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67-580: Becontree / ˈ b ɛ k ən t r iː / or / ˈ b iː k ən t r iː / is an area of approximately 4 square miles (10 km) in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham . It is located 11 miles (17.7 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross and was constructed in the interwar period as the largest public housing estate in the world. The Housing Act 1919 permitted the London County Council to build housing outside

134-591: A copper boiler , which was used for both washing clothes and heating bath water, were all fed from a reservoir tank in the attic, which invariably froze on winter mornings, leaving the toilets unusable. One clause in the contract of tenancy stipulated that children born to parents living on the estate would not be housed by the LCC and when the time came for them to establish their own homes, the relevant local authority would be expected to provide housing. Privet hedges (referred to as "evergreens" or "evers") were planted along

201-545: A rural parish with a parish council from 1894, subordinate to the Romford Rural District Council . In 1926 the parish council was replaced when Dagenham was made an urban district; it was made a municipal borough in 1938. The council changed the London borough's name from 'Barking' to 'Barking and Dagenham' with effect from 1 January 1980. In 1994, the borough was expanded to cover the part of

268-452: A 64M turn table Ladder. The Turntable ladder is one of 3 that are in use in london and are the tallest ladders in use in the uk fire and rescue service. Of the two stations; Dagenham is the busier, attending over 2,000 incidents in 2006/2007. The coat of arms of the borough displays the Curfew tower of Barking Abbey in its crest . The following people and military units have received

335-505: A Higher Education institute owned and governed by Coventry University, started offering courses to students in September 2017. Situated in the former Dagenham Civic Centre , they offer a range of subjects across Foundation, HNC, HND and degree level. The University of East London formerly had a campus in the borough, however this has now closed with all campuses now being located in the neighbouring borough of Newham . In March 2011,

402-400: A commercial centre along Heathway in 1934. The estate was built without any provision for car parking as it was not anticipated that tenants would own cars. The plot sizes did not allow for garages to be added to homes. The LCC provided eleven garages for rent in 1937 and a further eighty in 1951. The LCC planned a tramway through the estate, filling some of the wide spaces on roads left by

469-451: A huge increase in population density, which led to demands on services and reforms of local government. An additional 1,000 houses were added in later phases. The estate had no industrial and very little commercial development until the May & Baker and Ford Dagenham sites opened nearby, and a shopping area was built at Heathway. The estate has formed part of Greater London since 1965, when

536-473: A hyperlocal news service distributes news, weather, travel, sport and entertainment updates on Facebook Watch . The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has two fire stations within its boundary: Barking and Dagenham. Barking fire station operates two pumping appliances, a bulk foam unit and a command unit. The support units that are operated here will cover a large selection of station grounds and areas. Dagenham fire station operates two pumping appliances and

603-420: A long decline, but has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites. In 2013 Barking and Dagenham has England's highest fertility rate: 2.58. At the time of the 2011 census, 49.5% of the borough's community identified themselves as white British. Barking and Dagenham has been strongly influenced by immigration, with the white British population having dropped 30.6% from 2001 to 2011 -

670-520: A new pavilion building housing amenities such as a gym and a café . Parsloes Park Squatts is an area of rough acid grassland with a historic hedge. In the 1930s, the stretch of the Gores Brook which flowed through Parsloes Park was channelled through a pipe and buried. The brook now runs in culvert for approximately 430 meters under the eastern section of the Park. In 2022, Thames21 supported by

737-480: A small area at Hog Hill from Dagenham which went to Redbridge , and the Gallions Reach area, being the part of Barking west of Barking Creek , which went to Newham . The area was transferred from Essex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs. At the time of its creation the combined population of Barking and Dagenham was around 180,000. The pre-1965 borough of Barking had evolved from

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804-553: A subsidised housing scheme to be able to afford such a luxury. Lines were connected from nearby exchanges until the DOMinion exchange was opened within the estate. In 1954 it had 1,337 lines, increasing to 1,620 in 1955 and by 1958 it had 2,700 lines. The original LCC plan anticipated a civic and commercial centre around Parsloes Park. However, LCC was only a landlord in the area and had limited ability to influence commercial development and had no control over local government. The plan

871-513: A total of 52 listed buildings located within the borough's boundaries. The Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings in the borough include Eastbury Manor House , the Church of Peter and Paul, Dagenham and Valence House . The borough borders the London Borough of Havering to the east with the River Rom forming part of the boundary. It borders the London Borough of Newham to the west with

938-533: Is served by routes 62, 128, 150, 364, and 368. Chadwell Heath station to the north is served by routes 62 and 368. The area has local bus connections towards Dagenham Heathway, Dagenham Dock, Barking, Ilford, Goodmayes, and Romford. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham ( pronunciation ) is a London borough in East London . It lies around 9 miles (14 km) east of Central London . The borough

1005-593: Is the Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council . Barking and Dagenham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics . The London Borough of Barking (as it was originally called) was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , covering the combined area of the former Municipal Borough of Barking and the Municipal Borough of Dagenham , with the exceptions of

1072-798: The Becontree estate that until then had been within the Borough of Redbridge and other areas. The area covered by Mayesbrook Park in the Borough was once part of the historic Manor of Jenkins , seat of the Fanshawe family. Historic records of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and predecessor bodies the Borough of Barking and the Borough of Dagenham are held at the Barking and Dagenham Archive Service, Valence House Museum. There are

1139-455: The County of London and Becontree was constructed between 1921 and 1935 to cottage estate principles in the parishes of Barking , Dagenham and Ilford , then in the administrative and ceremonial county of Essex . The official completion of the estate was celebrated in 1935, by which time the estate had a population of around 100,000 people in 26,000 homes. The building of the estate caused

1206-632: The East End . In 1931, the Ford Motor Company relocated to a 500 acres (2.0 km ) site at Dagenham , and in 1932 the District line was extended to Upminster ; bringing further development to the area. After World War II , further public housing projects were built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz . As industry declined during the 1960s, the population entered

1273-601: The Freedom of the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. 51°33′N 0°07′E  /  51.550°N 0.117°E  / 51.550; 0.117 Parsloes Park The park derives its name from the Passelewe family, who owned the land in the thirteenth century. Paintings of the old manor house are held in the Valence House Museum . The land was acquired by the London County Council in 1923. The park

1340-467: The London Borough of Camden . The Elizabeth Line serves Chadwell Heath railway station , which straddles the border between the London Borough of Redbridge and the borough. Hammersmith & City Line services terminate at Barking. Some District Line services terminate at Barking, but many also call at Upney , Becontree , Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham East in the Borough. Some services terminate at Dagenham East. Several London Buses serve

1407-887: The River Roding forming much of the border. To the south is the River Thames which forms the borough's boundary with the London Borough of Bexley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich . To the north the borough forms a thin protrusion between Havering and the London Borough of Redbridge in order to encompass Chadwell Heath . 530 hectares within the borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt . See List of areas of London The borough's major districts include Barking , Becontree and Dagenham . It borders five other London boroughs: Newham, Redbridge, Havering, and Greenwich and Bexley to

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1474-463: The civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking . This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by train deliveries of fresh fish from the East Coast ports. The population rose slowly through the 19th century, as

1541-689: The 1980s, employment has shifted towards service sector jobs. There are large areas of logistics and warehouse development around the A13 road. Much of the borough is within the London Riverside area of the Thames Gateway zone and is the site of considerable house building and other development, such as Beam Park. A £500 million budget has been earmarked for redevelopment of the borough's principal district of Barking . Religion in London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (2021 census) In 1801,

1608-457: The 2011 census, White British was the largest ethnic group in Becontree ward at 51%. The second-largest was Black African, at 13%. Overall, 41.2% identified themselves as having a BAME background. In addition, the figures for Parsloes ward, which also covers parts of Becontree, were 61%, 14%, and 30.9% respectively. The median house price in 2014 in Becontree ward was £210,000, which along with

1675-533: The Barking Town local government district , which had been created in 1882 covering the central part of the parish of Barking . Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . The Barking Town Urban District was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1931, at which point the name was changed from Barking Town to Barking. Dagenham was

1742-595: The Barking section was combined with Dagenham, and has been within a single London borough since boundary changes caused the Ilford section to be transferred from Redbridge to Barking and Dagenham in 1994. The estate is named after the ancient Becontree Hundred , which historically covered the area. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is Old English and means 'tree of a man named Beohha'. The tree would have stood on Becontree Heath , just outside

1809-579: The Borough is served by both Hammersmith & City Line , and District Line trains. National Rail c2c trains call at Dagenham Dock and Barking railway stations. Most c2c trains terminate at London Fenchurch Street , whilst to the east, trains serve Grays , Southend and Shoeburyness in Essex. Barking and, from summer 2022, Barking Riverside railway stations are served by the London Overground with frequent services to Gospel Oak in

1876-495: The Borough, including the A118 , A123 , A124 , A1083 , A1112 , and A1306 , although these roads are smaller and generally carry less traffic. Time 107.5 FM broadcasts local news from nearby Romford . Bedrock is the local Hospital radio service available on-line and broadcasts a range of health related information focused around the local Hospitals; King George Hospital and Queen's Hospital . Barking & Dagenham News ,

1943-449: The Borough. Night buses 128, EL1, N15 and N86 travel into Central London , Stratford , Romford and Harold Hill every night. Cycle Superhighway 3 begins in Barking , to the south of Greatfields Park , linking the Borough to Canary Wharf , the City of London and the City of Westminster via a bike freeway , most of which is segregated from other road traffic. TfL plan to extend

2010-575: The LCC in Dagenham in an area called Heath Park, adjacent to the estate. Wythenshawe , in Manchester with an area of approximately 11 square miles (28 km), is larger but the population density is lower. At times Wythenshawe has also claimed to be the largest council housing estate in Europe. Private home ownership in the area has grown, and Wythenshawe has continued to expand. The LCC built

2077-598: The London County Council's Standing Committee on the Housing of the Working Classes resolved to build 29,000 dwellings to accommodate 145,000 people within 5 years, of which 24,000 were to be at Becontree. Becontree was developed between 1921 and 1935 as a large cottage estate of around 26,000 homes, intended to be " homes fit for heroes " for World War I veterans. Most of the land at that time

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2144-531: The M25 and south and east Essex . The A13 is named Alfred's Way as it enters the Borough to the west. Crossing Barking and Dagenham, the dual carriageway can be accessed via several grade-separated junctions . Leaving the Borough to the west via the A13 will lead to the Docklands and the City of London . To the east, the A13 passes Rainham and the M25 before traffic heads into south Essex. Other A-roads cross

2211-662: The Redbridge part of the estate to Barking and Dagenham had broad support. Following the review, in April 1994 an area of 90 hectares with a population of 200, was transferred from Redbridge to Barking and Dagenham, and a new ward of Becontree electing two councillors was created. The wards and councillor allocations were redrawn in 2002. All houses were supplied with gas by the Gas Light and Coke Company ; most had gas lighting and some were fitted with electric lighting . Electricity

2278-525: The borough is one of the lowest in Greater London. The estate is within the Becontree, Eastbrook, Goresbrook, Heath, Mayesbrook, Parsloes, River, Valence and Village (2010) wards - 9 of the 17 in Barking and Dagenham - see Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council . East London has a long history of brass bands, and Becontree Brass Band was founded in 1981 as an amalgamation of several local bands. The Dagenham Girl Pipers were formed in 1930 as

2345-576: The borough. Situated near the Town Hall, the Barking Learning Centre is a learning facility providing a range of courses leading to recognised qualifications. It also includes a library with free public internet access, the council's first One Stop Shop, conference and meeting space, a gallery and a café. A study in 2017 found that nearly half of Barking & Dagenham's 19 year olds lack Level 3 qualifications (A Level equivalent) which

2412-644: The cycle network to Barking Riverside in the future, for which the first consultations closed in winter 2019. Two major A-roads cross the Borough: the A12 and A13 . The A12 has one junction in the Borough, to the north of Chadwell Heath . To the west, the A12 carries traffic through Newbury Park towards the North Circular , Stratford and Central London . To the east, the A12 heads through Romford towards

2479-472: The district became built up; and new industries developed around Barking. The population rose dramatically between 1921 and 1931, when the London County Council developed the Becontree Estate . This public housing development of 27,000 homes housed over 100,000 people, split between the then urban district councils of Ilford , Dagenham and Barking . People were rehoused from the slums of

2546-512: The eastern boundary of the estate. The majority of the estate was in the parish of Dagenham and the whole estate is in the Dagenham post town , and the two names are used interchangeably. Because of the lack of available land in the County of London, the Housing Act 1919 permitted the London County Council (LCC) to build housing and act as landlord outside of its territory. On 18 June 1919

2613-472: The entire estate in the Dagenham post town , including the Barking and Ilford sections, giving all residents postal addresses of "Dagenham, Essex". It is perhaps for this reason that Becontree and Dagenham became synonymous. In 1927 the LCC was reluctant to agree that the Postmaster General should provide subscriber telephone lines to the estate, as it was considered incongruous for residents of

2680-509: The estate in a horse-drawn cart on Saturday mornings selling logs and firewood (mostly tarred wood taken from the East End roads when they were replaced by tarmac ) saw their business collapse overnight. Initially the estate had no industrial and very little commercial development planned to support the population. Residents commuted to Inner London for work, until the May & Baker and Ford Dagenham sites opened nearby. According to

2747-422: The estate to rehouse people from London's East End , who were displaced by slum clearance . The first residents were almost all relatively prosperous working-class families, such as factory workers and busmen. Prospective tenants were interviewed by London County Council officials in their homes to check their suitability and the size of family, their domestic standards and financial resources. The tenants came from

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2814-415: The first female pipe band in the world and are still in existence. The area is served by 26 primary schools, and thirteen secondary schools of which three are free schools and one, Elutec , is a University technical college . Becontree tube station is served by London Buses Routes 62 and 145. Martins Corner is also served by routes 5, 62, 145, 364, EL2, and night bus N15. The Becontree estate itself

2881-455: The largest decrease of the 65+ population, having dropped almost 20% between 2001 and 2011. There were 69,700 households in the borough in 2011, up 3.6% from 2001. The borough also had the largest proportion of school-age (5-19) population of all the local authorities in England and Wales, 21.4%, at the 2011 census. The borough's pre-school (0-4) population rose by 49.1% from 2001 to 2011, by far

2948-555: The largest increase in London. The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Barking and Dagenham. The local authority is Barking and Dagenham Council, which meets at Barking Town Hall . For elections to the Greater London Council , the borough formed the Barking electoral division, electing two members. In 1973 it was divided into the single-member Barking and Dagenham electoral divisions. The Greater London Council

3015-558: The main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 22.5% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 7.5%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.5%; train, 7.3%; on foot, 3.7%; passenger in a car or van, 1.7%; work mainly at or from home, 1.3%. Barking and Dagenham is served by both the London Underground and National Rail networks. On the London Underground,

3082-562: The new London Borough of Redbridge. Barking was renamed Barking and Dagenham in 1980. It was anticipated that the mergers of existing boroughs might produce unsatisfactory boundaries in some places and a Local Government Boundary Commission for England was established by the Local Government Act 1972 to review periodically the boundaries of Greater London and the London boroughs. The first review of boundaries in London commenced on 1 April 1987 and reported in 1992. The transfer of

3149-430: The pavements at the end of every front garden and during the spring and summer months a squad of gardeners were employed to keep them in regulation height. Although the estate regulations stipulated that the gardens must be maintained in order, more than a few degenerated into virtual jungles. However, to encourage the application of this rule, prizes were awarded for the best kept gardens. Initial candidates were selected by

3216-457: The rent collectors during their weekly rounds and a committee decided on the final prizes, which ranged from ten shillings consolation prizes up to £20 (an average week's rent in 1953 was about £1 18/- (£1.90)) for the first prize in each ward, plus a notice placed in the centre of the lawn for the benefit of passers-by. When built, the development occupied parts of the parishes of Barking , Dagenham and Ilford , with administration split between

3283-636: The second largest decrease in the country, behind neighbouring Newham . The population of non-UK born residents increasing by 205%. The largest decrease of White British occurred in the Longbridge ward (79.8% in 2001 to 35% in 2011), and the Abbey ward, which contains the main Barking area (from 46.2% to 15.8%). The smallest decrease was in the Eastbrook ward. The largest minority communities were of Black and Asian heritage. Barking and Dagenham had by far

3350-415: The skilled working class in relatively secure jobs and earning slightly more than the average wage. At the time everyone marvelled at having indoor toilets and a private garden, although the sash windows were extremely draughty, there was no insulation in the attics, and during the winter months very few people could afford enough coal to heat the bedrooms. The toilet, bath tap and a tap in the kitchen over

3417-475: The south of the Thames. Much of the housing of the borough was constructed by the London County Council during the interwar period of 1921–1939. Major settlement of the area, mostly escaping slum conditions in the East End of London , occurred during this period when the new motor and chemical industries such as the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were set up. Since the decline of these industries in

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3484-564: The special railway, but it was never built. There were no railway stations within the boundaries of the estate, with Chadwell Heath , Dagenham , Dagenham Dock and Goodmayes a short distance away. At first, trains on the Fenchurch Street–Southend line of the LMS passed through the estate without stopping, but in 1926 the LMS provided Gale Street Halt on the line. In 1932 (when the line

3551-423: The three respective urban district councils. Barking and Ilford were established as suburbs of London and had been urban districts since 1894. Dagenham was almost entirely rural until the building of the estate, having a population of only 9,127 in 1911 and growing to 89,362 in ten years. It gained urban district status in 1926. Approximately 50% of the estate was in Dagenham, 33% in Barking and 17% in Ilford. Ilford

3618-537: The works were extended into three phases lasting until 1935. On 13 July 1935 the official completion of the estate was celebrated with the ceremonial opening of Parsloes Park by MP Christopher Addison . However, the demand for housing meant that a further 800 homes were built in 1937. With a population of 115,652, it was the largest public housing development in the world. After the Second World War, between 1949 and 1951, 600 additional houses were built by

3685-520: Was market gardens , with occasional groups of cottages and some country lanes. It was compulsorily purchased . 4,000 houses had been completed by 1921. The early residents were able to pick rhubarb, peas and cabbages from the abandoned market gardens. Source: The very first houses completed, in Chittys Lane, are recognisable by a blue council plaque embedded in the wall. The construction was an enormous civil engineering project. A special railway

3752-532: Was "Green Lane" in 1923, but it later became a primary school. It was renamed "Henry Green" in 1953, after the first headmaster after the secondary school opened in 1925. Another improvement was after the 1952 smog , when the estate was declared a smokeless zone. The houses had their old fireplaces converted for use with smokeless fuel, which included fixed gas pokers in the hearths. The elderly man and his wife who lived in Mill Lane, Chadwell Heath and toured

3819-438: Was abolished in 1986. Since 2000, the borough is within the City and East London Assembly constituency, returning Unmesh Desai as the directly elected Assembly Member. The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Barking and Dagenham and Rainham . The latter was first contested in 2010 . London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is twinned with: There are many schools and further education facilities in

3886-539: Was built especially for the building work. It connected the railway sidings at Goodmayes on the Great Eastern line and a wharf with a new 500 ft jetty, on the River Thames. Four steam cranes on the jetty could unload building material from seven barges at a time. The building of the estate took longer than anticipated. The LCC hoped to build 24,000 homes by 1924. They were only able to achieve 3,000 and

3953-489: Was considered to form part of the Greater London conurbation for census reporting and in 1957 formed part of the review area of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London . The 1960 report of the commission recommended that Barking and Dagenham should form as a single London borough and this became the London Borough of Barking in 1965 following the London Government Act 1963 . Ilford became part of

4020-415: Was created in 1965 as the London Borough of Barking ; the name was changed in 1980. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway ; an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration . At the 2011 census it had a population of 187,000. The borough's three main towns are Barking , Chadwell Heath and Dagenham . The local authority

4087-683: Was doubled with the addition of two electrified tracks) Gale Street Halt became Becontree station and a new station was added at Heathway . The stations were primarily served by the District Railway , which had been extended from Barking to Upminster. Over the 15-year period of the building of the estate, the school-aged population rose rapidly to 25,000 while there were only 4 secondary schools nearby: 3 in Chadwell Heath and 1 at Becontree Heath, which meant that many children could not attend school. The first secondary school to be built

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4154-549: Was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1926, Barking in 1931 and Dagenham in 1938. Services such as education and libraries were provided by Essex County Council throughout the estate. However, the division of responsibilities allowed for the local councils to provide elementary education in their areas as their populations were high enough. Before the Second World War Barking and Ilford, but not Dagenham, were providing elementary education. However, Dagenham

4221-400: Was not followed and Dagenham Civic Centre opened in 1937 outside the eastern boundary of the estate. The lack of a conventional town centre meant residents used the existing centres at Barking and Ilford. Small parades of shops were provided throughout the estate, such as on Gale Street and Wood Lane, but Dagenham Urban District Council tried to make up for the lack of a high street by creating

4288-441: Was opened by MP Christopher Addison on 13 July 1935, marking the official completion of the Becontree estate. It has a children's play area, football pitches, tennis courts, a basketball court, a bowling green, and a lake. In 2024, The Bobby Moore Sports Hub, named after the footballer , was opened. The facility features 16 grass sports pitches and three 3G pitches , one of which is used by May & Baker FC . It also includes

4355-584: Was permitted to provide its own library service. After the Second World War Dagenham also provided elementary education. During the 1920s and 1930s there was periodic discussion and review of the local government arrangements in the area, including proposals to merge the three districts, or transfer the estate to the County of London, but it was not acted on. The area was within the Metropolitan Police District . It

4422-550: Was supplied by the County of London Electric Supply Company in Dagenham and the electricity services of Barking and Ilford municipal corporations in those sections. All gas lighting was converted to electricity in 1955. Water supply in the whole estate came from the South Essex Waterworks Company , but sewerage was split on municipal lines. In 1930 Barking and Ilford formed the Ilford and Barking Joint Sewerage Committee. The General Post Office placed

4489-631: Was the highest figure in London. Barking & Dagenham College is a general further education college offering courses for leaners 16+. It has four campuses across the borough with their main campus being located in Rush Green less than a mile from the Romford town centre. Their other campus is located in Barking town center at the Technical Skills Academy, The Broadway Theatre and Barking Learning Centre. CU London ,

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