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11th / Jul / 2025
Great People
The following blog is a selection of extracts from a longer piece by Gordon Hobbs which will be available soon.
With the Ilford Centenary fast approaching, what better time to put the spotlight on the good and the great of our borough, both past and present. It is they who have provided the shape, colour, tone and texture to create this wonderful town we call home. Some of these people you will know and some you will not. As space is limited, your own more detailed research is encouraged.
Local girl and Downton Abbey favourite gran, Dame Magie Smith reached the pinnacle of her profession by winning a rare Triple Crown for Acting, including two Academy Awards. Goodmayes born Sir Ian Holm also conquered the acting world and was possibly best known for playing Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit. On the other side of the movie camera we have cinematographer Howard Atherton, whose blockbuster films include Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal and Mermaids.
For sporting achievement, Bobby Moore OBE was England’s only winning World Cup captain. He was married at St Clement’s Church in Ilford. Teammate and hattrick hero Sir Geoff Hurst also happened to be a near neighbour to Bobby in Chigwell IG7, along with Olympic 400m Champion Sally Gunnell OBE and 7 times World Snooker Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. Ronnie has his own club there.
Still on the subject of football, Paul Ince, the first black England captain, is a local boy. Sir Trevor Brooking, of West Ham and England attended Ilford County High, as did the Hammer’s most successful Manager John Lyall. Newbury Park Headmaster and World Cup referee Ken Aston MBE introduced red and yellow cards after 1966 to help fans and commentators follow the on-field disciplinary interventions. Ken also refereed the 1963 FA Cup Final and has a Barkingside public space named after him.
Cricket is strongly represented with two former England captains and an England Head Coach. Multiple record holding batsman Graham Gooch started his career at Ilford Cricket Club, as did Nasser Hussein, also an England skipper and notable Ilford boy. Keith Fletcher OBE was Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1974 and in charge of the national team for 26 Test Matches between 1993 and 1995. All three attended Ilford Cricket School.
In boxing, the town can boast to be the birthplace of Nigel Benn, who was crowned World Champion in two different weight categories. While we are in fighting mode, Ilford born Vernon Bell is known as the ‘father’ of British Karate and is a 10 th Dan, the highest ranking, in both Karate and Jujitsu.
The town is also awash with talent in the entertainment world. Starting with music and In alphabetical order consider jazz bandleader Kenny Ball, Brian John Duffy aka Jet Black, founding member of The Stranglers, Keith Flint, lead singer with The Prodigy (25 million record sales), Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, singer/arranger/producer (Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx), Jessie J, Brit and MOBO Award winner and Kathy Kirby who had chart success and came 2 nd in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest.
Next, we have Sandie Shaw who actually won the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. She started her career by coming 2 nd in a talent show at the Ilford Palais. Many of you will be aware of Ilford residents the Nolan Sisters, six in number, a successful family girl group, with one or two becoming TV regulars later in their careers.
Homegrown TV personalities include Simon Amstell, Raymond Baxter Noel Edmonds (the creator of Mr Blobby), Jenny Powell and Chloe Sims (The Only Way is Essex). Sticking with the TV theme, Ilford born British Tamil chef and veterinary surgeon Brin Pirathapan recently won MasterChef 2024. Mixing business with pleasure, we have Lord Alan Sugar of TV’s Apprentice, who’s AMShold House offices are in the IG10 area.
Purely representing the business world, we have much to crow about. Gareth Davis, once of Beal High School, has held high office in multiple companies, including CEO of Imperial Tobacco and Chairman of William Hill. John Bodger founded Ilford’s oldest Dept Store in 1890 which traded for over 125 years. Another Dept Store founder was William Fairhead who traded in Cranbrook Road from 1906 to 2008. Just up the road were the premises of internationally acclaimed company Ilford Film, run by Alfred H Harman.
Another hugely influential Ilford business was Plessey Ltd, based in Ley Street. They produced very early radio sets for Guglielmo Marconi and early TV sets for John Logie Baird. Some articles suggest Baird had his own office on the factory roof.
Representing local theatre, we have Vivyan Ellacott, 1 st manager and artistic director of the Kenneth More Theatre for over 30 years (Mr More himself was a regular visitor to the town). Definitely worth a mention is the founder of the Redbridge Drama Centre, Hugh Lovegrove, who also has an annual award named after him.
The next subject is politics and in alphabetical order we have Sir James Arbuthnott, an MP who once served both the Roding and Clayhall Wards. In more recent times he has been heavily involved in supporting the Post Office Scandal victims. Sir Clement Atlee was British Prime Minister between 1945 and 1951, has a blue plaque outside his old address in IG8 and is credited with the introduction of the NHS. The longest serving Ilford North MP is Vivian Bendall (1978 – 97).
Sir Herbert Dunnico was the 1 st Labour back-bench rebel. He also served as Deputy Speaker and later became Chairman of Ilford Football Club. Mike Gapes was the longest serving Ilford South MP (1992 – 2019). Meriting a mention in the here and now is the sitting MP for Ilford North and Health Minister Wes Streeting. It is in his hands that the National Health Service is currently entrusted.
Some other famous Great Ilfordians of note include Dr Barnado, champion of Children’s Homes. He has a Grade 2 listed memorial at the Barkingside site. Ilford born Cardinal John Heenan was Archbishop of Westminster from 1963 to 1975 and is buried in the Cathedral. Eva Hart was a celebrated survivor of the Titanic disaster. Her father owned a Pharmacy on Cranbrook Road and there is now a pub named after her in Chadwell Heath, where she later settled. Chadwell Heath was named after St Chad who brought Christianity to the area in the 7 th Century. He was known to baptise people with natural spring water. One such place is marked with a small memorial and plaque in Billet Road.
Another prominent historical figure was the Abbess Adeliza of Barking Abbey who founded the Ilford Hospital Chapel on Ilford Hill circa 1140AD. Little is known about her although certain coincidental similarities exist between her and Adeliza, 2 nd wife of King Henry 1 st which deserves closer examination. After Henry’s death she owned land in both London and Essex and around the same time spent 3 years in an unknown convent before remarrying. A more obvious royal connection involved local boy Major Ronald Armstrong-Jones MBE, father to Lord Snowden and therefore father-in-law to the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret.
Others that fully deserve a mention and in no particular order are award winning columnist Richard Littlejohn, Frank S Pepper, creator of Roy of the Rovers back in 1954 and notorious Highwayman Dick Turpin’s wife Elizabeth Millington. Legend has it that she stayed in the house next to the Dick Turpin pub, hence the choice of name. A few minutes away is St Peter’s Church where an unnamed Jewish American airman is buried in the churchyard. This was unusual even in wartime.
A short walk away is the William Torbitt school, named after the Ilford Director of Education from 1903 to 1938. He played a major role in shaping the local education system. Gilbert Colvin School was similarly named after an influential town contributor, who was first an Alderman and then Ilford Mayor in the late 1940’s.
Albert Mansbridge, once of Windsor Road where his blue plaque is located, was an English educator, social reformer and founder of the Worker’s Education Association. An educator of sorts through her writing and also honoured with a blue plaque near the site of her Woodford Green home was suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. The multiple causes she fought for were for every type of injustice and ultimately led to a state funeral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is also remembered along with other such campaigners in Parliament Square.
In an earlier piece, it was mentioned that one large family, all originally from Ilford, could very soon be celebrating their own historic Triple Centenary which is now only a matter of weeks away. At the moment everything is looking good. Full Disclosure coming soon.
Far from being a typical, medium sized, fairly average town on the outskirts of East London, who could argue that this amazing place we often take for granted hasn’t produced a kaleidoscope of outstanding individuals. Well done one and all and long may it continue!
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