This superb collection of historic photographs takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the recent history of Chadwell Heath, Goodmayes, Seven Kings and West Romford. The book gives an impression of familiar streets as they developed and offers an evocative insight into the daily lives and living conditions of the local people in the last years of Queen Victoria's reign and the early years of the twentieth century. The text recalls famous personages who travelled from London along the great Essex road, and the illustrations show how distinct village communities grew to become the residential districts we know so well today.

The book also provides a lasting record of houses and public buildings, shops, businesses and pubs that have vanished or been altered beyond recognition. Many of the photographs date from the turn of the century, and most of them have not been published before. They create a memorable picture of local life in the recent past, and chronicle famous events and changing forms of transport and fashion which older residents may well remember.