The southern part of Becontree in the Dagenham area is a popular suburban neighbourhood for commuting families. Although it’s easily reachable by the District line via Becontree station, residents are in no rush to escape on their days off. Despite its quiet feel, the area has a close community made up of a diverse group of Londoners. Weekends bring residents to the local Saint Annes Roman Catholic Church for services, and the less religious over to Keith Davis Cue Sports Club for a game of pool. Residents are also spoiled by the delicious array of food offerings in the area. From the kebabs at Angies to the Indian food at Becontree Tandoori, there’s something for everyone in the neighbourhood!

A good portion of this neighbourhood was once a part of the Parsloes Manor. Much later on, in 1921, Becontree Estate was built by the London County Council. At the time, the estate was built to house 100,000 residents. Of these residents, many of the first ones moved from Limehouse, where their former slums had been cleared. Unfortunately, the estate was too large for the LCC to deliver all of their ambitious plans for social and educational facilities.

Today, the neighbourhood is home to a population much smaller than the planners had initially anticipated. The Becontree station was first built following the First World War, specifically in order to serve the housing estate of the same name. At the time, the Becontree Estate was the largest housing estate in the world!

Unfortunately, the crime rate in the neighbourhood is relatively high. Luckily most of the incidents have been nonviolent crimes, such as vehicle thefts. Residents, overall, feel quite safe in the neighbourhood.

Goresbrook Village recently underwent a major redevelopment project. This work included the demolition of the residential and concierge buildings in order to build new homes. Now completed, the redevelopment is of a low-rise architectural character that combines traditional and more modern residential aesthetics and configurations. It delivered 170 new homes of mixed size and tenure. Another redevelopment was also completed on Goresbrook Road, which saw the refurbishment of the Sacred Heart convent into nine flats and the building of 20 homes around the original building. The 29 homes, all at affordable rents, include 3 one-bedroom flats, 5 two-bedroom flats and 1 three-bedroom flat, plus 1 one-bedroom house, 10 two-bedroom houses, 8 three-bedroom house, and 1 four-bedroom house.