This neighbourhood is located to the west of Romford, and sits within the borough of Havering. It is primarily a residential suburb and is closely located to Colliers Row, Rush Green and Romford Town. The area of Mawneys sits beside the attractive banks of the River Rom, a tributary of the River Thames, and contains a number of large family homes, many of which have gardens. The neighbourhood’s close proximity to Romford Town allows its residents to benefit from lots of local amenities such as shops, a cinema, a leisure centre, and local parks, as well as abundant transport links, which have made the locality popular with commuters.

During the 1300s the manor of Romford was owned by the honorary soldier Sir Walter de Mauny. As such the manor was called ‘Mawneys’ after him, a name still sometimes used by local people and the Council. The manor was eventually sold in 1883 which led to the expansion of Romford as the population grew alongside the demand for services. Mawney Road School, now Mawney Foundation School, opened in 1896 to help serve this growing population. In 1900 Romford opened its first public indoor swimming pools, on Mawneys Road, unfortunately for local divers and swimmers they closed in 1975.

Romford Borough changed the name of a recreation ground Mawney Park, to King George’s Playing Field, after receiving a £3,000 grant from the King George’s Fields Foundation.

The neighbourhood is 79% white, which is much higher than some inner-city areas of London, suggesting that the area may not benefit from the multiculturalism that much of the rest of the city does.

The Mawney Foundation Primary School underwent development in late 2017 to expand its intake of future pupils. The Romford area is also expected to undergo major changes in its urban fabric due to Havering Council’s ambition to increase and improve its residential stock between 2016 and 2031. Romford was initially intended to accommodate 5,300 homes but that number was increased to over 6,000, following discussions with government planning inspectors. The council has also proposed to turn two garage sites in Mawneys, the Mawneys Close and Mowbrays Close Garage sites, into supported housing schemes, to create much needed homes and support for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents, and to deliver duties placed on the council for those leaving care.