Romford was a local government district in southwest
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 ...
from 1851 to 1965 around the town of
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 ...
.Vision of Britain Romford UD/MBhistoric map It was significantly expanded in 1934 and gained the status of
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 population density of the district consistently increased during its existenceVision of Britain Romford populationarea an density and its former area now corresponds to the northern part of the London Borough of Havering in
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
.
Background and formation
Romford had formed a chapelry in the historic
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 ...
, becoming a civil parish in its own right in 1849. In 1851 a
local board of health
A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...
was set up for the parish; although its area was reduced in 1855 to cover only the southwest part of the parish covering the town. The local board convened at St Edward's Hall in Laurie Square from 1851 to 1853 and used the old liberty court house from 1853 to 1869. From 1869 it was based in offices in the marketplace and finally purchased the old court house in 1892. In 1894 the local board's area became Romford
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 ...
as part of the
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...
. This caused the parish to be divided into ''Romford Urban'' and ''Romford Rural'', with the outer part becoming a component of
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
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 ...
.Vision of Britain Romford RDhistoric map ) The urban district council continued to meet at the old court house until it was demolished in 1933. The Romford urban district was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1937 and the council moved to a new town hall on
Main Road
A "main road" may refer to:
* A major road in a town or village, or in a country area.
* A highway
* A trunk road, especially in British English
Main Road may refer to:
* Main Road, Hobart, Australia
* Main Road, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
* Main ...
(formerly Hare Street).
Civic works
The local board purchased
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 ...
in 1892. Public swimming baths were provided in Mawney Road in 1900.
Abolition
The
Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London
The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, also known as the Herbert Commission, was established in 1957 and published its report in 1960. The report made recommendations for the overhaul of the administration of the capital. They ...
considered the borough for inclusion in Greater London and in 1965 the municipal borough was abolished by 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 ...
. Its former area was transferred to Greater London from Essex and combined with that of
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 ...
to form the present-day
London Borough of 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 ...
.
Population
Gallery
Image:Havering town hall london entrance.jpg, Romford Town Hall entrance
File:Romford hornchurch boundary marker.JPG, Boundary marker at Roneo Corner