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The District can be best described as a parallelogram of 1,679
acres, extending 2½ miles North and South along the West side of
the River Roding, and having an average width of little over a mil;.
It has a general slope from N.W. to S.E., the highest point (170 feet
above sea level) being the extreme N.W. corner of the district, and the
lowest point (20 feet) at the extreme S.E. corner, that is on the
flood lands attached to the Council's Sewage Farm.
The subsoil is mainly gravel, intersected with layers of clay,
while the higher levels of the district are of clay formation.
Extending from the Western boundary to the centre of the
District is an interesting plateau (102ft.) composed of post-glacial
gravel of an average depth of 18 ft., forming perhaps the healthiest
residential locality immediately to the East of London.
Tracts of forest land and of water, including what are commonly
known as Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats, and comprising in
all about 509 acres, abound in the southern portion; and these permanent
open spaces, being secured against the future inroads of the
builder, will doubtless preserve to a large extent the present residential
character of the district.
The population is fairly distributed north and south, while the
central part contains practically the whole of the cottage, shop, and
business premises. Here the population is more compact.
Many of the inhabitants are employed in the Metropolis in
business or professional affairs, and there are a large number of retired
middle-class residents. The minor proportion of the population is made
up of local tradespeople, outdoor servants, skilled artisans, various
officials and others employed in the industrial districts within more
or less easy reach. Local industries are almost entirely confined to
local needs, and the number of persons employed in factories and workshops
is very small.
DRAINAGE
The Wanstead Council is fortunate in governing a district where
the "lie of the land" permits the whole of the surface-water and
sewage to be discharged by gravitation without the expense of pumping
or lifting. The drainage system is "combined", as far as domestic
sanitation is concerned, i.e., the rainwater and sewage are led away
by the same pipes. The surface drainage of the streets, however, is in
most cases carried off by an entirely separate system of drains, discharging
into open water-courses or ponds, which provide also a means
of drainage for the numerous open spaces of the district.