South Woodford's retail and business area is centred on George Lane, the location of South Woodford tube station and Woodford Green High Road. There are several leading chain store shops, such as Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Boots and a number of smaller shops, restaurants and cafes. There is a crown post office, which is facing closure. There is a seven screen Odeon cinema, which opened in 1934 as a Majestic and is the only cinema in the area. As of November 2017, its freehold is for sale. Next door, The George pub, an 18th-century building on the site of an earlier inn, was originally a stopping point for stagecoaches, with several bars. The George once had a fine dining area on the first floor and then later a pizzeria in the basement, with a large spiral staircase between the floors. Other local amenities include a number of green areas, many of which form part of Epping Forest. There are numerous churches and chapels representing various Christian denominations, several synagogues and a mosque. This area was until 2004 home to the student residences of Queen Mary, University of London, but the distinctive tower blocks were demolished in 2007 and replaced with lower-rise privately owned apartments, as well as some council housing, known as Queen Mary's Gate. The Redbridge Drama Centre, situated next to Churchfields Junior School, provides workshops for young children aged 5 and above and adults up until 65, drama education to local schools and culture to the surrounding area. It has an in-house theatre company named Vital Stages. There are shows at least once a week from touring companies. South Woodford lies within the London Borough of Redbridge, covering the wards of Church End, Roding and part of Snaresbrook. Each ward has a team of Neighbourhood Police, each managed by one sergeant.
Transport
Road
South Woodford sits at the junction of the North Circular Road with the start of the M11 motorway, which begins at "Charlie Brown's Roundabout" and is accessible from the "Water Works" roundabout. "Charlie Brown's roundabout" was enlarged in 1972 to accommodate the flyover and sliproads onto the newly constructed motorway. South Woodford also offers easy access to the A1400, which merges into the A12, as well as access to the A12 from "Green Man's" roundabout and the A104 which is known as Lea Bridge Road and is a major link to areas of central London via Hackney
South Woodford is served by London Buses routes 20, 123, 179, 549, W12, W13, W14 and N55.
Education
South Woodford has a good selection of schools including Nightingale Primary, Snaresbrook Primary, Churchfields and Oakdale which are both split into infants and juniors. There is also Snaresbrook Preparatory and Woodbridge Secondary School. Forest School is an independent school, in close proximity to South Woodford, in that the playing fields are arguably in South Woodford.
