Occupations

Before World War 2, residents in the area were able to access a wide range of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employment opportunities, both locally, and further afield, due to Stratford's good transport links, and strong local industrial base.

The rail, clothing and tram industries were amongst the most common industries for residents to work in.  There was also a lot of work for labourers.

Commentaries of the most common occupations before World War 2, using data from the 1901 and 1911 Censuses and the 1939 Register are currently being prepared for this website from the Census data on residents' occupations in five streets.

The closure of Stratford Depot in 1962 (locomotives) and the end of trams in 1992,  reduced job opportunities in the transport industry for Stratford Village residents.  Those we interviewed about their occupations had very diverse working lives (see Voices section for oral histories).