Holloway Down was a village, historically in Essex and now part of Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.[1] The village was sited at the junction of Union Lane (now Thorne Close) and Leytonstone Road (now High Road, Leytonstone)[2] [3] It is most notable as the location of the West Ham Union Workhouse,[4] While the village has been replaced by Victorian terraces and shops, buildings from the workhouse remain; which have been converted into housing and part of North East London NHS Foundation Trust.[5]
Holloway Down and the workhouses were built on land that was originally part of Stratford Langthorne Abbey estate.[6] [7] The name comes from the Prioress of Holywell, who was granted the land, then called Ladune in 1201. By the 15th century the area was called Holywell Down.[8]
In 1791, Holloway Down was the location for The Old Thatched House public house[9] before being relocated to a new building in 1875, as The Thatched House Inn; 100 yards south at the junction with Cutthroat Lane (now Crownfield Road) and Cannhall Lane (now Cann Hall Road).[10] [11]