The area we know as Hainault today was first recorded as a separate district in 1221. It became the haunt of kings for hunting and the provision of timber for building ships and houses until disafforestation in 1885. Agriculture then became the prominent use of the area until the advent of the World Wars when airfields were constructed on the farm lands and the new housing estate of Hainault was developed together with schools, industry and transport. Today Hainault is a thriving community with many new facilities such as a state of the art Medical centre, good shopping and links to Ilford, Romford and Central London.
The name Hainault is derived from the fact that the area was part of Hainault Forest, in turn part of the Royal Forest of Essex. King Edward III's wife was Philippa of Hainault, and that part of the Forest now bears her name.
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