View source for Dagenham

{{Short description|Town in east London, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | official_name            = Dagenham

 | static_image_name        = File:Beam valley park and turbine 1.jpg
 | static_image_caption     = The southern Dagenham skyline includes structures of the Ford plant and [[Dagenham wind turbines|wind turbines]].
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.5397|0.1422|display=inline,title}}
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 
 | population               = 106,247
 | population_ref           = ([[2011 United Kingdom census|2011]])<ref>The 10 wards in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham that constituted Dagenham Parliamentary constituency from 1983–2010 were: Alibon, Becontree, Eastbrook, Goresbrook, Heath, Mayesbrook, Parsloes, River, Valence, and Village. In 2010 part of constituency was ceded to Barking constituency and the rest became part of Dagenham & Rainham Constituency.{{cite web|url=http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop|title=2011 Census Ward Population Estimates &#124; London DataStore|access-date=9 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202755/http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref>
 | os_grid_reference        = TQ485845
 | charingX_distance_mi     = 11.5
 | charingX_direction       = W
 | london_borough           = Barking and Dagenham
 | region                   = London
 | country                  = England
 | post_town                = DAGENHAM
 | postcode_area            = RM
 | postcode_district        = RM8-RM10

 | post_town1               = BARKING
 | postcode_area1           = IG
 | postcode_district1       = IG11

 | dial_code                = 020
 | constituency_westminster = [[Dagenham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)|Dagenham and Rainham]]
 | constituency_westminster1= [[Barking (UK Parliament constituency)|Barking]] 
}}

'''Dagenham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|æ|ɡ|ən|ə|m}}) is a town in [[East London]], England, within the [[London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]. Dagenham is centred {{convert|11+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} east of [[Charing Cross]].

It was historically a rural parish in the [[Becontree Hundred]] of [[Essex]], stretching from [[Hainault Forest]] in the north to the [[River Thames]] in the south. Dagenham remained mostly undeveloped until 1921, when the [[London County Council]] began construction of the large [[Becontree]] housing estate. The population significantly increased as people moved to the new housing in the early 20th century, with the parish of Dagenham becoming Dagenham Urban District in 1926 and the [[Municipal Borough of Dagenham]] in 1938. In 1965 Dagenham became part of [[Greater London]] when most of the historic parish become part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

Dagenham was chosen as a location for industrial activity and is perhaps most famous for being the location of the [[Ford Dagenham]] motor car plant where the [[Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968]] took place. Following the decline of industry, the southern part of Dagenham adjacent to the River Thames forms part of the [[London Riverside]] section of the [[Thames Gateway]] redevelopment area, with a new district of [[Beam Park]] under construction on the former site of Ford Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gander |first=Kashmira |date=6 August 2015 |title=Worst places to live in the UK: Barking and Dagenham come first in top 10 list dominated by nine London boroughs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-places-live-uk-barking-and-dagenham-come-first-top-ten-list-dominated-nine-london-boroughs-10442606.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref>

==History==
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; font-size:85%; margin-left:10px;"
|+'''Dagenham (parish) population'''
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1881
| style="text-align:center;"| 3,411
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1891
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,324
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1901
| style="text-align:center;"| 6,091
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1911
| style="text-align:center;"| 7,930
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1921
| style="text-align:center;"| 9,127
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1931
| style="text-align:center;"| 89,362
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1941
| style="text-align:center;"| #
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1951
| style="text-align:center;"| 114,568
|-
! style="text-align:center;"| 1961
| style="text-align:center;"| 108,368
|-
|style="font-size:smaller" colspan=2|# no census was held due to war
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"|source: UK census
|}

===Toponymy===
Dagenham first appeared in a document (as {{lang|ang|Dæccanhaam}}) in a charter of [[Barking Abbey]] dating from 666 AD (though alternative 7th century dates have been suggested for the charter). The name almost certainly originated with a small farmstead, the "ham" or farm of a man called Daecca, as {{lang|ang|Dæccan hamm}} in [[Old English]] means ''home of a man called Dæcca''.<ref name=mills29>{{Harvnb|Mills|2001|p=64}}</ref> The charter was made to reflect a transfer of land from Aethelred, kinsman of [[Saebbi of Essex|King Saebbi of Essex]], to Barking Abbey.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol5/pp190-214|title=The ancient parish of Barking: Manors &#124; British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk|accessdate=25 January 2024}}</ref>

===Manor of Barking===
Dagenham has been historically defined by its [[Civil Parish#Ancient parishes|ancient parish]] boundaries. The parish of Dagenham was formed in the medieval period from part of the huge manor of Barking, which was owned by the Nunnery of [[Barking Abbey]]. The Barking manor also included [[Barking, London|Barking]] and [[Ilford|Great Ilford]],<ref name="auto"/> which reversed the usual situation where a parish would be divided into one or more manors. As with other manors, the area held declined over time, and Barking Abbey was dissolved in 1539. The parish boundaries remained constant and were used to define Dagenham right up until the [[Municipal Borough of Dagenham]] was abolished in 1965.

===Pre-urban landscape===
Like most Essex [[River Thames|Thames-side]] parishes, Dagenham was laid out on a north–south axis to give it a share of the marshes by the river, the agricultural land in the centre and the woods and commons on the poorer soils on the high ground in the north. Dagenham included a significant part of the now mostly lost [[Hainault Forest]].

===Dagenham Breach===
{{further|Embanking of the tidal Thames#Stopping Dagenham Breach}}
South of Dagenham was a low-lying area including the Dagenham levels and Dagenham Marsh, these having been subject to periodic flooding from the Thames, and flood banks were built to protect the farmland, culminating in defences and a flood gate on the River Beam being built in the 17th century by Dutch engineers.<ref name=Neale>{{cite book |last = Neale |first = Kenneth |title = Discovering Essex in London |publisher = Essex Countryside |year = 1970 |pages = 111–113 |isbn = 0900519142}}</ref> In 1707 an exceptionally high tide swept away fourteen feet of embankment and flooded over 1,000 acres of land, the description given by [[Daniel Defoe]] when he visited eight years later giving the area inundated as being 5000 acres is today considered an exaggeration.<ref name=Neale /> 

The "Dagenham Breach" widened over time to a width of 400 feet, allowing the Thames to strip the top layer of marsh clay from the flood plain and deposited it as a mud bank in the Thames where it became a danger to shipping. Despite various remedies, the breach was not securely filled and a further flood occurred in 1718 after which, under an act of parliament, over £40,000 of public money was spent on successfully closing the breach<ref name=Neale /> roughly at the location of Dagenham Dock. The closure of the gap left behind a large lake, also known as "Dagenham Breach" which became a popular spot for anglers. The lake is still there but much of it has silted up or been filled in and is now surrounded by industry,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.barkinghistory.co.uk/dagenham-breach.html|title=Dagenham Breach - Barking and District Historical Society|website=www.barkinghistory.co.uk|accessdate=25 January 2024}}</ref> but parts can still be identified as the lakes to the north of Ford's plant and also where Breach Lane follows the now lost western outline of the lake.

===Whitebait Dinners===
Dagenham was formerly home to the famous annual whitebait feast. The custom appears to have been started by the King's Commissioner of Works to celebrate the closure of the breach in the seawall around 1714–20, and was held every subsequent spring, on or around [[Trinity Sunday]].

Many years later, [[Sir Robert Preston, 6th Baronet|Sir Robert Preston MP]], invited his friend [[George Rose (politician)|George Rose]] the Secretary of the Treasury and others to celebrate the feast, and on another occasion Rose invited the Prime Minister, [[William Pitt the Younger|William Pitt]]. Thereafter it became an obligatory ritual of government for the entire cabinet to come to Dagenham and celebrate the security of the Thames and over time this simple but hearty meal based on Whitebait and local Essex Ale grew more lavish, including turtle, grouse, champagne and a range of other luxury food and drink. Eventually the cabinet tired of the long trip to Dagenham and moved the event to [[Greenwich]].<ref>Simon Schama – Landscape and Memory p352-354</ref>

===Economic development===
In 1931 the [[Ford of Britain|Ford Motor Company]] relocated from [[Trafford Park]] in Manchester, to a larger new [[Ford Dagenham|plant in Dagenham]], which was already the location of supplier Briggs Motorway Bodies. A {{convert|500|acre|adj=on}} riverside site was developed to become Europe's largest car plant, a vast [[Vertical integration|vertically integrated]] site with its own [[blast furnace]]s and power station, importing iron ore and exporting finished vehicles. By the 1950s Ford had taken over Briggs at Dagenham and its other sites at [[Doncaster]], [[Southampton]], [[Croydon]] and [[Romford]]. At its peak the Dagenham plant had {{convert|4000000|ft2}} of floor space and employed over 40,000 people, although this number gradually fell during the final three decades of the 20th century as production methods advanced and Ford invested in other European factories as well. Some of Britain's best selling cars, including the [[Ford Fiesta|Fiesta]], [[Ford Escort (North America)|Escort]], [[Ford Cortina|Cortina]] and [[Ford Sierra|Sierra]], were produced at the plant over the next 71 years.<ref>Ford UK – [http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/htg_fib/-/htg_fib_WW21970/-/-/-/- History of Ford in Britain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217091509/http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/htg_fib/-/htg_fib_WW21970/-/-/-/-|date=17 December 2007}}</ref>

On 20 February 2002, full production was discontinued due to overcapacity in Europe and the relative difficulty of upgrading the ageing site compared with mostly newer European production facilities such as [[Almussafes]] ([[Valencia (province)|Valencia]], Spain) and [[Cologne]]. Other factors leading to the closure of the Auto-assembly line were the need of the site for the new Diesel Centre of Excellence, which produces half of Ford's Diesel Engines worldwide, and the UK employment laws when compared to Spanish, German and Belgian laws.

In 2005 Cummins went into a joint venture and offered $15 million (US) to reinstate the factory. Ford and Cummins offered a good redundancy package, billed as one of the best in UK manufacturing. It is the location of the [[Dagenham wind turbines]].<ref name=gla>Greater London Authority – ''[http://www.london.gov.uk/archive/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2003/jun0403/wind_turbines_report_havering.rtf Wind Turbines, Ford Estate, Dagenham planning application] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604095224/http://www.london.gov.uk/archive/mayor/planning_decisions/strategic_dev/2003/jun0403/wind_turbines_report_havering.rtf |date=4 June 2011 }}''. 4 June 2003.</ref> Some 4,000 people now work at the Ford plant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2009/05/milestones-ford-dagenham-estate-celebrates-80-years-of-manufacturing/ |title=Milestones: Ford Dagenham Estate Celebrates 80 Years of Manufacturing |website=www.thedetroitbureau.com |date=13 May 2009|accessdate=8 August 2012}}</ref> The movie ''[[Made in Dagenham]]'' (2010) is a dramatisation of the [[1968 Ford sewing machinists strike]] at the plant, when female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination and unequal pay.

[[Sterling Armaments Company|Sterling]], who manufactured British Army weapons and Jaguar car parts, were also based in Dagenham until they went bankrupt in 1988.

Other industrial names once known worldwide were [[British Ever Ready Electrical Company|Ever Ready]], whose batteries could be found in shops throughout the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]], [[Asian Paints|Bergers Paint]] and the chemical firm of [[May & Baker]] who in 1935 revolutionized the production of [[antibiotics]] with their synthetic sulfa-drug known as [[Sulfapyridine|M&B 693]]. The May & Baker plant, owned and run by [[Sanofi-Aventis]], occupied a 108-acre site in Rainham Road South, near [[Dagenham East tube station|Dagenham East Underground station]]. It was abandoned in 2013 when the company closed it. BeFirst, a company working on behalf of the council, began to redevelop the site for commercial opportunities. It is now the [[London East Business and Technical Park]]. NTT have their London1 data centre on this site, and the Eastbrook Studios is currently under construction.

===Local government===
Dagenham was an ancient, and later civil, parish in the [[Becontree Hundred|Becontree hundred]] of [[Essex]].<ref>British History Online – [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=42721&filename=fig13.gif&pubid=280 The Hundred of Becontree]</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police District]] was extended in 1840 to include Dagenham. The parish formed part of the [[Romford Rural District]] from 1894.<ref name=parish>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10238456&c_id=10001043 Dagenham parish] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001032034/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10238456&c_id=10001043 |date=1 October 2007 }} ([http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10238456&c_id=10001043 historic map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225859/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10238456&c_id=10001043 |date=30 September 2007 }})</ref><ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10025370&c_id=10001043 Romford RD] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181214/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10025370&c_id=10001043 |date=30 September 2007 }} ([http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10025370&c_id=10001043 historic map]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181611/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10025370&c_id=10001043 |date=30 September 2007 }})</ref> Dagenham Parish Council offices were located on Bull Street.

The expansion of the Greater London conurbation into the area caused the review of local government structures, and it was suggested in 1920 that the Dagenham parish should be abolished and its area divided between [[Municipal Borough of Ilford|Ilford Urban District]] and [[Municipal Borough of Barking|Barking Town Urban District]].<ref name=barking/> Separately, the London County Council proposed that its area of responsibility should be expanded beyond the [[County of London]] to cover the area.<ref>''Greater London: Case for Central Authority: Area and Powers''. ''The Times.'' 14 December 1921.</ref> Instead, in 1926 the Dagenham parish was removed from the Romford Rural District and designated as an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]].<ref name=parish/> In 1938, in further recognition of its development, Dagenham became a [[municipal borough]].<ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10025928 Dagenham MB] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001043633/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10025928 |date=1 October 2007 }}</ref> In 1965 the [[Municipal Borough of Dagenham]] was abolished and its former area became part of the [[London Borough of Barking and Dagenham|London Borough of Barking]],<ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10166901 Barking LB]</ref> which was renamed Barking and Dagenham in 1980.<ref>Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council – [http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/9-democracy/mayor/mayor-past.html The Mayor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926223705/http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/9-democracy/mayor/mayor-past.html |date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> For elections to the Greater London Council, Dagenham was part of the [[Barking (electoral division)|Barking]] electoral division until 1973 and then the [[Dagenham (electoral division)|Dagenham]] electoral division until 1986.

===Market gardens to suburban estate===
[[File:Dagenham village.jpg|thumb|The [[St Peter and St Paul, Dagenham|church of St Peter and St Paul]] formed the heart of the former village]]

In 1205 Dagenham was large enough to have a chaplain, and the [[St Peter and St Paul's Church, Dagenham|Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul]] was probably built at around that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/4-heritage/dag-village/dvil-main-menu.html|title=Old Dagenham Village|publisher=Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council|work=Heritage and History|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104182814/http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/4-heritage/dag-village/dvil-main-menu.html|archive-date=4 January 2008}}</ref> In 1854, the [[London, Tilbury and Southend Railway]] was built through the south of Dagenham, near the River Thames. In 1885 a new direct route from Barking to Pitsea, via Upminster, was built with [[Dagenham East tube station|Dagenham]] station opened just north of the village. [[Dagenham Dock railway station|Dagenham Dock]] station opened on the original southern route in 1908. Dagenham was still an undeveloped village, when building of the vast [[Becontree]] estate by the [[London County Council]] began in the early 1920s.<ref>Olechnowicz, A., ''Working-Class Housing in England Between the Wars: The Becontree Estate'' (1997)</ref> The building of the enormous council estate, which also spread into the neighbouring parishes of [[Ilford]] and [[Barking, London|Barking]],<ref name=barking>British History Online – ''[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42729&strquery=barking The borough of Barking]''. Date accessed: 5 May 2007.</ref> caused a rapid increase in population.<ref>Vision of Britain – [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10238456&c_id=10001043&add=N Dagenham population]</ref> In 1932 the electrified [[District line]] of the [[London Underground]] was extended to [[Upminster]] through Dagenham with stations opened as ''Dagenham'' and ''Heathway'' and today called [[Dagenham East tube station|Dagenham East]] and [[Dagenham Heathway tube station|Dagenham Heathway]].<ref>Rose, D., ''The London Underground: A diagrammatic history'', (1999)</ref> Dagenham East was the location of the [[Dagenham East rail crash]] in 1958.<ref>Railways Archive – [http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Dagenham1958.pdf Report on the collision at Dagenham East – 30.01.58]</ref> Services on the London Tilbury & Southend line at Dagenham East were withdrawn in 1962.

==Governance==
The 2010 wards of Eastbrook, Heath, River, Village and Whalebone are in the [[Dagenham and Rainham (UK Parliament constituency)|Dagenham and Rainham Parliamentary Constituency]]. The 2010 wards of Alibon, Mayesbrook, Parsloes, Thames and Valence are in the [[Barking (UK Parliament constituency)|Barking Parliamentary Constituency]]. Each ward in B&D elects two or three councillors to [[Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council]]. The whole area is within the [[City and East (London Assembly constituency)|City and East London Assembly Constituency]].

==Geography==
[[File:Beam valley park.jpg|thumb|The [[River Rom|River Beam]] in the south of Dagenham]]
Dagenham is located approximately {{convert|11.5|mi|km|1}} east of [[Charing Cross]] in Central London. The [[Becontree]] estate is largely in the pre-1965 borough of Dagenham, which also included [[Becontree Heath]], part of [[Rush Green, London|Rush Green]], Old Dagenham village, and the southern section around [[Dagenham Dock]] and adjacent to the [[River Thames]]. This southern section, which includes [[Ford Dagenham]], is part of the [[London Riverside]] section of the [[Thames Gateway]] redevelopment zone. Including new developments of Beam Park and Dagenham Green. 

The Dagenham [[post town]] includes the whole of the Becontree estate, including those sections that were in the former (pre 1965) boroughs of Barking and Ilford. Parts of the former borough of Dagenham – part of Chadwell Heath, part of Collier Row and part of Rush Green – are in the Romford Post town. It is adjacent to [[Barking, London|Barking]] to the west, [[Romford]] to northeast and [[Hornchurch]] to the east. [[Dagenham Dock]] on the River Thames is to the south.

==Demography==
Dagenham is a working class area. During the 2000s there was a large influx of migrants, in particular Africans.<ref name="observer article industrial history">{{cite news | author = Asthana, Anushka |author-link=Anushka Asthana| title = Dagenham's heyday: 'It was all just one big happy family then' | work = [[The Observer]] | date = 21 March 2010 | pages = 18–19 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/mar/21/dagenham-barking-ford-industrial-history | access-date = 23 March 2010}}</ref> The current population of the former (pre 1965) Borough of Dagenham could be approximated from the population of the current wards which together most closely match the area, but the former boundary between the borough and neighbouring Barking, with which it merged in 1965, no longer corresponds to any ward boundaries.

At the time of the 2011 census, the Alibon ward (north of Heathway station) was 61% White British and 15% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/alibon-e05000027|title=Alibon - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> Goresbrook ward (southwest from Heathway) was 57% White British and 17% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/goresbrook-e05000033|title=Goresbrook - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> River ward (south of Heathway) was 51% White British and 19% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/river-e05000038|title=River - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> Village ward (east from Heathway) was 58% White British and 19% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/village-e05000041|title=Village - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> Eastbrook ward (around Eastbrookend Country Park) was 69% White British and 11% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/eastbrook-e05000030|title=Eastbrook - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref> Heath ward (north of Heathway) was 60% White British and 17% Black African.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/heath-e05000034|title=Heath - UK Census Data 2011|first=Good Stuff IT|last=Services|website=UK Census Data}}</ref>

==Economy==
The former May and Baker plant site at Dagenham East is now a centre of film and television production called Eastbrook Studios London.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Ben |title=Dagenham switches from Ford to film with £300m studio project |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/11/03/dagenham-switches-ford-film-300m-studio-project/ |publisher=The Telegraph |access-date=19 January 2023 |date=3 November 2020}}</ref>

==Transport==
Dagenham is connected to the [[London Underground]] services from three stations, [[Becontree tube station|Becontree]] (in the pre-1965 borough of Barking), [[Dagenham East tube station|Dagenham East]] and [[Dagenham Heathway tube station|Dagenham Heathway]], all on the [[District line]].  [[c2c]], part of [[National Rail]] operated by [[Trenitalia]] since February 2017, runs a train service through [[Dagenham Dock railway station|Dagenham Dock station]].<ref>c2c – [http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/templates/Generic.aspx?id=461 Stations and route map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228015210/http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/templates/Generic.aspx?id=461 |date=28 February 2007 }}</ref> [[Elizabeth line]] services also operate from nearby [[Chadwell Heath railway station|Chadwell Heath]] station.

A proposed, and as yet unfunded [[Docklands Light Railway]] [[Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock|extension]] from [[Gallions Reach DLR station|Gallions Reach]] to [[Dagenham Dock]]. It was anticipated that the project could be completed and open for use by 2017.<ref name=dlr_next>Transport for London - [http://developments.dlr.co.uk/extensions/dagenham/whatnext.asp Docklands Light Railway - Dagenham Dock: Key Project Milestones] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615075056/http://developments.dlr.co.uk/extensions/dagenham/whatnext.asp |date=15 June 2009 }}</ref> However the [[public inquiry]] has been postponed due to concerns about funding.

Dagenham Heathway is served by the following [[Transport for London]] contracted routes: [[London Buses]] routes 145, 173, 174, 175 and 364.<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/dagenhamheathway-2065.pdf Transport for London – Buses from Dagenham Heathway -]</ref> Routes 145, 173, 174, 175, 287, and EL2 operate in the Dagenham Dock area. Routes 103, 145, and 364 operate in Dagenham East. 

Bus routes 5, 103, 128, 150, 173, 175, 499, and N15, and [[East London Transit]] service EL2 operate from [[Becontree Heath]], north of Dagenham. Routes 128 and EL1 run a 24-hour service, while the N15 runs through the night.<ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/becontreeheath-2020.pdf Transport for London –  Buses from Becontree Heath –]</ref>

== Culture ==
[[Valence House Museum|Valence House]], in Becontree Avenue, is the only surviving of the five manor houses of Dagenham.<ref>[http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/museumsandheritage/valencehousemuseum/pages/home.aspx Valence House museum] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722073902/http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/museumsandheritage/valencehousemuseum/pages/home.aspx |date=22 July 2012 }}. lbbd.gov.uk</ref>
Dating back to the 13th century, it is sited in parkland and there is a moat around part of it. Valence House is the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham's local history museum, displaying artifacts and archives that tell the story of the lives of the people of Barking and Dagenham. The collection also includes portraits, family papers and other mementos of the Fanshawe family, who occupied [[Parsloes Manor]], since demolished, from the sixteenth century.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080904220540/http://www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/4-heritage/local-history/fanshawe-family.html The Fanshawe Family, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham], barking-dagenham.gov.uk</ref>
The Fanshawe collection is "one of the best collections of gentry portraits in the country and is of international importance", according to Valence House.<ref name=b1>[[Elizabeth Ogborne]], [https://archive.org/details/b22009061/page/61 The History of Essex: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time], Printed for the Proprietors by R.H. Kelham, London, 1814, p. 61.</ref>
Among members of the Fanshawe family was the diplomat [[Sir Richard Fanshawe, 1st Baronet]], whose portrait is at Valence House. Nine successive members of the Fanshawe family served as [[Remembrancer]] to the Crown, following Henry Fanshawe's appointment to the position by [[Queen Elizabeth I]] in 1566. The appointment made possible the family's rise to prominence.

In the post town of Romford and the pre-1965 borough of Dagenham, on the corner of Whalebone Lane and the Eastern Avenue, diagonally opposite the [[Moby-Dick]] public house, is the site of Marks Manor House, a large 15th-century moated building demolished in the early 19th century. During [[World War II]] the adjoining fields were used by the [[Royal Artillery]] for an anti-aircraft battery; later a [[prisoner-of-war camp]] for Germans was erected there. Further south down Whalebone Lane on the corner of the High Road is the Tollgate pub. This stands on the site of the [[milestone]] which marked the {{convert|10|mi|km|spell=in}} limit from the [[City of London]] and the [[Turnpike trust|turnpike]] [[toll-gate]].

[[Dagenham Roundhouse|The Roundhouse]] public house on the junction of Porters Avenue and Lodge Avenue (in the pre-1965 borough of Barking) became eastern Greater London's premier rock-music venue between 1969 and 1975, incorporating the ''Village Blues Club''. Notable performers at the pub included [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]], [[Supertramp]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]], and [[Led Zeppelin]] (on 5 April 1969). The [[Eastbrook, Dagenham|Eastbrook]] is a [[listed building|Grade II* listed]] pub.<ref name=EnglishHeritage>{{NHLE|desc=Eastbrook public house|num=1393600|access-date=19 April 2014}}</ref> Given the influence of U.S. blues on the English musicians who played at the Roundhouse, journalist [[Nik Cohn]] called the London of the late 1960s and early 1970s the "Dagenham Delta".<ref>James Wood. "Good Times, Bad Times: The making and unmaking of Led Zeppelin." ''The New Yorker''. Jan. 31, 2022. Access-date = 2022-4-2</ref>

===Media===
The ''[[Barking & Dagenham Post]]'' is printed weekly and also published online.

==Sport==

[[Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.]], based at [[Victoria Road, Dagenham|Victoria Road]] were relegated to the {{English football updater|Dagenh&R}} in the 2015–16 season from the [[Football League Two]], after being relegated from the [[Football League One]] which they had reached having been promoted as [[2010 Football League Two play-off Final|playoff-winners of League two after beating]] [[Rotherham United F.C.]] 3–2, in the 2010–11 season. They were also the Nationwide Conference champions of the [[2006–07 Football Conference|2006–07 season]].

[[Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom|Greyhound racing]] and [[Motorcycle speedway]] was staged at the [[Dagenham Greyhound Stadium]] off Ripple Road, from 1930 to 1965. The speedway club ran various events from 1932 to 1939 and a team called the Dagenham Daggers took part in challenge matches and the Sunday Dirt-Track League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Dagenham%20Speedway.htm |title=Dagenham Speedway |website=Defunct Speedway |access-date=4 December 2024 }}</ref>

Dagenham's leading cricket club [[Goresbrook Cricket Club]] are based at the May & Baker Sports Club in Rainham Road South, in 2011 the club won the Essex County Cricket League for the first time in its history.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

Dagenham has a [[List of King George V Playing Fields (Greater London)|King George's Field]] in memorial to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]]. The park was renamed in 1953 by [[Queen Elizabeth II]]. Dagenham also has many other parks such as Valence - and Parsloes (which lies partly in the pre-1965 borough of Barking). '''Dagenham Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps''', founded by John Johnson, was the first British Drum Corps and performed in the United States for the first time in 1983. In 2010 they reformed to perform for DCUK's 30th anniversary, fielding a competitive corps for the first time in 22 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk/news/drumming-up-support-for-corps-reunion-1-574515|title=Drumming up support for corps reunion|date=21 January 2010|access-date=16 July 2020|archive-date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716150900/https://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk/news/drumming-up-support-for-corps-reunion-1-574515|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Dagenham Flat Fire ==
{{Full article|Freshwater Road fire}}
In the early hours of 26 August 2024, a fire blazed through the Spectrum Building, a tower block mostly of flats on Freshwater Road, Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/the-timeline-of-work-done-on-fire-hit-dagenham-residential-block-27-08-2024/|title=The timeline of work done on fire-hit Dagenham residential block|first=Colin|last=Marrs|date=27 August 2024}}</ref> Emergency services received the first report of the fire at 02:44 [[British Summer Time|local time]], with the first [[fire engine]] arriving at 02:49 local time. More than 100 people were [[emergency evacuation|evacuated]], at least 20 being rescued by [[Firefighter|firefighters]]. 225 firefighters and at least 40 fire engines responded to the incident.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dagenham fire latest: Family fears they've 'lost everything' as firefighters control blaze in east London |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm2n8y8p75yt?page=3 |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> 

Four people were treated by ambulances at the scene, of which two were taken to hospital.

At 12:35 local time, Assistant Commissioner Patrick Goulbourne of the [[London Fire Brigade]] announced ''"everyone has been accounted for"'' and they had ''"Stood down the Major Incident"'' <ref>{{Cite web |title=Dagenham fire latest: Family fears they've 'lost everything' as firefighters control blaze in east London |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm2n8y8p75yt?page=2 |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The building was in the process of having 'non-compliant' [[Cladding (construction)|cladding]] removed, similar to the cladding that was found on the [[Grenfell Tower fire|Grenfell Tower]].

==Notable people==
{{main|List of people from Barking and Dagenham}}Please see 'Geography' above for various definitions of 'Dagenham'.
*Actress [[Adelayo Adedayo]] was raised in Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/adelayo-adedayo-the-responder-bbc-one-interview-b976468.html|title=Adelayo Adedayo: Meet the breakout star of BBC One's The Responder|first=Katie|last=Rosseinsky|date=14 January 2022|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]|accessdate=25 January 2024}}</ref>
* [[Abraham Blackborne]], long-serving vicars of Dagenham.<ref>{{acad|id=BLKN733A|name=Blackburne, Abraham}}</ref>
* England international footballer and World Cup-winning manager [[Alf Ramsey]] was born in Dagenham in 1920.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir Alf Ramsey|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/7624023/Sir-Alf-Ramsey.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517095805/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/7624023/Sir-Alf-Ramsey.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 May 2010|access-date=6 September 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=1 May 1999|location=London}}</ref>
* [[St Peter and St Paul, Dagenham|St Peter and St Paul's Church]], Dagenham Parish Church, was once the Parish Church of the former [[archbishop of Canterbury]], [[George Carey]].
*Musician and comedian [[Dudley Moore]] was brought up in Dagenham,<ref>{{cite ODNB |last=Parkinson|first=David|title=Moore, Dudley Stuart John (1935–2002)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/abstract/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-76775 |edition=Online|date=January 2011|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/76775}}</ref> which was the home of [[Peter Cook]] and Dudley Moore's famous comic alter-egos ''[[Pete and Dud]]''.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Cook|first2=Dudley|last2=Moore|year=2003|title=Dud and Pete The Dagenham Dialogues|publisher=Methuen|isbn=978-0-413-77347-0}}</ref>
*[[Sandie Shaw]], a 1960s pop singer who had a string of hit singles in the decade and won the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] in 1967 with [[Puppet on a String (Sandie Shaw song)|Puppet on a String]], was born in Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/2022/5/11/sandie-shaw |title=Sandie Shaw (MBE) - Dagenham's Eurovision Superstar |date=13 May 2022 |website=East End Women's Museum}}</ref>
* Arsenal and England footballer [[Tony Adams]] grew up in Dagenham, attending both Hunters Hall Primary School and [[Eastbrook Comprehensive School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nacoa.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2015/10/19/personal-experiences/ |title=Tony Adams, Lauren Booth, Geraldine James and Elle Macpherson share experience, strength and hopes |publisher=nacoa.org.uk |date=19 October 2015 |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=12 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190712115328/http://nacoa.org.uk/news-and-events/news/2015/10/19/personal-experiences/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=January 2023}}{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
* [[Rap]] artist [[Devlin (rapper)|Devlin]] was born in Bermondsey but grew up in Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Curtin|first=April|date=2020-11-02|title=9 famous people you probably didn't know were from Barking and Dagenham|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/east-london-news/9-famous-people-you-probably-18046684|access-date=17 January 2023|website=MyLondon|language=en}}</ref>
*Singer [[John Farnham]] was born in Dagenham, before migrating to Australia at the age of 10.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIk1DQAAQBAJ&q=John+Farnham+Dagenham&pg=PT11|title=Playing to Win: The Definitive Biography of John Farnham|first=Jeff|last=Apter|date=30 October 2016|publisher=Nero|isbn=9781863958806|via=Google Books}}</ref>
*Former darts player [[Wayne Mardle]] was born in Dagenham before living in Romford.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dart Profis - Wayne Mardle - "Hawaii 501"|url=https://www.dartn.de/Wayne_Mardle|access-date=17 January 2023|website=Dartn.de|language=de}}</ref>
*English actor, musician, YouTuber and podcaster, [[James Buckley (actor)]] calls Dagenham his home town.
*British singer, TV presenter, and personality [[Stacey Solomon]] is from Dagenham.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stacey Solomon's voice makes Simon MELT! / Audition / Series 6 / The X Factor UK |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF6wajwIJcU |access-date=September 12, 2025 |website=The X Factor UK at YouTube}}</ref>
*British singer, [[Steve Ignorant]] of the original anarcho-punk collective [[Crass]] grew up in Dagenham.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ignorant |first1=Steve |title=The rest is propaganda |date=2010 |publisher=Southern Records |location=London |isbn=978-0956674609}}</ref>
*[[Richard Wisker]] actor, was born in Dagenham.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
*[[Chris Youlden]] blues singer, Savoy Brown, was born in Dagenham.

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{citation|title=Dictionary of London Place Names|year=2001|surname=Mills|first=A.D.|publisher=Oxford|isbn=0-19-280106-6}}
*{{citation | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42731| publisher=[[British History Online]] | title=Dagenham, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 |series= [[Victoria County History]] | year=1966 | last=Powell | first= W.R. (Edr.) | access-date=1 November 2009}}
{{refend}}
* Terry Cooper Death by Dior: Françoise Dior, (Dynasty Press, 2013, {{ISBN|978-0-9568038-6-3}})

==Further reading==
* {{Citation |publisher = Cassell & Co. |location = London |title = Greater London |author = Edward Walford |author-link = Edward Walford |date = 1883 |oclc = 3009761 |chapter=Dagenham |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/greaterlondonnar01walf#page/527/mode/1up }}

==External links==
{{commons-inline}}

{{LB Barking & Dagenham}}
{{London Districts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dagenham| ]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham]]
[[Category:Vehicle manufacture in London]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]