roads immediately beside Chingford Station.
E4's mini suburbs each have their own local shopping facilities, but the main spending centre is Chingford Mount, where the usual high street suspects line up alongside a healthy number of independent traders. The big boys of retail, including Tescos, have their own designated playground here as well, in one those out of town parks that isn't really out of town at all.
Whilst the watersports centre in Chingford may have gone under, there are plenty of recreational options which take advantage of the abundant park and woodland in the area. The green spaces here have long provided a breath of fresh air for City folk. Epping Forest gave Henry VIII one of his favourite stag chases, and the railway line which comes to an abrupt halt at Chingford, was built with day-trippers in mind. From the picnic perfect greens at Highams Park to the acres of woodland in the Forest itself there are endless possibilities for strolling and getting lost. Golf courses with varying levels of exclusivity besiege the area, and you'll find all manner of societies making use of the greenery for their pursuits. Lord Baden Powell started his Scouting for boys in nearby Gillwell Park.
Schools in the area (private and state) offer considerably better choice than the usual East End selection, drawing families who can afford it away from the inner city.
From the stations at Chingford and Highams Park, trains will shuttle you into the centre of London in under half an hour. That many of the area's most desirable properties are located near these stations is a happy coincidence for well-off commuters. On the roads, junction 4 of the M11, and junction 26 of the M25 are close by, for speedy links to places elsewhere.
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