Redbridge has been home to so many brilliant pubs over the years.

In recognition of this, the Recorder wants to pay tribute to venues in the borough which have been loved and lost.

First up is The Avenue in Newbury Park.

While it's been difficult to find exactly when The Avenue opened, we do know it was up and running as far back as the late '60s.

It's clear that punters enjoyed some of life's most important experiences at this pub.

Take, for example, meeting the love of your life.

That's what happened to Doreen Manning, who met her husband at The Avenue in 1984.

She wrote: "He used to go there with his office mates from London Electricity based in Ley Street."

The pair have been married for 37 years.

Another is having your first pint, as Chris Beard did in 1988.

"I can even remember it was a pint of Fosters," he remarked.

For others like Helen Hills, who lived in Oaks Lane, The Avenue was just a great local.

"My dad used to love going in there," she wrote.

The Eastern Avenue boozer has been closed since 2017 and plans to build residential accommodation on the site have continued at pace since.

In that same year, an initial application to build 177 flats on the site was rejected by Redbridge Council following a local campaign.

While waiting for an appeal against that decision to be determined, a second application was lodged - this time to build 149 flats.

A look on Redbridge's planning portal shows that both applications were eventually granted; the first on appeal, the second in the first instance.

Records show that the appeal relating to the first scheme was allowed in 2018, around one month before the second scheme was approved.

There have been several follow up applications to discharge conditions relating to the 177-flat scheme, and none of the smaller proposal.

This indicates an intent to proceed with the initial - and larger - scheme.

The Recorder has contacted the applicant for that scheme, Biju Ramakrishnan, for comment.

Do you have memories of The Avenue - or other - closed pubs you'd like to share? Get in touch - LondonLive@archant.co.uk.