Hornchurch Marshes
Hornchurch Marshes | |
---|---|
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 8,831 (Hornchurch Marshes MSOA, E02000491, 2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | TQ 504821 |
• Charing Cross | 13.6 mi (21.9 km) W |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | RAINHAM |
Postcode district | RM13 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Hornchurch Marshes is an area of the
History
The prehistoric vegetation was
The name is recorded as 'Markedich' around 1260 in Hornchurch Priory documents. Hornchurch Marshes were also known as Havering Marsh, reflecting Havering and Hornchurch occupying the same area from an early time.[2]
By the 16th century there were 500 or 600 acres of
It was bounded by three rivers and required constant attention to keep it from flooding.[5] Increasing ownership of the land by people who lived outside of Havering meant that the costs of maintenance of drainage systems and marsh walls fell to those who were locally resident. Flooding of the marsh in 1591 caused by the negligence of William Ayloffe caused a protracted dispute. Repairs following flooding in September 1621 were supervised by Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden.[3]
New Road was built towards the northern limit of the marshes in 1810 by the Tilbury Turnpike Trust, to shorten the distance troops would have to travel to the Tilbury Fort during the Napoleonic War.[6] The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway was built through the north of the area in 1854 with a level crossing at Manor Way and the nearest station at Rainham. Waste arriving by barge from central London and dredging of the River Thames in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was disposed in the marshland and consequently the land is at risk of contamination.[7]
In the 1950s a foundry was built as part of the Ford Dagenham plant land in Hornchurch, covering 200 acres. The area was flooded during the North Sea flood of 1953.[9] Land ownership consolidated as the marshes industrialised, with the Ford Motor Company and the Greater London Council, who now operated the sewage works, owning most of the land in the early 1970s.[10] It became an area of regeneration by the early 21st century and was included in the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. Local planning powers were held by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation from 2004 to 2013.
Geography
The area is bounded by the
Extending into Dagenham is the new residential neighbourhood of
The area is vulnerable to tidal flooding from the River Thames should an extreme flood event occur. Aside from the boundary rivers there are a number of smaller watercourses, including Pooles Sewer and the Havering New Sewer, that ultimately flow into the Thames at Havering Sluice. The Beam and Ingrebourne are also protected from tidal flooding by Beam Sluice and Frog Island Sluice at their outfall. Sections of Thames tidal defence walls also provide flood mitigation.[9]
Economy
The Greater London Authority has designated the whole area as a strategic industrial location, where proposals for development should not compromise accommodating industrial activities. The Fairview Industrial Estate is occupied by over 100 businesses.[12] The area, with the exception of land owned by the Ford Motor Company, is part of the London Riverside business improvement district.
References
- ^ Branch, Nicholas & Batchelor, Christopher & Cameron, Nigel & Coope, G. & Densem, Robin & Gale, Rowena & Green, Christopher & Williams, Alan. (2012). Holocene environmental changes in the Lower Thames Valley, London, UK: Implications for understanding the history of Taxus woodland. The Holocene. 22. 1143–1158. 10.1177/0959683612441805.
- ^ "Survey of English Place-Names:Hornchurch Marshes". Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ a b McIntosh, Marjorie (2002). The Manor and Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower 1500–1620.
- ^ Mackay, C. (1840). The Thames and Its Tributaries: Or, Rambles Among the Rivers. United Kingdom: R. Bentley.
- ^ McIntosh, Marjorie (2002). Autonomy and Community: The Royal Manor of Havering, 1200–1500.
- ^ "The Beam Parkway Linear Park". Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy" (PDF). Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ Proceedings. (1969). United Kingdom: Institution of Civil Engineers.
- ^ a b "Strategic Flood Risk Assessment Update: Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment" (PDF). 21 November 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Hornchurch: Economic history and local government | British History Online". british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ Hornchurch Marshes MSOA, E02000491, 2011 Census
- ^ "Estate Plan". Retrieved 1 January 2023.