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. By using this website you imply consent to its use of HTML cookies. "People used to fight over who had the best kept garden, now they are merely extra space for cars or rubbish. The estate was built without any provision for car parking as it was not anticipated that tenants would own cars. 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. "I agree that there were some very poor people [living there] but there were many more men who had jobs to go to.". The nearest railway stations are Becontree, Dagenham East and Dagenham Heathway on the London Underground District Line and Chadwell Heath and Goodmayes on the Elizabeth line. These days, we have regular services around the local area and into London much more regular, but definitely still busy! Parents had to ensure their children were kept orderly, no washing could be hung from windows and front gardens had to be kept neat. The construction was an enormous civil engineering project. Various schemes were discussed locally to improve services as complaints increased. "He would report people if they didn't keep their hedges trimmed or if their curtains were not clean enough.". It was a novel idea and one that attracted attention from royalty to famous people who took up residence, including singer Sandie Shaw, England football manager Sir Alf Ramsey and footballer Bobby Moore. There was a workshop for maintaining the locomotives and the internal wagon fleet, as well as the construction plant in use on the contract. 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". [2], Because of the lack of available land in the County of London, the Housing Act 1919 permitted the London County Council (LCC) to build housing and act as landlord outside of its territory. Some families moved out of the area for that very reason.". 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. Its principal backers, J. C. Ainsworth, George Ainsworth, and R. R. Thompson, had been involved in lumber and shipping enterprises in the Pacific Northwest and saw the line as a connection between a deep water anchorage at Redondo and Los Angeles. 4,000 houses had been completed by 1921. The Downham Estate provides an example of the programme of building council housing occurring in Britain between the First and Second World Wars. 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. Most residents are white, but there is also a sizeable black British community, of Caribbean and primarily African descent, together with a growing Asian minority. If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari, The London Tilbury & Southend Railway company was purchased by the, Currently (2012) "On display at Ingrow West awaiting overhaul". The Becontree estate was a groundbreaking scheme that re-housed some 100,000 people, many of whom had lived in London's slums. In the 60s i got the 62 bus from valance avenue to chadwell heath. "You could even go pea and potato picking in the fields nearby. One of the first things you will see is a portion of the track with a big old piece of the railway on it. Please Login or Register. If part of the journey did eventually include a bus too, the cost could increase by 2d to 4d per day. Small parades of shops were provided throughout the estate, such as on Gale Street and Wood Lane, but Dagenham Urban District Council tried to make up for the lack of a high street by creating a commercial centre along Heathway in 1934.[23]. [14] After the Second World War Dagenham also provided elementary education. The Becontree estate was a groundbreaking scheme that re-housed some 100,000 people, many of whom had lived in London's slums. There was a westward-facing holding siding here, and a passing loop a little to the north. 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. 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. 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. Begun in 1921, Becontree was the flagship of the London County Councils cottage estate housebuilding programme and was intended to accommodate 100,000 people. "She loved having the simplest of things - like kitchen cupboards and a stove. Becontree was simply a working class haven.". The initial contract was for 2,900 houses, and was awarded to C J Wills & Sons Ltd, a long-established family concern; Wills was awarded further contracts and ultimately built over 25,000 houses for a total cost of 13,455,000. [1] Contents 1 Becontree housing estate 2 A temporary railway The route of the main line of the railway is shown on the diagram; numerous spurs and short branches were added as work locations moved around. The line continued as far as Wood Lane, where there was another level crossing. All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Four steam cranes on the jetty could unload building material from seven barges at a time. Union Pacific, based in Omaha and founded 160 years ago, oversees about 3,200 miles of railway in California. The railway, which used standard gauge steam locomotives, operated between 1921 and 1934. Alexander McDonald, who lived on the estate from 1921 until he was 81, wrote in his memoirs that he had never heard it referred to by that name. The main line then turned south-east along what became Parsloes Avenue, turning south at about the intersection with the present Raydons Road. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, The homeless teen who studied by candlelight, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' as trains crashed, Kobe Bryant widow wins $29m settlement from LA, Ruling party wins Nigeria's presidential election. The elderly man and his wife who lived in Mill Lane, Chadwell Heath and toured the estate in a horse-drawn cart on Saturday mornings selling logs and firewood (mostly tarred wood taken from the East End roads when they were replaced by tarmac) saw their business collapse overnight. Most of the estates houses were constructed in red brick with tiled roofs, although many of the walls have since been pebble-dashed or stone-clad. "He would report people if they didn't keep their hedges trimmed or if their curtains were not clean enough.". Wills went on to undertake another large housing contract for the London County Council, at St Helier in south-west London. It was estimated that over 4 million tons of materials were delivered to the site.[3]. Maurice : Friday 11th of January 2013 07:28:27 AM: Becontree Estate Railway . Maurice : Friday 11th of January 2013 07:27:22 AM: User Comment Contributions . All houses were supplied with gas by the Gas Light and Coke Company; most had gas lighting and some were fitted with electric lighting. The name Becontree was not used for a settlement at that time, but the estate was named after the ancient Becontree hundred, which historically covered the area. Dagenham Station was not much of an improvement requiring a bus or train to Barking, and then a change to the District electric railway. "These people watched with wonder and excitement as a new era - of luscious homes that had running water, indoor toilets and private gardens - was created. The area is served by 26 primary schools, and thirteen secondary schools of which three are free schools and one, Elutec, is a University technical college. It has a current population of over 100,000 and is named after the ancient . Eventually travel and communications between the different areas of the estate improved, even more so following the reorganisation of London Local Governments in 1965. The main line then turned south-east along what became Parsloes Avenue, turning south at about the intersection with the present Raydons Road. Then the train to Stratford change to underground to Moorgate for work then back again. "A month or so later, he fell off his bike in the street and not one person went over to help him. All I have is the lovely memories of my beautiful home and how Becontree became Becontree. In 1933 and 1934 Wills auctioned off much of the fleet; the locomotive Lord Mayor was finally engaged on recovering material from the track and wharf. [5] Ilford was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1926, Barking in 1931 and Dagenham in 1938. [2], Wills & Sons established a temporary railway, connecting with existing goods sidings at Goodmayes on the Great Eastern Railway main line. "Mahatma Ghandi once spent the night at Kingsley Hall [community centre], leaving a portrait of himself and a spinning wheel as gifts to the community.". Once again, every train in rush hour was completely overcrowded. "My parents, my four brothers and I moved from a two bedroom flat in Whitechapel to Chitty's Lane in 1926. Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi and Albanian are among the minority languages spoken. Residents in the southern part of the estate had the options of Dagenham or Dagenham Dock. Working-class Housing in England Between the Wars: The Becontree Estate (Oxford Historical Monographs), Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Licence, Brewers Dictionary of London Phrase & Fable. It is perhaps for this reason that Becontree and Dagenham became synonymous. [8] The new frequent services were operated by the electric trains of the Metropolitan District Railway, which was incorporated into the London Passenger Transport Board the following year. It connected the railway sidings at Goodmayes on the Great Eastern line and a wharf with a new 500ft jetty, on the River Thames. It is located 11 miles (17.7km) east-northeast of Charing Cross and was constructed in the interwar period as the largest public housing estate in the world. The Becontree estate was a groundbreaking scheme that re-housed some 100,000 people, many of . The name Becontree was not used for a settlement at that time, but the estate was named after the ancient Becontree hundred, which historically covered the area. "It was such an innovative scheme that King George V visited the estate in 1923, when he had tea with one of the early tenants," remembers Bill Jennings, who moved to the estate in 1954. The Becontree Estate was influenced by the Garden City movement initiated by Ebenezer Howard in 1898 and Ewelina came from a similar, yet much smaller Garden City herself. Privet hedges (referred to as "evergreens" or "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. The recent opening of Barking Riverside and previous ideas for the Overground and DLR to reach Thamesmead has got me thinking. 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