Becontree
Encyclopedia
Becontree is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) east north-east of Charing Cross
.
as a large council estate
of 27,000 homes, intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I
. With a population of over 100,000, it remains the largest public housing
development in the world. It is named after the ancient Becontree
hundred, which historically covered the area. When built, the development occupied parts of the parishes of Ilford
, Dagenham
and Barking
, with administration split between the three respective urban district
councils.
The very first house completed, in Chittys Lane, is recognisable by a blue council plate embedded in the wall. Parallel to Chittys Lane runs Valence Avenue, which is wider than the rest of the streets in the district because a temporary railway ran down the centre of the avenue during the construction of the estate; also, a tramway
was foreseen, but was never built. London County Council built the estate to rehouse people from London's East End
, due to slum
clearance. However, the residents were almost all relatively prosperous working class, such as factory workers and busmen. At its completion in the mid 1930s, it was the largest council housing scheme in Europe.
At the time everyone marvelled at having indoor toilets and a private garden, although the sash windows were extremely draughty, there was no insulation in the attics, and during the winter months very few people could afford enough coal to heat the bedrooms. The toilet, bath tap and a tap in the kitchen over a copper boiler which was used for both washing clothes and heating bath water were all fed from a reservoir tank in the attic which invariably froze on winter mornings leaving the toilets unusable. One curious clause in the contract of tenancy stipulated that children born to parents living in Dagenham could not be housed on the estate themselves when the time came for them to establish their own homes.
Over the 15-year period of the building of the estate, the school-aged population rose rapidly to 25,000 while there were only 4 secondary schools nearby: 3 in Chadwell Heath and 1 at Becontree Heath, which meant that many children could not attend school. The first secondary school to be built was "Green Lane" in 1923, but it later became a primary school. It was renamed "Henry Green" in 1953, after the first headmaster after the secondary school opened in 1925.
Privet
hedges (referred to as "evers") were planted along the pavements at the end of every front garden and during the spring and summer months a squad of gardeners were employed to keep them in regulation height. Although the estate regulations stipulated that the gardens must be maintained in order, more than a few degenerated into virtual jungles. However, to encourage the application of this rule, prizes were awarded for the best kept gardens. Initial candidates were selected by the rent collectors during their weekly rounds and a committee decided on the final prizes which ranged from ten shillings consolation prizes up to £20 (an average week's rent in 1953 was about £1 18/- (£1.90)) for the first prize in each ward, plus a notice placed in the centre of the lawn for the benefit of passers-by. Today, nearly all the front gardens have been cemented over to make extra parking space.
The houses were gas lit
until after the war and the old applications remained in place after they were replaced by electricity; that is why the lights in the rooms were always "off-centre" except in the kitchen where the lamp was on the wall near the copper boiler. Gas street light
ing was only replaced by standard lamps in 1957/58. The old gas fixtures even remained under pressure until the installation of North Sea gas
in the early 70's. Initially the LCC was reluctant to agree to the provision of subscriber telephone lines
to the estate as it was considered incongruous for a residents of a subsidised housing scheme to be able to afford such a luxury.
Another improvement was after the 1957 smog
,, when the estate was declared a smokeless zone. The houses had their old fireplace
s converted for use with smokeless fuel, which included fixed gas pokers in the hearths. The elderly man and his wife who lived in Mill Lane, Chadwell Heath
and toured the estate in a horse-drawn cart
on Saturday mornings selling logs and firewood
(mostly tarred wood taken from the East End roads when they were replaced by tarmac
) saw their business collapse overnight.
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking. This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by...
, 11.4 miles (18.3 km) east north-east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
.
Becontree estate
The area was developed between 1921 and 1932 by the London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
as a large council estate
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
of 27,000 homes, intended as "homes for heroes" after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. With a population of over 100,000, it remains the largest public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
development in the world. It is named after the ancient Becontree
Becontree (hundred)
Becontree was an ancient hundred in the south west of the county of Essex, England. Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of London; with its name reused in 1921 for the large Becontree estate of the London County Council...
hundred, which historically covered the area. When built, the development occupied parts of the parishes of Ilford
Municipal Borough of Ilford
Ilford was a civil parish and local government district in south west Essex, England from 1888 to 1965, covering the town Ilford. The district saw a considerable rise in population throughout its life, caused by the expansion of the built-up area of London, and became one of the most populous...
, Dagenham
Municipal Borough of Dagenham
Dagenham was a local government district in south west Essex, England from 1926 to 1965 covering the parish of Dagenham. Initially created as an urban district, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1938...
and Barking
Municipal Borough of Barking
Barking was a local government district in south west Essex, England from 1882 to 1965. It included the town of Barking, eastern Beckton and the south western part of the Becontree estate. The district was within the Metropolitan Police District and experienced a steady increase in population...
, with administration split between the three respective urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
councils.
The very first house completed, in Chittys Lane, is recognisable by a blue council plate embedded in the wall. Parallel to Chittys Lane runs Valence Avenue, which is wider than the rest of the streets in the district because a temporary railway ran down the centre of the avenue during the construction of the estate; also, a tramway
Tramway track
Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. Grooved rails are often used in order to make street running feasible...
was foreseen, but was never built. London County Council built the estate to rehouse people from London's East End
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, due to slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
clearance. However, the residents were almost all relatively prosperous working class, such as factory workers and busmen. At its completion in the mid 1930s, it was the largest council housing scheme in Europe.
At the time everyone marvelled at having indoor toilets and a private garden, although the sash windows were extremely draughty, there was no insulation in the attics, and during the winter months very few people could afford enough coal to heat the bedrooms. The toilet, bath tap and a tap in the kitchen over a copper boiler which was used for both washing clothes and heating bath water were all fed from a reservoir tank in the attic which invariably froze on winter mornings leaving the toilets unusable. One curious clause in the contract of tenancy stipulated that children born to parents living in Dagenham could not be housed on the estate themselves when the time came for them to establish their own homes.
Over the 15-year period of the building of the estate, the school-aged population rose rapidly to 25,000 while there were only 4 secondary schools nearby: 3 in Chadwell Heath and 1 at Becontree Heath, which meant that many children could not attend school. The first secondary school to be built was "Green Lane" in 1923, but it later became a primary school. It was renamed "Henry Green" in 1953, after the first headmaster after the secondary school opened in 1925.
Special features
There is no "town centre" as is generally understood in a typical UK community. The new estate was to have large public houses few and far between, rather than smaller ones close together as in London.Privet
Privet
Privet was originally the name for the European semi-evergreen shrub Ligustrum vulgare, and later also for the more reliably evergreen Ligustrum ovalifolium , used extensively for privacy hedging. It is often suggested that the name privet is related to private, but the OED states that there is no...
hedges (referred to as "evers") were planted along the pavements at the end of every front garden and during the spring and summer months a squad of gardeners were employed to keep them in regulation height. Although the estate regulations stipulated that the gardens must be maintained in order, more than a few degenerated into virtual jungles. However, to encourage the application of this rule, prizes were awarded for the best kept gardens. Initial candidates were selected by the rent collectors during their weekly rounds and a committee decided on the final prizes which ranged from ten shillings consolation prizes up to £20 (an average week's rent in 1953 was about £1 18/- (£1.90)) for the first prize in each ward, plus a notice placed in the centre of the lawn for the benefit of passers-by. Today, nearly all the front gardens have been cemented over to make extra parking space.
The houses were gas lit
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
until after the war and the old applications remained in place after they were replaced by electricity; that is why the lights in the rooms were always "off-centre" except in the kitchen where the lamp was on the wall near the copper boiler. Gas street light
Street light
A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate...
ing was only replaced by standard lamps in 1957/58. The old gas fixtures even remained under pressure until the installation of North Sea gas
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid oil and natural gas, produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea.In the oil industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and the area known as "West of Shetland", "the Atlantic Frontier" or "the...
in the early 70's. Initially the LCC was reluctant to agree to the provision of subscriber telephone lines
Telephone line
A telephone line or telephone circuit is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system...
to the estate as it was considered incongruous for a residents of a subsidised housing scheme to be able to afford such a luxury.
Another improvement was after the 1957 smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
,, when the estate was declared a smokeless zone. The houses had their old fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
s converted for use with smokeless fuel, which included fixed gas pokers in the hearths. The elderly man and his wife who lived in Mill Lane, Chadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, both in Greater London. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
and toured the estate in a horse-drawn cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
on Saturday mornings selling logs and firewood
Wood fuel
Wood fuel is wood used as fuel. The burning of wood is currently the largest use of energy derived from a solid fuel biomass. Wood fuel can be used for cooking and heating, and occasionally for fueling steam engines and steam turbines that generate electricity. Wood fuel may be available as...
(mostly tarred wood taken from the East End roads when they were replaced by tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
) saw their business collapse overnight.
Culture
East London has a long history of brass bands, and Becontree Brass Band was founded in 1981 as an amalgamation of several local bands.Nearest places
- DagenhamDagenhamDagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
- GoodmayesGoodmayesGoodmayes is a district of Ilford in north-east London, England. It is a suburban development in the London Borough of Redbridge and forms part of the Ilford post town, situated approximately two miles to the east of Ilford town centre....
- IlfordIlfordIlford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
- Castle GreenCastle Green, LondonCastle Green is a park and suburb in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, United Kingdom. The locality is close to Creekmouth and is part of the Becontree estate....
Nearest tube stations
- Becontree tube stationBecontree tube stationBecontree Station is a London Underground station on the District Line, located in Becontree. The station is in Zone 5.The station was opened in 1932, when the electrified District Line was extended to Upminster, replacing Gale Street Halt which was built by the London, Tilbury and Southend...
- Dagenham East tube stationDagenham East tube stationDagenham East is a London Underground station on the District line, located in the suburb of Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The station is in Zone 5 and is located between Dagenham Heathway to the west and Elm Park to the east. The station has moderate usage for a...
- Dagenham Heathway tube stationDagenham Heathway tube stationDagenham Heathway is a London Underground station on the District line, located in Dagenham. It is in Zone 5.The station was opened in 1932 and is of similar design to Upney and Elm Park with the platforms arranged on a central island with a long sloping walkway connection to the ticket hall...