Bakers Arms is an intersection and arguably a district on the boundary of

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

and Walthamstow, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is named after a former

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

which stood at the junction of High Road Leyton, Hoe Street (both A112) and

Lea Bridge Road Lea Bridge Road is a major through route in east London, across the Lea Valley from Clapton to Whipps Cross in Leyton. It forms part of the A104 road. Places served on the road are the Lea Valley Park, Lea Bridge railway station and the B ...

( A104). The pub's name was derived from the nearby almshouses for members of London's baking trade, which were completed in 1866. The first record of a publican at the Baker's Arms was in 1868. The pub closed in 2010, and the premises now operate as a betting shop. There are several food stores, pubs and cafes, and a variety of other retail outlets.

Transport

Bakers Arms is a hub on the London Bus network.

Bus routes A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

passing through the junction are 20, 55, 56, 69, 97,

230 Year 230 ( CCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Agricola and Clementinus (or, less frequently, year 983 '' Ab urbe ...

257 __NOTOC__ Year 257 ( CCLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 10 ...

, 357, N26, N38, N55, W15, W16 and W19. The closest railway station is Leyton Midland Road on the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

The Bakers' Almshouses

The Bakers Arms pub was itself named after the almshouses approximately 100 yards further south in Lea Bridge Road. They were built between 1857 and 1866 by the Master Bakers' Benevolent Institution (now the Bakers' Benevolent Society) for "any respectable member of the baking trade fallen into poverty, eligible according to the rules, or to the widow of such". The 52 alms houses were built on three sides of a square, with turrets at the angles, in the

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

by the architect Thomas Edward Knightley. On 24 September 1916, twenty two of the flats were damaged by bombs dropped by the German Navy

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

''L31''. In the late 1960s, the almshouses were compulsorily purchased by the Greater London Council for a road widening scheme. The last retired baker moved to new accommodation in Bakers Lane,

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

in 1971. However, the almshouses were saved from demolition because of their architectural merit and were given a Grade II

Listed Building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

status. The buildings were subsequently purchased by Waltham Forest Council and refurbished as residential flats.Waltham Forest Guardian: Historic homes create "oasis" in Leyton, 9 April 2010.
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References

External links

Photograph of the Bakers' Alms HousesThe Bakers Arms junction in 1903
{{LB Waltham Forest Districts of the London Borough of Waltham Forest Areas of London Road junctions in London District centres of London