Historically in the county of Essex, it was traditionally a part of Walthamstow parish and municipal borough, it is primarily a residential area, with mainly Victorian and 1930s terraced houses.

The lake was formed by the landscape gardener Humphry Repton who created it by damming the River Ching.

The lake, adjoining park and the Manor House (now Woodford County High School) were known as Highams Bensted.

A public toilet block used to be situated on the east side of the lake although it was demolished many years ago, and only the foundations remain.

The factory was established by the British Xylonite Company to produce a variety of goods mostly from plastic.

A blue plaque on Jubilee Avenue marks the spot where the building stood; it reads "Plastics Historical Society.

Some of the land in this area is now owned by supermarket chain Tesco, which was initially refused permission to build a store on the site in June 2007 by then Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly[3] after a protracted process of planning applications dating back to early 2005.

A recent campaign seeks to honour the men of Highams Park who worked in the Halex Factory and gave their lives in both world wars.

However, in 2002, despite local opposition, the gates began to be operated from a central office at Liverpool Street station.

The signal box was marked for demolition, but due to the efforts of "The Highams Park Forum" (a group of local residents), and local Member of Parliament (and then leader of the Conservative Party) Iain Duncan Smith, the box was saved with the intention of turning it into a museum or a tea room.