Stratford

While Stratford was hardly ever been the ‘must see’ place in London, in 2012 it was catapulted onto the international stage when it played host to the London Olympics. The London Stadium was seen by billions of eyes around the globe, with the Danny Boyle directed Opening Ceremony drawing a ton of praise. While nowhere near as big as the Olympics, the stadium is now home to West Ham United, as well as showcasing athletics throughout the year.

It isn’t just the London Olympics which brought fame to Stratford. The area has also been seen in Batman films, not that you would be able to recognise it from them.

Stratford is home to the Stratford Centre, which is easily one of the most visited shopping malls in the United Kingdom, with close to 26 million people passing through the shopping mall each and

every year, although many of these doing so to reach the train station. Beatles fans will be pleased to know that the area around the Stratford Centre was where they filmed the promotional video for their Penny Lane single. Although, sadly, the area has long since been demolished and can’t be visited. Which is a darn shame because the older ones amongst recognise the wonderful guitar riffs that the Beatles came up with. They are a favourite amongst our older guitar students.

Opposite the Stratford Centre is one of the largest shopping malls in Europe. With over 350 stores, Westfield Stratford City is a ‘go to’ area for shoppers throughout the East of London, with many,

many people coming from a lot further afield! It is likely that the shopping centre is going to expandover the coming years, with more and more companies looking to do business in this part of London.

Educational opportunities are awash in Stratford too. Here, you will be able to find a substantial portion of University of East London, as well as the Sarah Bonnell School which is among the oldest of all girls schools in England.