A grant of more than £53,000 has been awarded to a theatre group to tell the story of an area Walthamstow.

Clio’s Company was given the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project in the Queen’s Road area, which will be called Watercress Beds to One-Way Streets.

The company, which works with school and community groups to perform historical stories, will carry out research and interviews delving into 120 years of development in the area ahead of performances at summer art shows.

Lissa Chapman, joint artistic director and Walthamstow resident, said: “We are sure that the project will enable children and older people in Walthamstow to cooperate to discover more about, to remember and to retell the stories of their streets.”

She said 200 years ago the area used to be meadows, orchards and watercress beds before being transformed into streets of terraced houses for London’s workers when the population of Walthamstow doubled in 10 years around the beginning of the 20th century.

“It was this first generation, and their children, who were to endure, and many to fight in, the First World War,” she said.

“Some of their descendants still live locally. They have been joined by many other people from other places, all with their own stories to tell.”

She added that along with 180 children from Edinburgh Primary School in Queen’s Road the company is looking for extra participants to build the project.

Jane Harris, headteacher at Edinburgh Primary School, said everyone at the school is excited for the project.

“This kind of creative learning helps to build our local community while enhancing academic attainment and allowing children to acquire new skills,” she added.