Becontree Heath (also spelt Beacontree Heath) is an open space in the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames G ...

. The name has also been applied to the local area, in particular to the RM8 postal district.

History

Becontree Heath functioned as the ancient meeting place for

Becontree hundred Becontree was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England.John Marius Wilson, ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'', (1870-72) Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of London; with its name reused in 1921 ...

, which covered much of what is now East London. In 1465, the hundred lost territory in the east and the meeting place became located on its fringe.
''The hundred of Becontree: Introduction', A History of the County of Essex'': Volume 5 (1966)
Date accessed: 11 January 2008. When it was still a rural parish, Becontree Heath was a hamlet in Dagenham.

Geography

It is the location of

Dagenham Civic Centre The Civic Centre in Dagenham is a former municipal building in Becontree Heath, an area within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The building was designed in the modern style by the British architect Ernest Berry Webber in 1936 and w ...

, a grade II listed, 1930s

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

building designed by

Ernest Berry Webber Ernest Berry Webber, (29 April 1896 – 19 December 1963)''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995'', p. 130. was an English architect, surveyor and town planner best known for his design ...

and the former town hall of Dagenham Borough Council. It is also the location of the high density Becontree Heath Estate, built by Barking Borough Council from 1966 to 1970. Crowlands Heath Golf Club can be found there, along with Becontree Heath Leisure Centre.

Education

:''Local education is listed on the

article''.

Transport

Becontree Heath is served by the Becontree Heath Bus Station. The former station served route 150 (towards

Chigwell Row Chigwell Row is a small village falling within the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 12.9 miles (20.8 km) north east of Charing Cross. It has a London (020) area code, is served by London Buses route 150, and the closest London U ...

) since 19 March 2016 by

BRT BRT may refer to: Transportation * Block register territory, a method for dispatching trains * British Rail Telecommunications * Brookhaven Rail Terminal * Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, a former transit holding company in New York City * Bro ...

East London Transit East London Transit (ELT) is a part-segregated bus rapid transit, operated as part of the London Buses network. The East London Transit opened in phases between 2010 and 2013. The scheme for this system was developed by Transport for London to ...

route EL2 (towards

Dagenham Dock Dagenham Dock is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England. It is located to the south of Dagenham and on the River Thames. It was once the site of a large coaling port and continues to be the location of a small t ...

). The station has been replaced at present by new bus stops along the nearby road while the local council undertakes a construction project involving the building of 170 homes, a pharmacy and a new replacement bus station.

Gallery

Image:Dagenham civic center london.jpg, Barking and Dagenham Civic Centre. Image:Dagenham civic centre close up.jpg, Close up of entrance. Image:Becontree heath bus station london.jpg, Becontree Heath Bus Station. Image:Becontree heath bus station.jpg, Becontree Heath Bus Station with Barking and Dagenham Civic Centre in background.

References

{{Green London Areas of London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Districts of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham