The London Borough of Havering () in

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, England, forms part of

Outer London Outer London is the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The population at the 2021 Census was 5,395,500, which means over 60% o ...

. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, while other communities include

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient par ...

Upminster Upminster is a suburb of east London, England, in the London Borough of Havering, northeast of Charing Cross. Historically a rural village, it formed an ancient parish in the Chafford hundred of the county of Essex. The economic history of ...

Collier Row Collier Row is a neighbourhood to the north of Romford in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. It is a suburban development located northeast of Charing Cross. History Its name originates from charcoal burners which use ...

and Rainham. The borough is mainly suburban, with large areas of

protected open space An open space reserve (also called open space preserve, open space reservation, and green space) is an area of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside. The purpose of an open space reserve may include ...

. Romford is a major retail and night time entertainment centre, and to the south the borough extends into the

London Riverside The London Riverside is a redevelopment area on the north side of the River Thames in East London, England. The area was identified as a zone of change following the introduction of the Thames Gateway policy in 1995. Proposals for improvements i ...

redevelopment area of the

Thames Gateway Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...

. The name Havering is a reference to the

Royal Liberty of Havering Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London. The manor was in the possession of the Crown from the 11th t ...

which occupied the area for several centuries. The local authority is

Havering London Borough Council Havering London Borough Council, also known as Havering Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering in Greater London, England. It is a London boroughs#London borough councils, London borough council, one of 32 in London. T ...

. It is the easternmost London borough. The neighbouring districts (clockwise from south) are the London boroughs of

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

(across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. The borough was created in 1965 as the London Borough of Barking; the name was changed in 1980. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London R ...

and Redbridge, the

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

districts of

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the Lond ...

and Brentwood, and the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River ...

History

Early history

Modern settlement originated in

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

times when it consisted of

Havering Palace Havering Palace was an old royal residence in England, in the village of Havering-atte-Bower (formerly in Essex, since 1965 in the London Borough of Havering). It was built before 1066 but abandoned in 1686. By 1816 no walls remained above grou ...

and the surrounding lands that belonged to the king. The palace itself is known to have existed since at least the reign of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

when it was one of his primary residences. The area formed a

liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

from 1465 which included the parishes of Havering-atte-Bower, Hornchurch and Romford. The name Havering appears in documents from around the 12th century. The origins of this name have been debated by historians since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

when it was linked to the legend of

and a mystical ring returned to him by Saint

John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...

. This event has been commemorated in stained glass (from about 1407) in a chapel at Romford dedicated to the king.

Settlement

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

and fast

rail services Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

resulted in considerable residential land use mixed with designated parklands and farmland under the planning policy of the predecessor local authorities and current authority during the 20th century and into the early 21st century. The development of the borough came in two distinct phases. The first

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

suburban developments were built in the late Victorian and Edwardian period. The garden suburbs of Upminster, Emerson Park and Gidea Park (also known as Romford Garden Suburb) were spurred on by the building of the railway lines through Havering from Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street in the late 19th century. In the 1930s the District Line was electrified and extended to Upminster with new stations at

Elm Park Elm Park is a suburban planned community in East London and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several streets of shops and a priority f ...

and

Upminster Bridge Upminster Bridge is a crossing of the River Ingrebourne carrying the A124 road between the suburbs of Hornchurch and Upminster in northeast London, England. The bridge is known to have existed since at least 1375 and the current brick bridge was ...

. Also at this time new industries near the area such as the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

plant at

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Fo ...

caused a new wave of mostly

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

developments along the route of the new Underground line. In addition to this, to the north of the borough, the large housing estates of

Harold Hill Harold Hill is a suburban area in the London Borough of Havering, East London. northeast of Charing Cross. It is a district centre in the London Plan. The name refers to King Harold II, who held the manor of Havering-atte-Bower, and who wa ...

and

were constructed to deal with the chronic housing shortages and early

slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...

programmes in central London.

Administrative history

The borough was created in 1965 under the

London Government Act 1963 The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...

, covering the combined area of the former

Municipal Borough of Romford Romford was a local government district in southwest Essex from 1851 to 1965 around the town of Romford.Vision of Britain Romford UD/MB

and

Hornchurch Urban District Hornchurch was a local government district in southwest Essex from 1926 to 1965, formed as an Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district for the civil parish of Hornchurch. It was greatly expanded in 1934 with the addition of Cran ...

. The area was transferred from

to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs. Romford had been a local board district from 1851. It was converted into an

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

in 1894, was enlarged in 1934 to take in the neighbouring parishes of

Havering-atte-Bower Havering-atte-Bower ( ) is a village in Greater London, England, in the far north of the London Borough of Havering. The village lies northeast of Charing Cross. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Libe ...

and

Noak Hill Noak Hill is a village in outer East London, in the London Borough of Havering. It is located 17.1 miles northeast of Charing Cross. History Noak Hill was a ward in the ancient parish of Hornchurch. By the 16th century, it had come under the con ...

, and was incorporated to become a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1937. The parish of

had been made an urban district in 1926, which was enlarged in 1934 to take in the parishes of

Cranham Cranham is a residential area of east London, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and comprises an extensive built-up area to the north and a low density conservation area to the south sur ...

Great Warley Great Warley (also known as Warley Abbess, Warley Magna, Warley Wallet or West Warley) is a village located south of Brentwood, Essex, England. Great Warley was formerly a parish, but today comes under the Warley ward in the Borough of Brentwood ...

, Rainham,

and Wennington. The new borough was named after the former

, which had covered a similar area.

Districts

This pattern of the 'garden suburb' with inter- and post-war private housing developments occurred widely across the borough, with small estates of

social housing Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

representing a low percentage of housing in any single council ward; six of the 30

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ''ward (subnational entity), ward'' is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil pa ...

with fewer than 2% social housing are in the borough: Hylands, Mawneys, Pettits, Hacton and the two wards forming

, Cranham and Upminster Ward. Plans to extend existing developments in much of the borough are blocked as open land is protected as part of the

Metropolitan Green Belt The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...

. In contrast, the southern part of Havering adjacent to the Thames is within the

section of the

redevelopment area. New open spaces and large scale house building to provide an entirely new residential community is planned. The most built-up areas are the traditional garden suburb districts of

Emerson Park Emerson Park is a suburban neighbourhood in the London Borough of Havering, east London. The neighbourhood developed as two large housing estates built on the estate of Nelmes manor in the parish of Hornchurch. Emerson Park estate to the south ...

Gidea Park Gidea Park () is a neighbourhood in the east of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, south-east England. Predominantly an affluent and residential area, it was historically located in the county of Essex. It saw significant expansion in t ...

Harold Wood Harold Wood is a suburban neighbourhood in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is situated east-northeast of Charing Cross. Harold Wood was part of the ancient parish of Hornchurch, which became the Liberty of Havering. Most o ...

and

. These places have developed over the last hundred years to form a large area of continuous

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

with indistinct boundaries. A 2017 study found that, when comparing low-end rent to low-end earnings, private rented housing in Havering is the most affordable of any London borough. Named neighbourhoods are the developments of

Ardleigh Green Ardleigh Green is an area in east London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. It is east-northeast of Charing Cross. This part of London is predominantly residential. History Toponymy The place is an enlargement of a hamlet of ...

Chase Cross Chase Cross is a district of the London Borough of Havering in London, England. Chase Cross lies east of Collier Row, northeast of Charing Cross and just under north of Romford. The name is thought to come from its position as a crossroads in ...

, Rainham. The borough's

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

s with green buffers of farmland or parkland are: *

North Ockendon North Ockendon is the easternmost settlement of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is east-northeast of Central London and consists of a dispersed settlement within the Metropolitan Green Belt. It was histo ...

* Wennington

Governance

The local authority is Havering Council, based at

Havering Town Hall Havering Town Hall is a municipal building in Main Road, Romford, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Havering London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History In the second half of the 19th century the local board ...

(formerly Romford Town Hall) in Romford. Havering London UK blank ward map 2022

Havering elects 55 councillors from 20 wards:

Greater London representation

For elections to the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

, the borough formed the

Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, Lo ...

electoral division, electing three members. In 1973 it was divided into the single-member

and

electoral divisions. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986. Since 2000, for elections to the

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds supermajority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject t ...

, the borough forms part of the

Havering and Redbridge Havering and Redbridge is a territorial constituency represented on the London Assembly by one Assembly Member (AM). The constituency was created in 2000 at the same time as the London Assembly and has elections every four years. It consists of ...

constituency.

UK Parliament

Until 2010 the borough was split between the

parliamentary constituencies An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

and

with the three constituencies entirely within the borough. At the

2010 United Kingdom general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect 650 Members of Parliament (or MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The first to be held after the minimum age for candidates was ...

, the boundaries of these constituencies changed to a new

Hornchurch and Upminster Hornchurch and Upminster is a constituency in Greater London most recently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Julia Lopez, a member of the Conservative Party, who succeeded Angela Watkinson in 2017. Watkinson had been e ...

constituency and Rainham became part of the new cross-borough

Dagenham and Rainham Dagenham and Rainham is a parliamentary constituency in Greater London that was created in 2010. It has been represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 2024 by Margaret Mullane and was previously represented from 2010 by J ...

constituency.

Demography

In 2011, the borough had a population of 237,232 over . Havering has a lower population density than other London Boroughs as large areas are parkland and (more than half the borough) is

protected land. Those areas of development are extensive but rarely intensive. It has, at 4.5%, a below average unemployment rate for Greater London, and one of the lowest crime rates. Havering has a significantly higher proportion of residents in white ethnic groups than other outer London boroughs (87.7% – 2011 census). The Black African population is the most significant minority ethnic group in Havering (3.2%). The Upminster ward of the borough is the third least ethnically diverse in Greater London, with a Simpson's diversity index of 1.10.

Ethnicity

Ethnic makeup of Havering by single year ages in 2021

Ethnic demography of the London Borough of Havering over time 01

Religion

Religious makeup of Havering by single year age groups in 2021

The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Havering.

Economy

There are over 7,000 businesses based in Havering. Romford is the main

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

hub of the borough with a small district of mainly office development close to the railway station. There is also some

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

to the south between Rainham and the

such as Rainham Steel headquarters on the boundary of Elm Park. Light industry elsewhere in the borough has been in decline, with major employers such as the former

Star Brewery The Star Brewery was a brewery in Romford, England. For much of its history, it was a main industry London Development Agency The London Development Agency (LDA) was from July 2000 until 2012 the regional development agency for the Greater London, London region in England. A functional body of the Greater London Authority, its purpose was to drive sustainable economic ...

(now

GLA Land and Property GLA Land and Property (GLAP) is a subsidiary company of the Greater London Authority. It was formed on 1 April 2012 as a replacement for the London Development Agency (LDA) as an arms length corporate body to take on the assets of the LDA and ot ...

), with the opening of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. The main retail district is also located in Romford with several interconnected or neighbouring shopping arcades including the

Liberty Shopping Centre The Liberty, formally named The Liberty Shopping Centre, is a covered shopping centre in Romford, London, England, the largest such centre in the town. It was originally built in 1968 and underwent a four-year redevelopment completed in 2003. T ...

, the Mercury Mall, and the

Brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

Romford Market Romford Market is a large outdoor retail market located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering, England. The market right was established by royal order in 1247. Rival markets are prohibited within . Governance of the market was strengthen ...

is located to the north of Romford and is the largest market within the borough and in the surrounding area. Hornchurch and Upminster are the other main retail centres with extensive high street shopping areas. Romford has a developed night-time economy with one of the highest concentrations of bars and nightclubs anywhere in Greater London outside the West End with public transport radiating into all parts of the borough. Havering London Borough Council applied to the Government to allow a 'super-casino' to be built in the south of the borough, however the application was rejected in May 2006.

Transport

Roads

The

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major ring road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 th ...

forms part of the borough boundary to the east with

the only settlement to fall outside. The A12 (near

) and the A13 (near Rainham) are the main trunk radial routes from central London and are located to the north and south of the borough respectively. The

A127 The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a tru ...

trunk route to Southend begins at

Gallows Corner Gallows Corner is a major road junction in Romford in Greater London, England. It was the site of the gallows of the Liberty of Havering, hence the name. History During the 18th century, Gallows Corner was a copse-sided part of the road and, ...

; which also forms the eastern end of the A118 local artery from Stratford. The A124 local artery from Canning Town terminates at Upminster. HaveringLU

Public transport

The

District line The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road tube station (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines), Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One br ...

of the

runs roughly east–west through the middle of the borough and there is an extensive network of

London Bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London ...

routes, linking all districts to Romford and other places beyond the borough. The

London, Tilbury and Southend line The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the Rail transport in Great Britain, British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central ...

(operated by

c2c Trenitalia c2c, trading as c2c, is a British train operating company that operates commuter services from its London terminus at to parts of East London and south Essex along the London, Tilbury and Southend line, as part of the Essex Thame ...

) passes through the borough in two places and the

Great Eastern Main Line The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...

passes through the north of the borough serving

, Gidea Park and Harold Wood.

Elizabeth line The Elizabeth line is a railway line that runs across Greater London and nearby towns, operating similarly to the Réseau Express Régional, RER in Paris and the S-Bahn systems of German-speaking countries. It runs services on dedicated infras ...

runs stopping services via the GEML, and

Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...

operate non-stop services running straight through these stations. There is also a

branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...

from

which is currently operated by

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

. There are proposals for transport improvements in the south of the borough where the population is expected to rise.

Modernisation of railway transport in Havering

In May 2015, stopping services operated by

Abellio Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city se ...

at the time, were replaced by

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

's new railway service,

TfL Rail TfL Rail was the concession which operated commuter services on two separate railway lines in London, England and its environs whilst the Crossrail construction project linking these lines was underway. It ran from 2015 until May 2022, upon t ...

. These services ran new Class 345 trains, and occasionally some older Class 315 services. In May 2022, TfL Rail was rebranded as

, and all Class 315 trains were scrapped.

Travel to work

In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 31.8% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 11.9%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 6.3%; bus, minibus or coach, 5.1%; on foot, 4.1%; work mainly at or from home, 2.4%; passenger in a car or van, 2.1%.

Media

The local newspapers in Havering are The Havering Daily and the

Romford Recorder The ''Romford Recorder'' is a local newspaper for the town of Romford, the principal town of the East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. Ea ...

. Bedrock Radio is a charity run community health & Hospital radio station located within the

Queen's Hospital Queen's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Romford in the London Borough of Havering. It was built on the site of the former Oldchurch Park, a short distance south of the town centre. It was opened in 2006 and serves a population of about ...

. The first Hospital Radio Service In Havering began broadcasting in 1964 as Harold Wood Radio. Today, Bedrock Radio serves the community by broadcasting online and to Queen's,

King George King George may refer to: People Monarchs ;Bohemia *George of Bohemia (1420-1471, r. 1458-1471), king of Bohemia ;Duala people of Cameroon * George (Duala king) (late 18th century), king of the Duala people ;Georgia *George I of Georgia (998 or ...

Goodmayes Goodmayes is an area in Ilford, in East London, England. It is a ward of the London Borough of Redbridge, eleven miles north-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of both the Romford and Ilford post towns. Historically part of Essex, it was part ...

Hospitals and features information about the Hospitals and

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

services, promotes charitable and community organisations and has an extensive local events guide featuring community non-profit events. Time 107.5 FM is the commercial radio station broadcasting to Havering and surrounding areas and features local news.

Places of interest

*''

The Diver ''The Diver'' (full name:''The Diver:Regeneration'') is a sculpture by John Kaufman located in the River Thames at Rainham, east London. ''The Diver'' is made of galvanised steel bands on a steel frame and is tall and approximately wide a ...

'' * Brookside Theatre *

Langtons Langtons House and Langtons Gardens are a grade II listed 18th century house and landscaped gardens located in Hornchurch, in the London Borough of Havering, Greater London. The house and gardens became local authority property in 1929 and are ...

* Queen's Theatre * RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre *

Rainham Hall Rainham Hall is a Grade II* listed building, listed Georgian architecture, Georgian house, owned by the National Trust, in Rainham, London, Rainham, in the London Borough of Havering. Built in 1729 for Captain John Harle, the house was transfe ...

–

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

house in Rainham *

Romford Garden Suburb Romford Garden Suburb (otherwise known as the Gidea Park Exhibition Estate), is a late-Edwardian housing development in Gidea Park, in the London Borough of Havering. The object of the new suburb, which was built on land belonging to Gidea Hall, ...

* Upminster Windmill * Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia

Sport and leisure

The London Borough of Havering has several sporting clubs: * Football **

Romford F.C. Romford Football Club is an English football club based in Romford, Greater London. The club are currently members of the and play at Mayesbrook Park in Dagenham, East London History The original Romford was established in 1876. They reached ...

, a

Non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

club who play at Rookery Hill, Corringham. **

A.F.C. Hornchurch Hornchurch Football Club is a football club based in Upminster, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Hornchurch Stadium. History 1881 club The first Hornchurch Football Club was founded in October 1881. Based at Grey To ...

, a

club who play at Hornchurch Stadium * Ice hockey **

Romford Raiders Raiders IHC is an ice hockey team based in Romford, participating in the National Division of the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), the second tier of British ice hockey. They were known as the Romford Raiders when they were based at the Rom ...

, an ice hockey team who play at

Romford Ice Arena Romford Ice Arena was an ice rink located in Romford in the London Borough of Havering, England. The venue was built in the 1980s and at the time of opening in 1987 was equipped with a full range of facilities, including a cafe and arcade games. ...

. * Field hockey ** Havering Hockey Club, who play at Campion school

Twinning

Havering is twinned with: *

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...

, Germany *

Hesdin Hesdin (; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in northern France. On 1 January 2025, it was merged into the new commune of Hesdin-la-Forêt. Geography The N39, from Arras to Montreuil ...

, France

Education

The Borough is the education authority for the district providing education in a mix of

foundation Foundation(s) or The Foundation(s) may refer to: Common uses * Foundation (cosmetics), a skin-coloured makeup cream applied to the face * Foundation (engineering), the element of a structure which connects it to the ground, and transfers loads f ...

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

and

voluntary aided A voluntary aided school (VA school) is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust (usually a religious organisation) contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school. In m ...

schools. There are also a number of

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. Havering Adult College provides part-time day, evening and weekend adult education (19+) from sites throughout the borough.

Havering Sixth Form College Havering Sixth Form College (alternatively styled Havering VI Form College), abbreviated as HSFC, is a sixth form college in Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering, East London, England. It is part of the New City College ...

provides sixth form education for pupils of borough schools as well as those who are resident in the borough.

Havering College of Further and Higher Education Havering College of Further and Higher Education is a college founded in 1947 in the London Borough of Havering that provides part-time and full-time education to students aged 14+. History Following the introduction of the Education Act 1944, ...

provides part-time and full-time education to students aged 14+. A 2017 study by

Trust for London On 10 August 1878 a royal commission was established to investigate the parochial charities. It reported on 12 March 1880, which led to the City of London Parochial Charities Act 1883. This provided that the five largest parishes should continue t ...

and the

New Policy Institute The New Policy Institute, often shortened to just NPI, is a British think tank based in London. It was established in 1996, and focusses on social and economic issues from a progressive perspective. History The New Policy Institute was founded ...

found that 52% of adults in Havering lack Level 3 Qualifications (A Level equivalent) – the worst level of any London borough. 44% of 19 year olds in Havering also lacked these qualifications – the second worst level in the capital.

Health Care

The Borough of Havering is serviced by The Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. Provisions of Accident and Emergency from Queens Hospital, Romford. During the 2019/2020 financial year Queens hospital received 309,551 patients into the A&E department.

References

External links

Council website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Havering, London Borough Of London boroughs 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom Local authorities adjoining the River Thames