IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Groveway, DAGENHAM, RM8 3XJ

Looking north.

At the junction with Lindisfarne Road

Flats of this vintage are not common on the Becontree Estate as it was mostly constructed between the world wars. TQ4786 has just about the least green space of any grid square on the estate it being almost equidistant from Valance Park in the East and Goodmayes park in the West

The London County Council decided to build the Becontree Estate to house many of the people from the East End of London displaced by slum clearance schemes. Barking and Dagenham, being almost flat and well-drained, offered an ideal site. Between 1920 and 1922 the LCC acquired 3,000 acres of land in Barking and Dagenham, as well as adjoining parts of Ilford, using compulsory purchase powers. Building started almost straight away, at first centred near Goodmayes and Chadwell Heath, and from 1923 around Dagenham Village. These centres soon joined up, and building continued until 1934. By 1932 the population had grown to 103,328 from 2,086 in 1922. Before development took place, most traces of the former landscape were obliterated. All the former farmhouses were demolished with the sole exception of Valence House which was saved when it was purchased from the LCC in 1926 by Dagenham Urban District Council. The landscape was largely devoid of trees and so it is difficult to find any tree within the Becontree Estate which pre-dates the development, other than those in the grounds of Valence House and Parsloes Park. There was a new layout of geometrically designed roads, sometimes with central reservations as here in Valence Avenue. Some of the pre-existing roads such as Wood Lane and Bennett's Castle Lane were retained, but others such as Gale Street and Broad Street were rerouted or lost.

This was the very last normal service journey by the iconic London Transport RT Type. The RT was introduced in 1938 and was the epitome of the standard red London bus. The last examples were built in 1954, so those that lasted to the end were at least 25 years old, an unusual longevity with a single operator. This particular vehicle, RT624, was actually built in 1948, although with the London Transport overhaul regime it is difficult to know exactly what of the original bus was represented 30 years later. As befits its historic status as the last of its kind in service, it has been preserved, currently (2022) by Ensign Bus, where it is available for hire.

The London County Council decided to build the Becontree Estate to house many of the people from the East End of London displaced by slum clearance schemes. Barking and Dagenham, being almost flat and well-drained, offered an ideal site. Between 1920 and 1922 the LCC acquired 3,000 acres of land in Barking and Dagenham, as well as adjoining parts of Ilford, using compulsory purchase powers. Building started almost straight away, at first centred near Goodmayes and Chadwell Heath, and from 1923 around Dagenham Village. These centres soon joined up, and building continued until 1934. By 1932 the population had grown to 103,328 from 2,086 in 1922. Before development took place, most traces of the former landscape were obliterated. All the former farmhouses were demolished with the sole exception of Valence House which was saved when it was purchased from the LCC in 1926 by Dagenham Urban District Council. The landscape was largely devoid of trees and so it is difficult to find any tree within the Becontree Estate which pre-dates the development, other than those in the grounds of Valence House and Parsloes Park. There was a new layout of geometrically designed roads, sometimes with central reservations as here in Valence Avenue. Some of the pre-existing roads such as Wood Lane and Bennett's Castle Lane were retained, but others such as Gale Street and Broad Street were rerouted or lost.

The sign on the right says "Residents of Parsloes ward welcome safe drivers".

Looking towards Becontree near the junction with Bushgrove Road & Hewitt Road and also near St. Elisabeth's Church

Looking towards the junction with Bennett's Castle Lane near St Elisabeth's Church.