becontree estate railway

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. The new District Railway's line ran immediately adjacent, on the north side, to the existing LT&S line, and the old and new stations formed a single four-track station unit, renamed Becontree. Initial candidates were selected by 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. It is on the District line between Upney to the west and Dagenham Heathway to the east. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Becontree is in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - and is located 11 miles to the east of central London and a mile or so south of London Shoes-Romford base. The Becontree Estate Railway was a temporary railway system built in the area between Chadwell Heath and the River Thames to facilitate the construction of what became known as the Becontree Estate. The first such homes were built at Becontree in 1921, on what was then the market gardens of Dagenham Village. [29] The median house price in 2014 in Becontree ward was 210,000, which along with the borough is one of the lowest in Greater London.[28]. That's how universally hated he was.". Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Read about our approach to external linking. Running from the sidings on the up side (south) of the line at the eastern end of Goodmayes station, the line ran parallel eastwards almost to Chadwell passenger station and then crossing the area now occupied by the station car park and turning south to cross Chitty's Lane (now Station Road) on a skew, and heading almost due south; its alignment is the present day Valence Avenue: the railway came first, and the new road was formed as an early dual carriageway, straddling the railway line, which was in a central reservation. The Becontree Estate Railway was a temporary railway system built in the area between Chadwell Heath and the River Thames to facilitate the construction of what became known as the Becontree Estate. It gained urban district status in 1926. [5] Other images from 1928 appear to show completed housing, with no indication of the railway. In 1926 the London County Council offered land free to the District Railway if they agreed to extent their line to Becontree. (See a outline of the RM8 postcode area on Google Maps.). VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Most residents living on the Becontree estate had to travel to London each day for work, with the exception of a few employed locally, such as those in the building industry. A special railway was built especially for the building work. The London County Council were ambitious to create a township complete in itself, including integrated transport. Running east to near Chadwell Heath, it then turned broadly south through the future estate, to a 500 feet (150m) jetty on the Thames, a little to the west of the area known as Horse Shoe Corner. Print. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); tel: 020 8227 2034opens phone dialer valencehousemuseum@lbbd.gov.ukcreate new email, Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday (10am-4pm). [6], There were two semi-permanent branches: one led eastwards to a gravel pit near the site of Valence Moat; the pit yielded 600,000 tons of sand and gravel before exhaustion, after which it was filled in with domestic refuse. In 1945, the Huntington Estate sold the Los Angeles Railway to the infamous National City Lines that promptly renamed it Los Angeles Transit Lines, and started dismantling the streetcar lines. "Our house was gigantic - it had a big kitchen, a well-kept garden that ran all the way around the back and the front. Residents competed every year to win the best kept garden competition, Becontree was the first council house estate to be built under the Addison Act, The estate under construction in 1927 - it would eventually cover four square miles, The Becontree tenants handbook contained 20 conditions, ranging from parental responsibility for the orderly conduct of children to requiring that no washing was hung from windows, The gardens were a source of pride for many, Crowds flocked to the opening ceremony of Becontree in the 1920s, The estate, which was finally completed in 1935, is still considered to be the largest in Europe, Windows were to be cleaned once a week, doorsteps must be scrubbed and children were banned from playing in communal gardens, Many of the homes, once identical, now have character, Barry Watson has lived in one of the estate's "suntrap houses" on Wykeham Avenue since the 1940s, Alexander McDonald's family moved to 5 Manor Square in 1921, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Local Studies Information Sheet No.16, available at, Eastern Main Lines; Ilford to Shenfield, Dave Brennand, 2002, Middleton Press, Midhurst, Becontree and Dagenham, A Report Made for the Pilgrim Trust, Terence Young, Becontree Social Survey Committee, London 1934. The line continued as far as Wood Lane, where there was another level crossing. ", Inquest into death of first UK child Covid victim from Brixton, Search teams using every resource they can in hunt for Constance Martens baby, Womens History Month 2023: How to celebrate in London, from talks and tours to comedy nights, London bus: New advanced digital displays to be trialled on 63 route, Ed Sheeran announces surprise UK and Europe tour for 2023 - how to get tickets and full list of dates, LIVE: Hackney Central closed as man taken to hospital and armed police present, Greek transport minister resigns after deadly train crash, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Becontree was simply a working class haven.". However, LCC was only a landlord in the area and had limited ability to influence commercial development and had no control over local government. [20] The LCC planned a tramway through the estate, filling some of the wide spaces on roads left by the special railway, but it was never built. Its near-identical streets, whose houses once all looked the same, now have a sense of ownership about them: one house is painted pink, another is coated in trails of wisteria. The LT&S service continued in operation until 1962, from which time only the District Line trainsnowadays the District Line of Transport for Londonserve the station. [4] Swansea and Cecil Levita are each depicted in photographs in Dave Brennand's book[7]. Report as Inappropriate. 2023 BBC. What's he waiting for? Railway sidings in housing estate construction site. The railway, which used standard gauge steam locomotives, operated between 1921 and 1934.[1]. Another ran south-west from Wood Lane; its alignment became Porters Avenue; it turned into another gravel pit, which is now the pond in Parsloes Park. Wills & Sons acquired a fleet of thirteen industrial locomotives for the work, and also a number of wagons for the internal conveyance of materials from the gravel pits and from the jetty; materials arriving via the main line railway were conveyed in the carriers' wagons, but these could not be detained on the Estate network unless a demurrage charge was paid. (Redirected from Becontree Estate) Jump to: navigation, search Coordinates: 513255N 00834E / 51.5487N 0.1427E / In terms of population, it's probably since been superseded by some large estates in the former Soviet Bloc but it must remain one of the largest in area today.". When the Becontree Estate was officially opened in 1935, it consisted of 27,000 new homes built on 3,000 acres of former market garden land - and these homes housed 120,000 people - making the estate the largest social housing estate in the world at that time. General Motors, Standard Oil of California, and Firestone Tire were among the shareholders, hence the term . It was estimated that over 4 million tons of materials were delivered to the site.[3]. Electricity 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. With a population of 115,652, it was the largest public housing development in the world. Residents competed every year to win the best kept garden competition, Becontree was the first council house estate to be built under the Addison Act, The estate under construction in 1927 - it would eventually cover four square miles, The Becontree tenants handbook contained 20 conditions, ranging from parental responsibility for the orderly conduct of children to requiring that no washing was hung from windows, The gardens were a source of pride for many, Crowds flocked to the opening ceremony of Becontree in the 1920s, The estate, which was finally completed in 1935, is still considered to be the largest in Europe, Windows were to be cleaned once a week, doorsteps must be scrubbed and children were banned from playing in communal gardens, Many of the homes, once identical, now have character, Barry Watson has lived in one of the estate's "suntrap houses" on Wykeham Avenue since the 1940s, Alexander McDonald's family moved to 5 Manor Square in 1921, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Becontree Estate The area was developed between 1921 and 1932 by the London County Council as a large council estate of 27,000 homes, intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I. View original page. Parents had to ensure their children were kept orderly, no washing could be hung from windows and front gardens had to be kept neat. This page was last updated at 2019-11-08 05:32 UTC. As revenge for confiscating a football, Barry and his friend once played a "cruel trick" on the rent collector. But he conceded that the estate was unfinished when he moved from Poplar to 5 Manor Square when he was five years old and how the property had no fences and no garden, as it was still "littered with builders' equipment". Although the estate regulations stipulated that the gardens must be maintained in order, more than a few degenerated into virtual jungles. 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