Becontree

Settlement in Essex

England

Becontree

Dagenham Civic Offices An imposing structure — Dagenham Civic Offices Credit: Glyn Baker

Becontree is a suburban area located in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Essex, England. It is one of the largest housing estates in the world and was developed in the early 20th century to address the housing shortage in London.

The construction of Becontree began in the 1920s as part of the London County Council's ambitious plan to provide affordable housing for working-class families. The estate was designed to accommodate around 100,000 residents and consisted predominantly of semi-detached and terraced houses with spacious gardens. The layout of the estate was carefully planned, featuring wide tree-lined roads, green spaces, and community facilities.

Today, Becontree is a diverse and vibrant community with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The estate has evolved over the years, and apart from the original housing, there are now numerous apartment buildings, shops, schools, and recreational areas. The area benefits from excellent transport links, with several bus routes and Becontree Underground station providing easy access to central London.

Becontree offers a range of amenities and services to its residents. The Parsloes Park is a popular local attraction, providing open green spaces, a lake, and facilities for sports and leisure activities. The area also has a number of primary and secondary schools, healthcare centers, and retail options, including the Becontree Heath Leisure Centre and the Becontree Retail Park.

Overall, Becontree is a thriving residential area that combines historical significance with modern amenities, making it an attractive place to live for families and individuals seeking a well-connected and community-oriented environment.

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Becontree Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.548566/0.134048 or Grid Reference TQ4885. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Dagenham Civic Offices

An imposing structure

Glyn Baker

Valance House Becontree

This is Valance House Becontree. It is the last survivor of Dagenham’s five manor houses. It was preserved as the estate management offices during the construction of the huge Becontree Council Housing Estate before WW2. Valance House was named after Agnes De Valance who lived and was murdered on the site in the 13th Century. Some say her ghost still haunts the grounds. Parts of the current house date from the 15th Century although from its outward appearance one would be hard pushed to guess which. In 1938 one room of the building was opened as a museum, a function the whole building fulfils today. The picture was taken looking across the moat towards the house.

Glyn Baker

Parsloes Park Becontree

Parsloes Park Becontree one of a number of green spaces in the world’s biggest council estate. Ford’s wind turbines and the chimneys of the power station near Dagenham dock show how close it is to the industrial area.

Glyn Baker

âHomes Fit for Heroesâ Dagenham

This is the junction of Rogers Rd and Holgate road Dagenham. The picture is looking down Holgate Road. These are typical examples of the housing on the Becontree Estate. Initially 25000 homes were built by the London County Council between 1921 and 1934. These homes fit for the heroes of WW1 had all mod cons gas, water and electricity with inside toilets and bathrooms. A further 2000 homes were built before WW2. The Becontree estate was the biggest council estate in the world. Of course much of it has been sold off. The houses on the estate were almost universally pebble dashed to cover up inferior bricks. You can spot the houses still in public ownership in this particular area of the estate as the council has taken to weatherboarding them.

Glyn Baker

The Gorse Brook

This is the Gorse Brook that gives its name to the Gorsebrook area of the Becontree Estate. Its flood plain provides an area of green in the housing estate. The picture was taken near the bridge on Hedgemans Road and looks across Gorsebrook Park.

Glyn Baker

St Peter's Gorsebrook

This is St Peters Roman Catholic Church and its associated estate. It is located in the Gorsebrook Parade Environment Improvement Scheme. It stands directly opposite St Martins C of E Church.

Glyn Baker

Parsloes Park Pond

This is a picture of the pond in Parsloes Park Becontree. In the seventy or so years since the building of the Becontree Estate the trees and bushes have grown to such an extent that the water is hardly visible to visitors except through a few gaps such as this one.

Glyn Baker

Privatised

When built his terrace of ex-council houses in Fitzstephen Road Becontree would have been like peas in a pod. Now in private hands the owners have modified and adapted them to their own needs and tastes. One unusual feature leftover from the original design is the shared porch of the middle two houses. The halls and stairs adjoining gave better sound insulation from the neighbours on one side at least.

Glyn Baker

Evening at Mayesbrook Park

This is the view across the Lake in Mayesbrook Park; Upney Southeast of Barking. The photograph was taken looking westward. The ponds are at the southern end of the park. There are many sports fields at the northern end towards the University of East London.

Glyn Baker

University of East London

This is the Barking Campus of the University of East London. UEL was formed in 1992 from the merger of West Ham Tech, South East Essex Tech and North East London Polytechnic. It has 18,000 students at this and two other major campuses in Stratford and new buildings in Docklands.

Glyn Baker

Headbangers Welcome

This is the junction of Lodge Avenue (A1153) and Porters Avenue Dagenham. It is the location for The Roundhouse. Back in the 60’s and 70’s this art deco people's palace of a pub was “The” Rock venue for East London’s headbangers. At one time or another (mostly before they were famous) many of the greatest rock bands ever have played here Led Zep, Deep Purple, Hawkwind, Black Sabbath; also the first gig of Derek and the Dominoes was played here.

Glyn Baker

Next Stop Wimbledon?

This tennis court is in Dagenham Old Park a recreation ground at the southeast corner of the Becontree Estate.

Glyn Baker

Goodmayes Park

Goodmayes Park is in two distinct halves to the north of Mayesbrook Road it is ornamental and to the south it is given over to sports fields. This picture was taken from the south west corner of the ornamental park.

Glyn Baker

Flats in Seabrooke Rd

Flats of this vintage are not common on the Becontree Estate as it was mostly constructed between the world wars. TQ4786 has just about the least green space of any grid square on the estate it being almost equidistant from Valance Park in the East and Goodmayes park in the West

Glyn Baker

DuPont Performance Coatings

This is DuPont Performance Coatings (that’s paint to you and me). This facility in Freshwater Rd specialises in vehicle paint. The site has a vehicle refinishers training unit. However much of the site is the base for UK administration such as sales, marketing, customer service etc

Glyn Baker