Becontree is a large housing estate of approximately in the
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in
East London, England. It is located east-northeast of
Charing Cross and was constructed in the
interwar period as the largest
public housing estate in the world. The Housing Act 1919 permitted the
London County Council to build housing outside the County of London and Becontree was constructed between 1921 and 1935 to
cottage estate principles in the parishes of Barking, Dagenham and Ilford in
Essex. The official completion of the estate was celebrated in 1935 with a population of around 100,000 people in 26,000 homes. The building of the estate caused a huge increase in population density which led to demands on services and reforms of local government. An additional 1,000 houses were added in later phases. The estate initially had no industrial and very little commercial development until the
May & Baker and
Ford Dagenham sites opened nearby, and a shopping area was built at Heathway. The estate has formed part of
Greater London since 1965, when the Barking section was combined with Dagenham, and has been within a single London borough since the Ilford section was transferred to Barking and Dagenham in 1994.
