Wanstead Park station is in Forest Gate, and not near the park
Wanstead Park station sits in Forest Gate, not Wanstead, and nearer Wanstead Flats than the park it is named after. Trains, buses, access, history and how to reach Wanstead from it.
If you have ever followed a map to Wanstead Park station expecting to find a Georgian parkland, you are not the first. The station is in Forest Gate, on Woodgrange Road, and Wikipedia puts it about 2km south-west of Wanstead Park itself. It is nearer Wanstead Flats, which the City of London, which runs Epping Forest, puts 0.7km away.
It matters because the name sends visitors to the wrong side of the Flats. Even TfL's own page gives the address as Woodgrange Road, Wanstead, E7 0HX. If you want the E11 end of things, you probably want our Wanstead tube station guide instead.
At a glance
- Line: Suffragette (London Overground), between Gospel Oak and Barking Riverside, which TfL named and coloured green in 2024
- Zone: 3
- Address: Woodgrange Road, London E7 0HX
- Neighbours: Leytonstone High Road to the west, Woodgrange Park to the east, per Wikipedia
- Trains: typically four an hour each way off-peak, reduced to three in the late evening, per Wikipedia. Check TfL's station page for live running.
- Buses: Wikipedia lists the 58, 308 and 330.
Getting in and around
National Rail's station page says the station is run by London Overground and is not step-free: there are no lifts, and the platforms sit above the level of the entrance. It lists ticket machines, a sheltered waiting area, CCTV and bike storage, and no toilets, Wi-Fi, parking or seating area. It shows staff help as unavailable on every day of the week, though a helpline is available and assistance can be pre-booked. Wanstead's own Central line station isn't step-free either, so check TfL's journey planner if you need lifts.
Forest Gate station is a short walk away. Wikipedia, citing TfL's journey planner, gives the distance as 330 yards, and says the National Rail timetable suggests the interchange.
From here to Wanstead
Wanstead Flats is the obvious way in: the City of London puts them 0.7km from the station, and our Wanstead Flats guide covers the paths, car parks and the Saturday parkrun. For the Park itself, the Wanstead Park guide lists the ways in, and our parks guide covers the rest.
If you are coming for the High Street, the Central line at Wanstead station, or Snaresbrook (see our Snaresbrook guide), is the easier bet.
A short history
The station opened on 9 July 1894, built by the Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway, a joint venture of the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway and the Midland Railway, according to Wikipedia. It says the plan was to call it Forest Gate, but the name was changed just before opening. It does not say why.
The line was electrified in 2016 to 2017, with buses replacing trains while the work was done, and services are run by Class 710 trains. The Overground line names, Suffragette included, arrived in November 2024. TfL says the name honours the working-class movement in the East End that fought for votes for women.
