Barking Town Heritage - Research Workshop - at the Archives and Local Studies Library

This July our new team of Barking Town Heritage Volunteers enjoyed an insight into our local Archives and an introduction to research resources that can help them investigate the history of Barking's High-Street.

We will be focusing on East Street and the old buildings and stores in the surrounding conservation area, past and present. Topics that are of interest to the team include changing forms of transport in the town centre, pubs and breweries, cinemas and entertainments - yes we used to have several picture houses in the heart of Barking and there are timely plans for a return of a cinema in the near future! Barking's Tudor Court House (demolished in 1923) and the more recent Magistrate's Court, built in 1893, make an interesting case, as do examinations of war time history, including bomb damage in the area and the inter-war hey day of the High Street. 1931 was a particularly significant year, as Barking celebrated its town charter (superbly illustrated by John H King's decorated shop front on East Street, (see the featured photograph) and the Art Deco Burton's building was completed.

There are many interesting stories behind the various high-street stores that have served local shoppers to be revealed - from Burton's to Bulley's and beyond. There are also some interesting East Street residents to research too, including the hugely influential Glennys of Barking, who lived at Cecil House but also The White House - East Street, not Washington, and The Paddock (before Blake's Corner replaced it). These farmers, land owners/agents and brewers of Barking had great influence on developments in Barking Town Centre. The Famous fishing fleet owners Samuel and his father Scrymgeour Hewett and James Morgan lived on East Street - the latter built Fawley House, 33-35, which is the oldest house still standing in the town centre. The first female Councillor, Susanne Mason, lived with her husband, Doctor Mason, at Abbey Lodge, East Street, a site later taken by Woolworths...

The volunteers said they 'thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated' their first workshop and 'found everyone really helpful'... If you want to find out more about any of these topics, follow this webpage or to help us with our research, please sign up as a heritage volunteer - the details are also on this web page.