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Walford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For real places called Walford, see Walford (disambiguation)
Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name suggests a conflation of Walthamstow and Stratford, both real places in East London. Walford has a fictional London postal district, London E20, and a fictional tube station, Walford East, which is located on the EastEnders tube map in the position normally occupied by the real Bromley-by-Bow tube station.
EastEnders is actually filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford, a large town in Herfordshire situated about 8 miles from Borehamwood.
Locations used in Watford are: The cemetery (where most of the deceased characters are interred), most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches, the snooker club, and the County / Magistrate Courtrooms.
It has been suggested that Watford was chosen for much of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity, and that the town name is so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray roadsigns or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford.[citation needed]
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Walford's most famous setting is Albert Square, but there are many other places in Walford that have gained notoriety.
Bridge Street is the main street in to Albert Square and is home to the Walford street market, which includes the Fowlers' fruit and veg stall. Businessman Ian Beale once planned to remove the market in favour of a shopping centre, much to the dislike of the residents and his family. In 2004, the residents celebrated 100 years of the market.
Bridge Street also includes many the majority of the businesses, there is a mini-supermarket named Minute Mart (formerly First 'Til Last) which is currently owned by Patrick and Yolande Trueman. There is also a laundrette which is owned by Mr Papadopoulos, though he is rarely seen, Pauline Fowler and Dot Branning have worked here for many years. The laundrette is often seen as a mystery for viewers who wonder why nobody owns a washing machine, however Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson, Ian Beale and the Miller's houses have recently been seen with washing machines.
Also in Bridge Street is the Bridge Street Cafe, which is currently owned by Ian Beale (also known as 'Kathy's', after Ian's mother).
It is understood to be given the name 'Bridge Street' because of the rail bridge, the sounds of trains going past are often heard.
Victoria Square is home to a number of bedsits that are considered to be low-class, these are usually used when characters find themselves homeless.
The houses in George Street would seem to be a step up from the houses in Albert Square. There is also the Argee Bhajee, an Indian restaurant.
Turpin Way includes the local garage The Arches which was bought by the Mitchell brothers when they first arrived in the Square (it was briefly known as Beale's Wheels when Ian Beale owned it). There is also a community centre (briefly a gym) and nearby is the playground.
In Turpin Road there is a post office, a bookmakers and Beale's Plaice, the local chip shop, owned by Ian Beale. The Turpin Road war memorial is also here, it pays tribute to residents of Walford who perished in the First and Second World Wars. However, in real life the memorial features names of people involved with EastEnders along with past stars.
There is also a nightclub called Scarlet. It was originally named The Market Cellar until George Palmer bought the club and renamed it the Cobra Club. When Palmer moved, he sold it to Steve Owen who renamed it e20 (the club's most well-known title). It was then sold to Sharon Watts who named it Angie's Den. In 2005 the club extended its space when Johnny Allen bought the next door snooker club. It is currently named Scarlet after Johnny Allen's daughter who died in a fire.