Romford is a large suburban town in East London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 14.1 miles (22.7 km) north east of Charing Cross and is one of ten major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.[1]. Romford was in the county of Essex before the creation of Greater London in 1965, and was one of the three parishes which formed the ancient Liberty of Havering.
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History
Romford has been a market town since 1247, and it holds the exclusive right to hold markets over an area of radius "six and two thirds miles" centred on Romford, a right granted in mediæval times but successfully used to prevent nearby Ilford from opening a market as recently as the 1990s. Romford shopping centre grew up around the original marketplace, on the line of the old Roman road from London to Colchester. The Liberty Shopping Centre has recently been expanded and modernised by the Romford revival programme in order to compete with out-of-town shopping centres such as the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex and Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. A large swimming pool and leisure centre called The Dolphin which closed in 1995 was recently demolished to make way for further expansion of the shopping centre and the addition of 230 modern flats. The town has been associated with a ford over a small stream which flows through it, now known as the River Rom, a 'back-formation' from the name of the town. Romford is first recorded in 1177 as Romfort, which is formed from 'rūm' and 'ford' and means "the wide or spacious ford".[2] The principal industry in the area for much of its history has been the Star Brewery, established in 1708 and much expanded after the coming of the railways in 1839.[3] The former site has been redeveloped as the The Brewery Shopping Centre.[4]
Local government
Romford was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Liberty of Havering.[5] The liberty was abolished in 1892. In 1894, the Local Government Act 1894 created the Romford Urban District of Essex, which covered what is today the core of the town. From 1894 to 1934 Romford Rural District covered a vast area surrounding, but not including, Romford itself. In 1934, after increasing urbanisation of the area, the rural district was abolished and the urban district expanded. In 1937 the expanded district gained further status as the Municipal Borough of Romford.[6] In 1965, the municipal borough was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and its former area was transferred to Greater London to form part of the present-day London Borough of Havering.[7]
Politics
Romford is part of the Havering and Redbridge London Assembly constituency. The present MP for the Romford constituency is Andrew Rosindell, a native of the town.
Sport and leisure
Romford is home to the Romford Raiders ice hockey team, who play at the Romford Ice Arena. Local sports club included Romford Hockey Club and there is greyhound racing at Romford Greyhound Stadium. Originally formed in 1876, Romford F.C. was re-formed in 1992. From 1969 to 1971, Romford's Brooklands Stadium was the home of the Romford Bombers speedway team.[8] Romford Hockey Club is located nearby in Gidea Park. Romford is home to the current UK champion marching band, the Royal British Legion Band & Corps Of Drums Romford. Romford is also the location of Romford Skatepark, know internationally by the name 'Rom skatepark'.
Transport
Romford railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line and is served by regular stopping, and occasionally fast, services to Liverpool Street in the City. Romford is a hub on the London Bus network with services to Canning Town, Stratford, Leytonstone and Dagenham as well as feeder services from the large housing developments which surround it such as Collier Row and Harold Hill[9] and is the terminus of London Buses route 370 from Lakeside. The trunk A12 passes to the north of Romford while the A118 from Stratford connects with it at Gallows Corner and the start of the A127. Romford station is the alighting point for Havering College of Further and Higher Education in Ardleigh Green.
Future
Romford station is planned to be served by the Crossrail scheme. A depot planned to be located in the area received local opposition and it has been proposed that it will be relocated to Ilford.[10] It is also planned that Romford will be served by a future extension of the East London Transit.[11]
Nearest places
Romford is contiguous with Chadwell Heath to the west, Collier Row to the north, Gidea Park to the east and Hornchurch to the south east. Nearby places also include Dagenham, Barking, Ilford, Upminster, Hainault and Becontree.
Education
Famous residents
Romford is the birth place of a large number of sporting professionals, including the footballers Tony Adams, Lee Barnard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, David Martin, Ray Parlour, Stuart Taylor, Nicky Shorey and racing driver Johnny Herbert. Musicians from the town include the singers Chris Andrews, Imogen Heap, Jo O'Meara of S Club 7, actress and singer, Millicent Martin, RnB keyboard player Graham Bond, Tony Connor, drummer with Hot Chocolate and Audience (band) and bassist Cliff Williams, of AC/DC. British Pop group Five Star were born, raised and attended school in Romford. They left the area for Berkshire in 1987 and now live separately in London and California, USA. Underworld was founded in Romford in the 1980s and the band still lives there. Their most famous song Born Slippy .NUXX refers to Romford. World famous boxing champion Apollo Creed spent some time in the 1980s living in Romford. Actor Nick Frost also hails from Romford. Literary and artistic figures from Romford include the poet Francis Quarles, the artist Charles Taylor and novelist Edward Upward. The sculptor John Kaufman lived here for many years. Television presenter Richard Madeley and reporter Jeff Randall are also from the town. Colonel Blood, the man who attempted to steal the Crown Jewels, ran an apothecary's shop in Romford Market at one stage in his career.
In media
The town centre has been used as a filming location for adverts and music videos. It is the home of fictional hospital, Darkplace, which featured in spoof comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Ian Dury a regular visitor to Romford from nearby Upminster set the b-side Razzle In My Pocket here. Underworld make multiple references to Romford in their songs including Born Slippy and Dirty Epic.
Gallery
 Havering Town Hall is in Romford |
 The landmark Axis development |
 The market place |
 The market place looking East |
References
- ^ The London Plan - East London Sub Regional Development Framework (PDF)
- ^ Mills, D., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2000)
- ^ British History Online - Romford Economic History, (1978)
- ^ Havering London Borough Council - Romford Town Centre
- ^ Vision of Britain - Havering atte Bower liberty
- ^ Vision of Britain - Romford Municipal Borough history
- ^ Vision of Britain - Havering London Borough formation
- ^ Romford Bombers - History of Romford's speedway team
- ^ Transport for London - Bus services from Romford (PDF)
- ^ Crossrail - Revised depot and stabling strategy
- ^ Transport for London - East London Transit
External links
- Romford Now and Then — a visual guide to Romford and its history.
- A history of Romford through Trade Directories - A history of Romford through Trade Directories
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Ardleigh Green · Collier Row · Elm Park · Emerson Park · Gidea Park · Harold Hill · Harold Wood · Havering-atte-Bower · Hornchurch · Rainham · Romford · Upminster
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| Parks and open spaces in Havering | ||
