The Barking Flood Barrier is one of the most impressive sights in the Creekmouth and Thames Ward area. Standing tall above Barking Creek, where the Roding meets the Thames, the Barrier was designed and built between 1979 and 1983 by architect G. T. Bone and engineers Binnie and Partners. The barrier itself is 38 metres wide and weighs almost
Demolition Even before Creekmouth village was earmarked for demolition in the 1950s, the surrounding area had witnessed significant development. New industries emerged alongside Barking Power Station, in the shadow of the giant pylons that now spread across Ripple Level. In 1952 James Bird wrote that the industries along River Road could be split into two types, with
Every Sunday crowds of people flock to River Road for Dagenham Market, held in the shadow of the disused Barking Power Station. The market has been held on this site since 2002, when it moved from Chequers Lane further east along the Thames, where Barking Reach Power Station can now be found. With stalls ranging from clothes and music to household goods
A short distance from the site of the old Creekmouth Village, and just south of Thames View Estate, a new community is being born. Barking Riverside is one of the largest residential developments in Europe, with thousands of new homes planned for what was once industrial wasteland. The site already includes a school, a community centre and
In the post-war years Barking was in the middle of a housing crisis. To help ease long council house waiting lists a new estate was planned, to be constructed on marshland north of Creekmouth village previously deemed unsuitable for any type of building. Huge concrete tubes were buried in the ground and filled with more concrete to provide
