Dagenham is a large suburb of east
London, England. It forms part of the
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and is located approximately 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east of
Charing Cross and around 9.5 miles (15.2 km) east of the City of London. Historically in
Essex, it was an agrarian village and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921, when the
London County Council began construction of the large
Becontree estate. The population of the area significantly increased during the 20th century, with the parish of Dagenham
becoming an urban district in 1926 and a municipal borough in 1938. It has formed part of
Greater London since 1965 and is a predominantly residential area, with some areas of declining industrial activity, including the
Ford Dagenham plant. The southern part of Dagenham is also known as South Romford and is also adjacent to the
River Thames, forms part of the
London Riverside section of the
Thames Gateway redevelopment area. Dagenham had a population of 43,362 in 2011.