What defines a town? It’s easy to define somewhere by the people who live there, whether it’s urban or rural, or the services and buildings it provides. Or, you could simply define it as Wikipedia does, which states that my local town Woodford is “a large suburban town in northeast London, England, occupying the north-western part of the London Borough of Redbridge.” However, I’m not convinced that that description truly describes the town.

When asked to describe Woodford, some local school students suggested that it was “a nice place to live with an easy route to London”, “a bit dull because there’s not that much to do, but good to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city”, and “caught between the forest and the capital.” Much like Wikipedia’s description, these suggestions focus mainly on the location of the area and its amenities.

How about defining a place by sound? Senses are very important in the way we perceive different experiences and places. For example, if an area were to smell like rotting fish, and had rundown buildings, most people would take a dislike to it, whereas if the same place smelt like freshly cut flowers, and had aesthetically pleasing buildings, it would be much easier to like. So, why not define a town through its soundscape?

Some cultures are already clearly defined through their sounds, particularly through their indigenous music. Pan pipe music of Peru, reggae from Jamaica and didgeridoo music from Aboriginal Australia are all well known examples of sounds that we would associate with a specific area. However, can a town as small as Woodford have its own sounds?

To me, Woodford sounds like engines purring on the road outside, high heels clicking along the pavement on their way to the station, and dogs yapping behind closed doors. However, an elderly neighbour of mine, Mrs Charlotte Newman, tells me that these sounds have changed a lot over time. Mrs Newman, having lived in the same Woodford house that she was born in, seems to have heard it all. She tells me that growing up, she remembers the occasional air raid siren, and “the sounds of laughter from the children always playing in the street outside”, sounds that these days we don’t hear quite as much.

“It certainly sounds a lot different than it used to,” she tells me, her eyes closed as she reminisces, “I used to wake up to the sound of birds calling, but nowadays, I awaken to motorcycles roaring past my driveway or cars blasting loud rap music out of their windows. They’ve scared all the birds away. It’s very different to when I was your age.”

I ask her what she thinks has changed the most. “Definitely the amount of cars you hear. There used to only be the occasional car driving past, and now, there’s just a constant stream of loud engines. The engines are louder too! And there’s always the hum of traffic on the motorway and the North Circular.” I understand how different it must be for her now compared to when she was child, as I simply couldn’t imagine a day without hearing cars drive by.

So what does Mrs Newman predict for the future of Woodford sound? “I suppose they’ll be a lot more different languages you’ll hear. Already, when I go down to shop at Tesco’s, everyone seems to speak a different language. I think it’s fascinating just how diverse Woodford has become. I guess more cars too, although I can’t see how they’ll fit more cars onto the road! Or maybe even the sound of spaceships soon, eh? Who knows?” she says, laughing.

Personally, I’m quite happy with the way Woodford sounds, and I really like not hearing air raid sirens every so often! I’m sure that now, people can say that “Woodford sounds like a lovely place”, and literally mean it.