Walcot West was the first area to be built in 1939. Immanuel United Reformed Church was built in Upham Road at this time to replace the previous chapel in Victoria Street, which had been forced to close in the 1930s, due to a road widening scheme in the town.

The local primary school in Walcot East, Lainesmead Primary School, first opened its doors to pupils in 1958. The school has its own wildlife area and prides itself on providing a hot cooked meal to pupils on a daily basis. The ingredients are often home-grown by the gardening club on the premises.

The other primary school in the area is Holy Rood Junior School which was built slightly later in 1968, in order to house the many Catholic children in the parish of Holy Rood.

The secondary school in the area is Churchfields School, which is a maths, science and computing specialist college.

East Walcot was built later, in 1955, and was originally occupied by overspill families from London. Right from the start, there was said to be a strong sense of community spirit on the estate. At first there were no buses or shops and residents relied on a travelling Co-op van to buy many goods.

The shops in Sussex Square were built a couple of years later and provided residents with a supermarket, newsagent, library and community shop.

The famous entertainer Gilbert O'Sullivan once lived in Walcot and practised his piano for hours in a shed at the bottom of his garden!

St Andrew's Church and Walcot Secondary School both opened their doors in 1958. The secondary school was later demolished and now New College stands on the site.

Mountford Manor School was opened in 1958 and was originally called Walcot East Primary School. The school site hosts a nursery and takes pupils from the ages of three to 11. It offers several after-school activity clubs.

There are many community-orientated groups in East Walcot, which are organised and run mainly by residents whose aim is to improve the local area.

One group recently won a Lottery grant, which saw the regeneration of the Buckhurst Field area. The area now boasts a new play park as well as a skate park, both of which are very popular with the children of Walcot.

The Walcot Dome Community Centre is situated nearby and provides residents with a variety of facilities, including a pre-school. toddler group, OAP luncheon club, karate, and is host to many other community events.

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