Did you know that...
Seven Kings name derives from the personal name Seofoca and it means “village of the family of Seofoca”. Seofoca was most likely a person of local importance such as a chief or leader. The first mention of the name comes from 1285 as Sevekyngges. The pronunciation is similar to Seven Kings and that’s how the area got its name. Throughout the years, a local legend developed. The story tells of seven royal hunters whose horses drank water from a local creek. Development started in the late 19th century when Cameron Corbett built an estate of quality and affordable houses. This part of IG3 is known as “the town built in a year”. Corbett’s estate was built between 1898 and 1899.
The area was called Klondike due to the lack of a local railway station that made it quite inaccessible. The station was opened in 1899. In 1963, two trains collided here resulting in eight injured people. Cauliflower Hotel is a landmark of the area. It’s a 1900 hotel built on the grounds of a former pub. The building has grade II listed status. The bungalow estate is a conservation area. In 1991, a 10,000 signature petition prevented the transformation of the Seven Kings Park into a cemetery. Semi-Detached is a Tate Britain exhibit by artist Michael Landy. He designed a full-size replica of his parents Seven Kings house at 62 Kingswood Road.
This East London area is next to the ancient Roman road from London to Colchester. Best-selling author K.M. Thompson, London Olympics torchbearer Isaac Harvey, footballer George Parris, and footballer Samir Bihmoutine are former Seven Kings School alumni. The school was established in 1931. It is the recipient of the Jack Petchey Award and received “outstanding” rating from Ofsted. Peter Hyman taught History and Politics here. He was a former speechwriter to Tony Blair and led the Communications department at 10 Downing Street.