Barking Park

Barking Park, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in east London, is a park covering just under 30 hectares to the east of Barking town centre. It lies north of Longbridge Road, and is near the boundary with Loxford. The park was the first council-controlled park in the Borough, and was established as a classic Victorian park in 1896. It was officially opened on 9 April 1898 by Councillor C. L. Beard JP, Chairman of Barking Town Urban District Council.^[1]

The park's most significant feature is a 910 metre long boating lake on the north side of the park. Rowing boats were introduced first, and then on 1 April 1953, motor boats and a Mississippi style paddle steamer called Phoenix II made their debut. The paddle steamer continued to operate on the lake until 1967.

Other facilities include tennis and basketball courts, two bowling greens (indoor and outdoor), a children's playground, a waterpark, football pitches and a flower garden. A lido was built in 1931 but this was closed permanently in 1988.^[2] The longstanding park cafe was demolished and a roller-skating park built on the site.

The park contains a war memorial, renovated in 2000,^[2] for men of the Barking Town Urban District who fell in World War I and World War II. Every year on Remembrance Day (usually the 2nd Sunday in November) a commemorative ceremony is held at the war memorial preceded by music from a local marching band.

In 2006 the council received "stage one" funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a proposal for restoration and improvement of the park. Funding of over £3 million was approved, and works were completed between 2010 and 2012, including two lengthy new pathways, a children's play area and splash park.^[3]

Barking Park Light Railway

Barking Park Light Railway

Locale	The Park Lodge, Longbridge Road, Barking, Essex
Dates of operation	early 1950s - 2005 2008 -–
Track gauge	7 ¹⁄₄ in (184 mm)
Previous gauge	9 ¹⁄₂ in (241 mm)
Length	340 metres (1,120 ft)
Website	web.archive.org/web/20150418060858/http://www.bplr.co.uk/

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barking Park Light Railway.

Barking Park Light Railway, a miniature passenger railway, opened in the early 1950s. It originally consisted of three coaches hauled by a steam locomotive named "The Empress", running over a length of 9 ¹⁄₂ in (241 mm) gauge track, from the main park entrance at Longbridge Road to a turntable at the boating lake. After being replaced by a sit-in diesel locomotive named "Little Nan", The Empress was eventually restored and re-gauged to 10 ¹⁄₄ in (260 mm) and is now running at the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway.

About halfway along the line, trains went through a gated level crossing. When trains were not running, the level crossing afforded access to the park from the adjacent Park Avenue, but this side entrance has now been permanently closed.

The railway ran until 2005 when it was closed by the owner, who felt that it was no longer cost effective to maintain and repair the train; however, the railway has since been redeveloped by a father & son team who bought the line from the previous owner. It now features new trains, and new 7 ¹⁄₄ in (184 mm) gauge track, with wheelchair-friendly station access. The new train service ran a few times during 2008 but the official grand re-opening took place at Easter in 2009. The previous level crossing was removed.

References

↑ Commemorative plaque by the main gates in Longbridge Road.
1 2 The Borough's parks and open spaces Archived 5 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine., Local studies info sheet #6, Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
↑ Barking Park Heritage Lottery Fund Project Archived 11 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine., Barking and Dagenham Council. Retrieved 1 January 2013.

External links

Barking Park, Barking and Dagenham Council
Barking Park Light Railway

Parks and open spaces in London

Royal parks	Bushy Green Greenwich Hyde Kensington Regent's Richmond St James's

Large urban parks	Alexandra Arnos Barking Barra Hall Battersea Blackheath Brockwell Burgess Clissold Crystal Palace Dulwich Enfield Town Finsbury Forster Memorial Hampstead Heath Hanworth Holland Mayesbrook Mountsfield Old Deer Parsloes Primrose Hill Pymmes Queen's Park Ravenscourt Ruskin Southwark Valentines Victoria Wandsworth Wanstead West Ham Wimbledon

Country parks	Bayhurst Wood Bedfont Lakes Belhus Woods Eastbrookend Fairlop Waters Fryent Hainault Forest Havering High Elms Hornchurch Lee Valley South Norwood Stanmore Stockley Trent

Commons	Barnes Blackheath Bostall Heath Clapham Ealing East Sheen Hackney Marsh Hainault Forest Ham Hampstead Heath Hayes Keston Mitcham Monken Hadley Peckham Rye Plumstead Stanmore Streatham Tooting Tylers Wandsworth Wimbledon and Putney Winn's Woolwich Wormwood Scrubs

Marshes & Wetlands	Aveley Crayford Erith Hackney Hornchurch Ickenham Ingrebourne Leyton Rainham Tottenham Walthamstow Wennington Woodberry Wetlands WWT London Wetland Centre

Woodland	Bostall Coldfall Copse Dulwich Epping Forest Grangewood Park Highgate Lesnes Abbey Mad Bess Old Park Oxleas Park Petts Queen's Russia Dock Sydenham Hill

House gardens	Belair Park Boston Manor Park Broomfield House Cannizaro Park Chiswick House Danson Park Grovelands Park Grove Park Gunnersbury Park Hampton Court Park Hillingdon Court Kenwood House Langtons Manor House Gardens Marble Hill Park Morden Hall Park Morden Park Osterley Park Syon House Valence House Museum Walpole Park

Entry-fee charging	Kew Gardens London Wetland Centre

Community gardens	Phoenix Garden Calthorpe Project

Parks and open spaces by London borough

Barking and Dagenham Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith and Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth City of Westminster

Ridable miniature railways in England

Acton Works Audley End Railway Barking Park Light Railway Bekonscot Railway Beer Heights Light Railway Blackpool Zoo Railway Blenheim Park Railway Bure Valley Railway Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway Coalyard Miniature Railway Conwy Valley Miniature Railway Dobwalls Adventure Park Downs Light Railway East Herts Miniature Railway Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway Echills Wood Railway Evesham Vale Light Railway Fairbourne Railway Fancott Miniature Railway Frimley Lodge Park Railway Great Cockcrow Railway Hastings Miniature Railway Hollycombe Garden Railway Lakeside Miniature Railway Markeaton Park Light Railway Moors Valley Railway Mizens Railway North Bay Railway Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Paradise Park Railway, Cornwall Pleasure Beach Express Plowman's Railroad Purbeck Miniature Railway Radwell Manor Railway Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Royal Victoria Railway Ruislip Lido Railway Saltburn Miniature Railway Sand Hutton Miniature Railway Sherwood Forest Railway Stansted Light Railway South Downs Light Railway Stapleford Miniature Railway Strawberry Line Swanley New Barn Railway Thorne Memorial Park Miniature Railway Wells and Walsingham Light Railway Wells Harbour Railway

Coordinates: 51°32′42″N 0°05′17″E / 51.545°N 0.088°E / 51.545; 0.088

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