Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the Greater London Urban Area, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Charing Cross.

The parish of Loughton covers part of Epping Forest, in 1996 some parts of the south of the old parish were transferred to Buckhurst Hill parish, and other small portions to Chigwell and Theydon Bois. It is the most populous civil parish in the Epping Forest district, and within Essex it is the second most populous civil parish (after Canvey Island) and the second largest in the area.

Loughton has three conservation areas and there are 56 listed buildings in the town, together with a further 50 that are locally listed.

Loughton is home to two important national archives:

• The British Postal Museum Store, in Lenthall Road, houses objects ranging from the desk of Rowland Hill (founder of the Penny Post), to mobile post office vehicles and an astounding range of post boxes. The museum has public open days once a month.
• The National Jazz Archive is housed in Loughton Library and Town Hall; it is the national repository and research centre for printed material, photographs and memorabilia relating to jazz, with an emphasis on British jazz. Founded by jazz trumpeter Digby Fairweather in 1988, it includes a collection of British jazz recordings, photographs, posters and memorabilia. The archive holds regular celebrity and live jazz events.

In addition to the two museums listed above, guided tours are occasionally offered of the disused signal box near Loughton tube station which is owned by the London Transport Museum. Funding was pledged in 2006 to help establish a Street Museum in Loughton. There is also an Epping Forest District Museum store in the town, but this is not open to the public.

A number of Loughton buildings, including the Masonic Hall, Lopping Hall, Mortuary Chapel and several churches, were opened for Heritage Open Days in September 2007, the first time this had been done. On one of the days, a vintage bus rally was held in the town, attracting a large number of visitors.