Creekmouth is an area of

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

east London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, England. It is best known for its large

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

. The industrial area around River Road and Thames Road is one of 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 ...

's largest employment areas. Creekmouth has a wide range of businesses from small local manufacturers to major multi-national companies.

History

The Creekmouth Village as it was known, was built not far from the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

and Roding riverbanks in the 1850s by John Bennett Lawes, primarily for workers at his factory, the Lawes Chemical and Fertiliser Company.Creekmouth Preservation Society
/ref> The village consisted of two rows of small houses, approximately fifty in total, and had its own school, Mission Hall, shop and a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

called The Crooked Billet, which is mentioned in records going back to 1719. The village community was very isolated. Most people who lived here worked for the chemical factory, or on the river, on the barges or as

Lightermen A lighterman is a worker who operates a lighter, a type of flat-bottomed barge, which may be powered or unpowered. In the latter case, today it is usually moved by a powered tug. The term is particularly associated with the highly skilled men ...

. The area was surrounded by marshes and fields full of grazing cows and horses. For much of the 20th century Creekmouth was the location of the former

Barking Power Station Barking Power Station refers to a series of power stations at various sites within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London. The original power station site, of the coal-fired A, B and C stations, was at River Road, Creekmouth, o ...

; the current station is further east near

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 1953 North Sea flood struck the village hard - with the sea surge flooding the entirety of the village to a height of . Although no one lost their lives, the village at Creekmouth was demolished sooner after. Residents were rehoused on the nearby

Thames View Estate Thames View Estate is a large housing estate in Barking and Dagenham in East London, England. History Constructed between 1954 and 1960 by Barking Borough Council, it features 2,000 homes rendering it the largest development constructed by th ...

. Subsequently, the

Barking Creek Barking Creek joins the River Roding to the River Thames. It is fully tidal up to the Barking Barrage (a weir), which impounds a minimum water level through Barking. In the 1850s, the creek was home to England's largest fishing fleet and a Vic ...

tidal barrier was constructed in the early 1980s as part of the wider flood defences of London.

Governance

The local authority is

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It provides a b ...

. The area is within the Thames ward, which returns three councillors. For elections to the London Assembly it is part of the City and East constituency. For elections to the UK Parliament it is within the

constituency.

Geography

The regeneration project, costing £290,000 was started in 2005 and has seen the Environment Agency work in partnership with local charity the Creekmouth Preservation Society to transform disused land at the

Barking Barrier Barking Creek joins the River Roding to the River Thames. It is fully tidal up to the Barking Barrage (a weir), which impounds a minimum water level through Barking. In the 1850s, the creek was home to England's largest fishing fleet and a Vict ...

into a green space.

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

, poet and musician, originally from nearby Barking, helped local children from Thames View Junior School plant over 500 wild flower bulbs at the "Creekmouth Open Space" at the Barking Barrier on 28 November 2007.

Transport

Creekmouth is served by the

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 ...

bus service EL3, which runs between Little Heath and

Barking Riverside Barking Riverside is a mixed-use development in the area of Barking, east London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the River Thames, and ...

and the

routes EL1 and EL2 serve nearby Thames View, to the north of Creekmouth with routes to

, Ilford,

and

A Creekmouth DLR station was proposed on the

extension of the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Londo ...

, however this was cancelled in 2008.

References

External links

Creekmouth Preservation Society - History of an isolated villageGovernment Environment Agency
{{LB Barking & Dagenham Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Districts of London on the River Thames Port of London