Romford

Romford
Clockwise from top: Parish Church of St Edward the Confessor; Havering Town Hall; South Street; Havering Museum (former Ind Coope brewery); The Liberty Shopping Centre
Romford is located in Greater London
Romford
Romford
Location within Greater London
Population122,854 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ510887
• Charing Cross14.1 mi (22.7 km) SW
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townROMFORD
Postcode districtRM1-RM7
Dialling code01708
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°34′36″N 0°10′48″E / 51.5768°N 0.1801°E / 51.5768; 0.1801

Romford is a large town in East London, England, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major metropolitan centres of Greater London identified in the London Plan.[2]

Historically part of the ancient parish of Hornchurch in the Becontree hundred of Essex, it has been a market town since 1247. It formed the administrative centre of the liberty of Havering until that liberty was dissolved in 1892, and became a civil parish of its own in 1849.[3][4] Good road links to London and the opening of the railway station in 1839 were key to the development of the town.[3] The economic history of Romford is characterised by a shift from agriculture to light industry and then to retail and commerce.[3]

As part of the suburban growth of London throughout the 20th century, Romford significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1937. In 1965, following reform of local government in London, it merged with the Hornchurch Urban District to form the London Borough of Havering, and was incorporated into Greater London.[5][6][7] Today, it is one of the largest commercial, retail, entertainment and leisure districts in London and has a well-developed night-time economy.[8][9] The population of Romford, as of the 2011 census, was 122,854.[10]

  1. ^ Romford is made up of 9 wards in the London Borough of Havering: Brooklands, Gooshays, Harold Wood, Havering Park, Heaton, Mawneys, Pettits, Romford Town, and Squirrel's Heath. "2011 Census Ward Population Estimates | London DataStore". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  2. ^ Mayor of London (February 2008). "London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004)" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Powell, W.R. (Edr.) (1978). Romford: Economic History, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7. Victoria County History. British History Online. Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  4. ^ Powell, W.R. (Edr.) (1978). The liberty of Havering-atte-Bower, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7. Victoria County History. British History Online. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference population_new was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference vob_romford_mb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Young, K. & Garside, P. (1982). Metropolitan London: Politics and Urban Change 1837-1981. Edward Arnold. ISBN 9780713163315.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference urban_strategy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Mayor of London (June 2006). "Managing the Night Time Economy" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  10. ^ "2011 Census Ward Population Estimates | London DataStore". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.