Gidea Park
| Gidea Park | |
 Raphael public park in Gidea Park |
|
  Gidea Park |
|
| OS grid reference | TQ525905 |
|---|---|
| – Charing Cross | 15.2 mi (24.5 km) ENE |
| London borough | Havering |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROMFORD |
| Postcode district | RM2 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Romford |
| London Assembly | Havering and Redbridge |
Coordinates: 51°35′33″N 0°12′09″E / 51.5926°N 0.2025°E
Gidea Park (/ˈɡɪdⁱə.pɑːrk/) is a neighbourhood near Romford in the London Borough of Havering, east London. Predominantly affluent and residential, it was originally known as Romford Garden Suburb.
Locale
Gidea Park is south-west of the Gallows Corner junction where the A12, A127 and A118 roads meet. It is approximately 15 miles (24 km) north-east of Charing Cross.
Romford is a large town to the south-west of Gidea Park; Ardleigh Green is to the east, and Emerson Park and Hornchurch are to the south.
History
Romford Garden Suburb was constructed in 1910–11 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores estates as an exhibition of town planning. Small cottages and houses were designed by more than 100 architects, many of them of considerable reputation. A competition was held to select the best town planning scheme for the suburb; the best designs for houses resulted in those being sold at a well-above average £500 and cottages at £375. The project, including a new railway station on the Great Eastern Main Line out of London, was promoted by a company founded by three Liberal Members of Parliament who had links with the Hampstead Garden Suburb development: Herbert Raphael, John Tudor Walters (both later knighted) and Charles McCurdy.[1]
Known as the exhibition houses, and set in their garden suburb, the houses are fine examples of the domestic architecture of their time. Six of them are now Grade II listed buildings (the initial category of architectural recognition). Further houses, mostly of contemporary flat-roofed design, were built in 1934–35 in Heath Drive, Brook Road, and Eastern Avenue for a Modern Homes Exhibition. One such house (No. 64, Heath Drive) by Berthold Lubetkin's Tecton Group architectural group was the special responsibility of Francis Skinner and is now Grade II listed.[2] The area was provided with a parish church in the form of St Michael's Church, Gidea Park in 1931.[3]
Society and leisure
The Royal Liberty School in Upper Brentwood Road was the first school in Britain (and possibly in Europe) to install an electronic computer (an Elliot 903), in 1965.
Romford Hockey Club is based in Gidea Park. It is also the location of Gidea Park Lawn Tennis Club, Romford Golf Club, and two public parks: Lodge Farm Park and Raphael Park. There are also a number of pubs, restaurants and a library.
Essex County Cricket Club played first-class cricket at the Gidea Park Sports Ground between 1950 and 1968.
Education
Transport links
Gidea Park railway station in Travelcard zone 6 is on the Great Eastern Main Line, with stopping services running between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. On Sundays there are also semi-fast services to and from Southend Victoria.[4] From 2019, Gidea Park will be fully served by Crossrail, linking it to additional stations in central London as well as Heathrow Airport and Reading.[5]
Romford railway station is close and is also on the Great Eastern Main Line and sees additional express and stopping services to and from Liverpool Street; it is also the terminus of a branch line to Upminster via Emerson Park.[6]
A number of London Buses routes run through Gidea Park towards Romford, Lakeside Shopping Centre, Dagenham, Harold Hill, Harold Wood, Gallows Corner and Brentwood.[7]
References
- ↑ W.R.Powell, ed. (1978). "Romford: Introduction". A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7. pp. 58–66. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ↑ "English Heritage listed building entry for 64 Heath Drive". English Heritage. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ↑ http://stmichaelsgideapark.org.uk/our-history/
- ↑ https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/gdp
- ↑ https://tfl.gov.uk/hub/stop/910GGIDEAPK/gidea-park-rail-station/
- ↑ https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/rmf
- ↑ https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/
External links
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