Thames Tributary Marley Stream - Dagenham Fords

Thames Tributary Marley Stream
The Marley stream continues to flow south east towards the Wantz and the Beam River.

TQ 49021 83539

A bit of suburban Dagenham - the main road, ex-A13 with all that that implies, and a corner of the vast Ford works

Post to the west Dagenham
Post to the north Dagenham Heathway
Post to the east Dagenham

Baddow Close
King George’s Field. This was created in 1952-3 using what had been Marsh Green Recreation Ground using a King George Jubilee Grant.

Ballards Road
Old Tuck Shop
The Marley Stream crosses Ballards Road at the edge of the park

Broad Street
This once extended Ripple Street into Dagenham

Chequers Lane
The manor house of Cockermouth was south of the Chequers Inn. In the 19th century it replaced by Pound House, named from the manorial pound which was in the yard. It was demolished in the 1920s. The manor of Cockermouth was a tenement of Barking Abbey until 1330, when it was held by John of Cockermouth and let to a series of tenants. He passed it back to Barking Abbey. After the dissolution in 1560 it was leased to a series of individuals and by the late 18th it was part of Spurrell's Farm. Pound House Farm was also part of the estate and in 1898 it was sold to Samuel Williams, founder of the shipping firm at Dagenham Dock. In 1922 it was bought by the London County Council and used for building. .
Employment Exchange and Job Centre
Ford Stamping Operation factory. The stamping operation produces body panels for all over Europe. 5000 people are employed on site. The new building has temperature, atmosphere control and particle control.  Dagenham is Ford’s European centre for diesel engines in manufacturing and design. The engine plant covers 2.5 million square feet, plus another 460,000 square feet of manufacturing space
The original Ford works was built in the 1920s. Moving here from Manchester's Trafford Park. It was built in 1929-31 to designs by Charles Heathcote & Sons of Manchester who had already designed factories at Dagenham Dock for Samuel Williams and Sons. Sir Cyril Kirkpatrick was consulting engineer, and the general layout of the site developed by Ford's 'Cast Iron Charlie' Sorensen. 22,000 concrete piles, cast on site, were driven into the marsh to cover 66 acres. It was the largest works in Europe, employing 40,000 workers in 1953. The plant has a power station, a blast furnace coke ovens and gas plant, plus the largest private wharf on the Thames. Car production at Ford ceased in 2002. By which time over 11 million vehicles had been made.

Dagenham Common
This was north of Ripple Road and enclosed as late as 1861. , The railway was built through it.

Morland Road
Broad Street Medical Centre
1-2 Dairy Crest Depot. Built as United Dairy depot on the site of Potters Farm. Previously this had been the site of Gallance Manor. Thus had been a holding of the manor of Barking. The name is first recorded in 1412, and is that of the then tenant, Galant. In 1649 the house had 'five low rooms and two lofts'.

New Road
Built by the Tilbury Fort Turnpike Trust in 1810. This was during the Napoleonic Wars and it was thought important to get the troops to Tilbury quickly. It was designated as gtheA13 and was duelled in the late 1920s. It is now the A1306
Chequers Corner. Named for the pub it is an important local junction.
Chequers pub. This was at the Ripple Road junction. It dated to 1775 when it was at a different location, moving here by 1810. It was demolished in 1987 and a Halfords store was built on the site. The name is said to relate to a checked pattern made by fields nearby.
36 old post office built in 1939 in the ‘Office of Works style’
46-48 Transport House. Transport and General Workers Union building
100 Imperial House. Locally listed art deco building. Currently used by various motor vehicle repair depots and the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
104 old National Provincial Bank. A neo-Georgian building.
Anglers Retreat. This pub dated to the early 19th but was rebuilt in the 1880s. It closed in 2001 and was demolished in 2002.
Dagenham Motors car show room. This was the original car show room for Reynolds Ford dealership opened in the 1935. The square clock tower was a local landmark. Large glass windows and curved corners. Demolished
Marsh Green Children’s Centre. Locally listed old school.
Mountain of Fire and Miracles. This is the old Princess Cinema designed by Robert Crombie, and opened in 1932. The cinema was built for Lou Morris with seating on a stadium plan. It had a Compton theatre organ, a stage for variety shows and a cafe. It was taken over by Associated British Cinemas in 1933 and it closed in 1960. It became the Princess Bowl until 2005.
Princess Parade - row of shops with white painted brick

School Road
Dagenham Park Community School. Designed by Essex County Architect as a large school with art deco features.

South Close
Marsh Green Primary School

Sources
Cinema Treasures. Web site
Dagenham Park School. Web site
Ford. Web site
GLIAS. Newsletter
London Borough of Barking. Web site
Pevsner and Cherry. East London
Victoria History of Essex. Barking and Dagenham

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