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Find a Holiday or Holidays in Essex Holidays based in Basildon, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester,
Epping, Halstead, Harlow, Harwich, Maldon, Ilford, Romford, Southend, Braintree and Brentwood. |
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Romford is a large suburban town in East London, England and the
principal settlement of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 14.1 miles
(22.7 km) north east of Charing Cross and is one of ten major metropolitan centres
identified in the London Plan. Romford was in the county of Essex before the creation
of Greater London in 1965, and was one of the three parishes which formed the ancient
Liberty of Havering. The history of Essex remains, however, as proved in the postal
addresses in Havering. It is not unusual to receive mail with Essex rather than
London, with former suburbs of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex and Hertfordshire still retaining
the history. This was mainly due to the Royal Mail failing to change the postal
codes of certain London areas, and has been appealed by local residents and companies
in boroughs across Greater London on several different occasions.
Romford has been a market town since 1247, and it holds the exclusive right to hold
markets over an area of radius "six and two thirds miles" centred on Romford, a
right granted in mediæval times but successfully used to prevent nearby Ilford from
opening a market as recently as the 1990s. Romford shopping centre grew up around
the original marketplace, on the line of the old Roman road from London to Colchester.
The Liberty Shopping Centre has recently been expanded and modernised by the Romford
revival programme in order to compete with out-of-town shopping centres such as
the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex and Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. A large
swimming pool and leisure centre called The Dolphin which closed in 1995 was recently
demolished to make way for further expansion of the shopping centre and the addition
of 230 modern flats.
The town has been associated with a ford over a small stream which flows through
it, now known as the River Rom, a 'back-formation' from the name of the town. Romford
is first recorded in 1177 as Romfort, which is formed from 'r?m' and 'ford' and
means "the wide or spacious ford".
The principal industry in the area for much of its history has been the Star Brewery,
established in 1708 and much expanded after the coming of the railways in 1839.
The former site has been redeveloped as the The Brewery Shopping Centre. |
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