Barking Park

Last updated

Barking Park
Barking Park - geograph.org.uk - 600864.jpg
Barking Park
TypeUrban park
LocationBarking
Area30 hectares
Opened9 April 1898 (1898-04-09)
Managed byBarking and Dagenham Council

Barking Park is a public park covering 30 hectares to the northeast of Barking town centre in east London. It was opened as the Recreation Ground in 1898 by the Barking Town Urban District Council and is now the oldest public park in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It lies north of Longbridge Road and south of the neighbourhood of Loxford, with the northern boundary of the park along Loxford Water also the borough boundary with Redbridge.

Contents

History

The classic Victorian park for the urban district of Barking Town was established from land acquired in 1896. It was officially opened on 9 April 1898 by Councillor C. L. Beard JP, Chairman of Barking Town Urban District Council. [1]

The park's most significant feature is a 910-metre (2,990 ft) long boating lake on the north side of the park. Rowing boats were introduced first, and then on 1 April 1953, motor boats and a Mississippi style paddle steamer called Phoenix II made their debut. The paddle steamer continued to operate on the lake until 1967.

The park contains a war memorial, renovated in 2000, [2] for men of the Barking Town Urban District who fell in World War I and World War II.

A lido was built in 1931 but this was closed permanently in 1988. [2] The longstanding park cafe was demolished and a roller-skating park built on the site.

In 2006 the council received stage one funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a proposal for restoration and improvement of the park. Funding of over £3 million was approved, and works were completed between 2010 and 2012, including two lengthy new pathways, a children's play area and splash park. [3]

Features

Facilities include tennis and basketball courts, two bowling greens (indoor and outdoor), a children's playground, a waterpark, football pitches and a flower garden.

Barking Park Light Railway

Barking Park Light Railway
Park Gates stn black train train Barking Park Light Railway.JPG
Overview
LocaleThe Park Lodge, Longbridge Road, Barking, East London
Dates of operationearly 1950s – 2005
2008 - 2024?
Technical
Track gauge 7+14 in (184 mm)
Previous gauge9+12 in (241 mm)
Length340 metres (1,120 ft)
Other
Website www.facebook.com/BPLR2016/

Barking Park Light Railway, a miniature passenger railway, opened in the early 1950s. It originally consisted of three coaches hauled by a steam locomotive named "The Empress", running over a length of 9+12 in (241 mm) gauge track, from the main park entrance at Longbridge Road to a turntable at the boating lake. After being replaced by a sit-in diesel locomotive named "Little Nan", The Empress was eventually restored and re-gauged to 10+14 in (260 mm) and is now running at the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway.

About halfway along the line, trains went through a gated level crossing. When trains were not running, the level crossing afforded access to the park from the adjacent Park Avenue, but this side entrance was eventually permanently closed and the level crossing removed.

The railway ran until 2005 when it was closed by the owner, who felt that it was no longer cost effective to maintain and repair the train; however, the railway has since been redeveloped by a father & son team who bought the line from the previous owner. It featured new trains, and new 7+14 in (184 mm) gauge track, with wheelchair-friendly station access. The new train service ran a few times during 2008 but the official grand re-opening took place at Easter in 2009. This second life for the railway seems to have ended by 2024.

Events

Every year on Remembrance Day (usually the 2nd Sunday in November) a commemorative ceremony is held at the war memorial preceded by music from a local marching band.

Barking parkrun takes place in the park every Saturday morning at 9am. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilford</span> Human settlement in England

Ilford is a large town in East London, England, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a population of 168,168 in 2011, compared to 303,858 for the entire borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Barking and Dagenham</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. The borough 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 is the Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. Barking and Dagenham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Tynedale Railway</span>

The South Tynedale Railway is a preserved, 2 ft narrow gauge heritage railway in Northern England and at 875ft is England's second highest narrow gauge railway after the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in north Devon. The South Tynedale line runs from Alston in Cumbria, down the South Tyne Valley, via Gilderdale, Kirkhaugh and Lintley, then across the South Tyne, Gilderdale and Whitley Viaducts to Slaggyford in Northumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dagenham</span> Town in east London, England

Dagenham is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking, London</span> Human settlement in England

Barking is a riverside town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is 9.3 miles (15 km) east of Charing Cross. The total population of Barking was 59,068 at the 2011 census. In addition to an extensive and fairly low-density residential area, the town centre forms a large retail and commercial district, currently a focus for regeneration. The former industrial lands to the south are being redeveloped as Barking Riverside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilford South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1945 onwards

Ilford South is a constituency created in 1945 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jas Athwal of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollycombe Steam Collection</span> Steam-powered attractions in Hampshire, England

The Hollycombe Steam Collection is a collection of steam-powered vehicles, amusement rides, and attractions in South East England. It is based in West Sussex, but the closest town is Liphook in Hampshire. The collection includes fairground rides, a display farm, two railways, and the woodland gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romford (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Romford is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Riverside</span>

The London Riverside is a redevelopment area on the north side of the River Thames in East London, England. The area was identified as a zone of change following the introduction of the Thames Gateway policy in 1995. Proposals for improvements in the area were at first developed by Havering and Barking and Dagenham councils, with a London Riverside Urban Strategy published in 2002. This was incorporated into the first London Plan published by the Mayor of London in 2004. Between 2004 and 2013 the planning powers in London Riverside and the Lower Lea Valley were the responsibility of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Planning powers have now reverted to the local councils. Much of the land available for redevelopment is now owned by GLA Land and Property. There is also a London Riverside business improvement district, which covers a smaller area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Barking</span>

Barking was a local government district, and later civil parish and borough, in southwest Essex, England from 1882 to 1965. It was known as Barking Town from 1882 to 1931. The district included the town of Barking, eastern Beckton and the southwestern part of the Becontree estate. The district was within the Metropolitan Police District and experienced a steady increase in population during its existence. The area was suburban to London's conurbation region and was part of the Metropolitan Police District. It now forms the western part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the eastern extremity of the London Borough of Newham in Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council</span> Local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, also known as Barking and Dagenham Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. It provides a broad range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council has been under Labour majority control since its creation in 1965. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 as the Barking London Borough Council and replaced two local authorities: Barking Borough Council and Dagenham Borough Council. The council was renamed on 1 January 1980. It is based at Barking Town Hall in the centre of Barking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valence House Museum</span> Building in London, England

Valence House Museum is the only surviving of the five manor houses of Dagenham. The timber-framed museum building, partially surrounded by a moat, is situated in Valence Park off Becontree Avenue, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, London, England. The building has been used as a manor house, a family home, a town hall, the headquarters of the library service and now houses a museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeside Country Park</span> Railway park in the United Kingdom

Lakeside Country Park is a country park just south of the town of Eastleigh in Hampshire. The park covers 60 acres and is home to the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beam Park</span> Neighbourhood in London, England

Beam Park is a new neighbourhood in the south of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Havering. It is named after the River Beam which forms the boundary between the boroughs. It is part of the London Riverside opportunity area and is designated with neighbouring Rainham as a housing zone by the Greater London Authority. It covers an area of 29 hectares. It will include a town centre in the Havering part of the development and will be served by Beam Park railway station. Much of the land previously part of the Ford Dagenham site is being redeveloped as a joint venture between London and Quadrant and Countryside Properties. Planning consent for 3,000 homes was issued in February 2019 and construction began in May 2019. The first residents moved into Beam Park in December 2020. Planning permission was given for 947 additional homes in December 2022

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poole Park</span>

Poole Park is an urban park adjacent to Poole Harbour in Poole, Dorset, England. The park was opened during the Victorian era and has remained popular with visitors ever since. It is open all year round and hosts a number of events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beam Park railway station</span> Planned railway station to serve Beam Park, London

Beam Park railway station is a planned railway station to serve the new community of Beam Park. Intended to serve a redeveloped former industrial area with extremely poor access to public transport, plans for the station have been in development since at least 2002. Beam Park is a large housing development that extends from the London Borough of Havering, where the new station is proposed to be sited, into the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The construction costs of the station have been met by developers in the area and the Greater London Authority. The station received planning permission in February 2019. As of July 2024 the Department for Transport has not authorised the introduction of passenger services at the station.

The Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway was founded in 1948 as the Cleethorpes Miniature Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Green railway station</span> Proposed railway station in England

Castle Green is a proposed railway station in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Plans for a station at the site, initially called Renwick Road, have been in development since at least 2002. The new station was first proposed to be between Barking and Dagenham Dock on the London, Tilbury and Southend line. In 2017 a station was safeguarded on the extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking line between Barking and Barking Riverside. The station would serve the communities of Castle Green, Thames View Estate and new housing developments in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Park, Long Eaton</span>

West Park is the premier park in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England. It is also the location of the town's indoor leisure centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Park, Goole</span>

West Park is an urban park in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was opened in 1923 and is the largest park in the town.

References

  1. Commemorative plaque by the main gates in Longbridge Road.
  2. 1 2 The Borough's parks and open spaces Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Local studies info sheet #6, Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  3. Barking Park Heritage Lottery Fund Project Archived 11 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine , Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  4. "Home | Barking parkrun | Barking parkrun".

51°32′42″N0°05′17″E / 51.545°N 0.088°E / 51.545; 0.088