Waltham Forest is the birthplace of William Morris, best known as one of the principal founders of the British Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris was a designer of wallpaper and patterned fabrics, a writer of poetry and fiction, and a pioneer of the socialist movement in Britain.
Other famous people such as Footballer and former England Captain David Beckham, I, Claudius star Derek Jacobi, former Essex and England Cricket Captain Graham Gooch and film director and producer Alfred Hitchcock were also born in the borough.
Among those who were born in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, or have dwelt within the borders of the modern borough are (alphabetical order):
- Patrick Agyemang
- Damon Albarn
- Keith Albarn, manager of Soft Machine and father of Damon Albarn, taught art at Walthamstow Art College in the 1960s
- Jodi Albert (former Hollyoaks actress)
- Danny Bailey
- David Bailey
- Trevor Bailey, Essex and England cricketer.
- Jill Barklem
- Robert Barltrop
- Graham Barnfield, pundit and academic, moved to Highams Park in 2001. He lived in the former home of actress Tara Moran.
- David Beckham grew up in Chingford having been born at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone on 2 May 1975. As a child he attended Chingford School and played football for Ridgeway Rovers, a local side.
- Steve Bell
- John Berger, socialist artist and writer, lived in Highams Park as a child.
- Peter Blake (artist), artist, painted sleeve cover of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
- Blazin' Squad, members of the band lived in or near Highams Park and studied at Highams Park School.
- Paul Boateng
- Mick Box, guitarist for Uriah Heep born in Walthamstow.
- Boy Kill Boy
- Matthew Bourne, choreographer and dancer, was born in Walthamstow.
- Frederick Bremer, Inventor.
- Sir Reader William Bullard
- Lee Butcher, Leyton Orient Goalkeeper
- Edward Buxton (conservationist)
- Dave Cairns guitarist with Secret Affair was born in Walthamstow.
- Cartrain
- Maurice Chambers
- Cornelius Cardew
- Harry Cohen M P for Leyton, attended Selwyn School
- Terry Coldwell
- Terry Cole
- Phil Collen, lead guitarist of Def Leppard.
- Jack Cornwell VC, born in Leyton in 1900
- Fanny Cradock
- Bobby Crush
- Johnny Dankworth, jazz musician, born in Highams Park in 1927, attended Selwyn School and Sir George Monoux Grammar School.
- Paul Di'Anno, lead singer of Iron Maiden 1978-1981.
- Alan Davies, stand-up comedian and regular guest on quiz show QI, was born in Chingford
- Curtis Davies (Premiership footballer)
- Chris Day
- Eric Deakins
- Joe Dever, author and games designer, was born in Chingford in 1956.
- Adam Devlin, guitarist for The Bluetones lives in Walthamstow.
- Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister, attended Higham Hall School in Walthamstow
- John Drinkwater
- Iain Duncan Smith M P
- Ian Dury, singer and songwriter, studied at Walthamstow Art College.
- East 17, British pop boy band, including singer/song writer Brian Harvey.
- Sir George Edwards (aviation), aircraft designer (Concorde) and industrialist was born in Hale End Road, Highams Park, on 9 July 1908.
- Eamon Everall studied at Waltham Forest School of Art
- Ken Farnes
- Joanne Fenn
- Patrik Fitzgerald
- Marion Foale
- Quinton Fortune
- James Foster (cricketer)
- Samantha Fox
- Neil Gerrard M P for Walthamstow
- Terry Gibson
- Sir Stephen Gomersall
- Graham Gooch
- Jon Goodman
- Nickolas Grace
- Michael Grandage
- Peter Greenaway CBE
- Mark Greenstreet
- Gunshot (British Hip hop group)
- Fitz Hall
- King Harold I
- Steve Harris (Founder and bass player of Iron Maiden)
- Brian Harvey (musician)
- Patrick Haseldine
- Martin Hayes (footballer)
- Paul Hayes
- Darren Hayman
- Barry Hearn
- Don Henderson
- John Hendy
- Peter Hennessy, historian.
- John Hewer "Captain Birdseye"
- Steve Hillage
- James Hilton
- Sir Alfred Hitchcock
- David Holdsworth
- Dean Holdsworth
- Helen Hollick
- Richard Holmes (military historian)
- Tom Hood, humourist and playwright, born at Lake House in 1835
- Sydney Horler
- Justin Hoyte
- Mick Hume, journalist.
- Nasser Hussain OBE
- Doug Insole England Cricketer
- Jonathan Ive, designed the iPod (all generations) iMac (all generations), iBook, Powerbook, MacBook and MacBook Pro, as well as the new iPhone.
- Iron Maiden
- Derek Jacobi
- Tolga Kashif
- Colin Kazim-Richards
- Lena Kennedy
- The Kray twins are buried in Chingford cemetery.
- Terry Lawless
- T E Lawrence
- Lethal Bizzle
- Leyton Buzzards
- John Lill
- Russell Lissack from Bloc Party grew up in Chingford
- Natasha Little
- Valentine McEntee, 1st Baron McEntee
- Morell Mackenzie
- Bryan Magee
- Dominic McVey Britain's youngest self made millionaire
- Shazia Mirza
- George Allan Mitchell VC
- Chris Moncrieff, Political Journalist.
- George Monoux, Lord Mayor of the City of London, 1514
- Bobby Moore
- Tara Moran
- More Fire Crew
- Ian Morgan
- Roger Morgan
- William Morris
- Tony Mortimer
- Fabrice Muamba
- Frank Muir (Writer and radio personality)
- Jimmy Neighbour
- Grant Nelson, Radio DJ went to school in Chingford.
- Peter Nicol MBE
- Ross Noble
- Michael Nyman, composer and musicologist.
- Ronnie O'Sullivan
- Cornelia Parker
- Grayson Perry, ceramicist and 2003 Turner Prize winner, has his studio in Walthamstow.
- Mark Petchey
- Pascale Petit, poet, twice shortlisted for T.S. Eliot Prize, lives in Walthamstow.
- Eddie Phillips
- Leslie Phillips, comedy star of the Carry On Films, lived in Chingford.
- Daniel Pickering Creator of Little Charley Bear was born in Walthamstow
- Sol Plaatje
- Fred Pontin, founder and managing director of Pontins holiday camps
- Ruth Rendell
- Lt.Col V.C. 'Dope' Richmond, designer of the R101
- Tony Robinson
- Alliot Verdon Roe
- Jonathan Ross
- Paul Ross
- Ken Russell
- Pam St. Clement
- Nick Saloman
- June Sarpong, television presenter.
- Graham Saville
- Baroness Scotland, Attorney General, grew up in Walthamstow and attended Walthamstow School for Girls.
- Jamie Shea
- Teddy Sheringham (footballer) was born on 2 April 1966 in Highams Park.
- Rita Simons British actress, singer and model
- Talvin Singh
- John Smith (filmmaker), avant–garde filmmaker. Born in Highams Park, attended Selwyn Avenue School and George Monoux School.
- Rodney "Gypsy" Smith
- Vivian Stanshall, musician, painter, singer, broadcaster, songwriter, poet and writer, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, grew up in Grove Road, Walthamstow.
- Seán Mac Stíofáin
- Meera Syal
- Thomas Griffith Taylor (1890-1963) Antarctic explorer
- Norman Tebbit
- Nicola Walker
- Angela Watkinson M P
- Michael Watson
- Geoffrey Wellum
- Danniella Westbrook, former EastEnders star lives in Chingford.
- Adam Woodyatt, English actor who plays Ian Beale in EastEnders, born in Walthamstow 1968.
- Phil Woosnam
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, people and/or forest:
“Religious literature has eminent examples, and if we run over our private list of poets, critics, philanthropists and philosophers, we shall find them infected with this dropsy and elephantiasis, which we ought to have tapped.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“All is possible,
Who so list believe;
Trust therefore first, and after preve,
As men wed ladies by license and leave,
All is possible.”
—Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503?–1542)
“America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants who live in the center, in the serene eye of the big wind.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“The moose will, perhaps, one day become extinct; but how naturally then, when it exists only as a fossil relic, and unseen as that, may the poet or sculptor invent a fabulous animal with similar branching and leafy horns ... to be the inhabitant of such a forest as this!”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)