Locale: Barking
A major area of East London, lying within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in the IG11 postal district.
Barking is one of the earliest settlements to the east of London, dating back to the Roman era. Fishing in the nearby Thames sustained its economy for quite some time, and only continued to grow after the arrival of the railway in the 19th century.
Industrial areas, based to the south in Creekmouth, developed as fishing declined, and residential settlement spread in all directions, taking the form of vast inter-war estates such as that at Becontree. Most recently, housing is planned near the River to the south (called Barking Reach or Riverside), which was to have been supported by an extension to the DLR as far as Dagenham Dock Station, but plans now call for an improved busway.
See also:
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