Becontree
Coordinates: 51.5487° N 0.1427° E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
OS grid reference	TQ485855
London borough	Barking & Dagenham
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DAGENHAM
Postcode district	RM9
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Barking
London Assembly	City and East
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Becontree ['bɛkəntri] is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in East London, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) east north-east of Charing Cross. Image File history File links Greater_london_outline_map_bw. ... Image File history File links Red_pog. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London and forms part of Outer London. ... The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... This is an alphabetical list of countries of the world, including independent states (both those that are internationally recognised and generally unrecognised), inhabited dependent territories and areas of special sovereignty. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The RM postcode area is a group of 20 postal districts in north east Greater London which are subdivisions of nine post towns. ... The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ... 020 is the dial code for Greater London in the United Kingdom. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London. ... A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational... The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is the statutory fire and rescue service for London, England. ... Crest of NHS ambulance services in England Crest of the Scottish Ambulance Service In the UK, the majority of ambulance services are provided under the National Health Service through local ambulance trusts. Each trust is specific to a county or area, and so the country is divided across a number... The London Ambulance Service (LAS) is the largest ambulance service in the world that does not directly charge its patients for its services. ... The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ... Barking is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Greater London is divided into a number of constituencies for London Assembly elections. ... City and East is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... London is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places... This is a partial list of places in London, England. ... The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is a London borough in East London and forms part of Outer London. ... East London area East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London, England on the north side of the River Thames. ... The Victorian Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross The name Charing Cross, now given to a district of central London in the City of Westminster, comes from the original hamlet of Charing, where King Edward I placed a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. ...

Becontree estate

The area was developed as a large council estate of 27,000 homes between 1921 and 1932 by the London County Council intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I. With a population of over 100,000 it remains the largest public housing development in the world. It is named after the ancient Becontree hundred which historically covered the area. When built the development occupied parts of the parishes of Ilford, Dagenham and Barking with administration split between the three respective urban district councils.^[1] Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... London County Council emblem is still seen today on buildings, especially housing, from that era London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London from 1889 until 1965, when it was replaced by the Greater London Council. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Becontree was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England. ... Ilford is a town in the London Borough of Redbridge in East London. ... Dagenham was a local government district in south west Essex from 1926 to 1965 around the town of Dagenham. ... Barking - officially Barking Town - was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Barking. ... In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ...

The very first house completed in Chittys Lane is recognisable by a blue council plate embedded in the wall. Parallel to Chittys Lane runs Valence Avenue which is wider than the rest of the streets in the district. This is because a temporary railway ran down the centre of the avenue during the construction of the estate. The estate was built by London County Council to rehouse people from London's East End, due to slum clearance. At its completion in the mid 1930s it was the largest council house scheme in Europe. The East End of London, known locally as the East End, is an area, with no formal authority or boundaries, that spans a number of administative districts of London in England. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... De Beauvoir Estate, De Beauvoir Town, East London The council house is a form of public housing found in the United Kingdom. ...

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 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 curious clause in the contract of tenancy stipulated that children born to parents living in Dagenham could not be housed on the estate themselves when the time came for them to establish their own homes.

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 secndary school to be built was "Green Lane" in 1923, but it later became a primary school. It was renamed "Henry Green" in 1953, after the first headmaster who took up his post when the secondary school opened in 1925.

Special features

One of the main social improvements in the construction of the new estate was to have large public houses few and far between compared with smaller ones almost every hundred yards in the poorer quarters of London. There is no "town centre" as is generally understood in a typical UK community.

Privet hedges (referred to as "evers") were planted along 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 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. Today, nearly all the front gardens have been cemented over to make extra parking space.

The houses were gas lit until after the war and the old applications remained in place after they were replaced by electricity; that is why the lights in the rooms were always "off-centre" except in the kitchen where the lamp was on the wall near the copper boiler. Gas street lighting was only replaced by standard lamps in 1957/58. The old gas fixtures even remained under pressure until the installation of North Sea gas in the early 60's. Initially the LCC was reluctant to agree to the provision of subscriber telephone lines to the estate as it was considered incongruous for a residents of a subsidised housing scheme to be able to afford such a luxury.^[2] Gas lighting is the process of burning piped natural gas or coal gas for illumination. ... A roadway light in front of a red sky at night A street light, street lamp, light standard or lamp standard, is a raised source of light on the edge of a road, turned on or lit at a certain time every night. ... // North Sea Oil Platforms North Sea oil refers to oil and natural gas (hydrocarbons) produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea. ... A telephone line (or just line) is a single-user circuit on a telephone communications system. ...

Another improvement was after the 1957 smog when the estate was declared to be 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 who toured the estate on Saturday mornings selling logs and firewood (which was mostly tarred wood taken from the East End roads when they were replaced by tarmac) in a horse drawn cart saw their business collapse overnight. Victorian London was notorious for its thick smogs, or pea-soupers, a fact that is often recreated to add an air of mystery to a period costume drama. ... A natural gas fireplace with a burning fire. ... Freshly forged iron fireplace pokers. ... Chadwell Heath is a place split between the London Borough of Barking and Dagenhamand the London Borough of Redbridge in East London. ... Wood burning is the largest current use of biomass derived energy. ... A close-up view of some freshly-laid tarmac. ... A simple wooden cart in Australia A cart transporting watermelons in Harbin, China. ...

Nearest places:

• Dagenham
• Goodmayes
• Ilford

Nearest tube stations: Dagenham is a town within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. ... Goodmayes is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge. ... Ilford is a district of the London Borough of Redbridge in east London, England. ...

• Becontree tube station
• Dagenham East tube station
• Dagenham Heathway tube station

Nearest railway stations: Becontree Station is a London Underground station on the District Line, located in Becontree. ... Dagenham East is a London Underground station on the District Line, located in Dagenham. ... Dagenham Heathway Station is a London Underground station on the District Line, located in Dagenham. ...

• Chadwell Heath railway station
• Goodmayes railway station

Chadwell Heath station is a railway station at Chadwell Heath in east London. ... Goodmayes station is a railway station at Goodmayes in east London. ...

References

1. ^ Barking & Dagenham London Borough Council - The Becontree Housing Estate
2. ^ Olechnowicz, A., Working-Class Housing in England Between the Wars: The Becontree Estate (1997)

External links

• History of the Becontree Housing Estate