Romford is a large town in north east London, United Kingdom, and the administrative centre of the
London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of
Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the
London Plan. It was
historically a
market town in the county of
Essex and formed the administrative centre of the
liberty of Havering, until it was dissolved in 1892. Good road links and the opening of the railway station in 1839 were key to the development of the town and the economic history of Romford is underpinned by a shift from agriculture to
light industry and more recently to retail and commerce. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Romford significantly expanded and increased in population,
becoming a municipal borough in 1937 and has formed part of
Greater London since 1965. It now forms one of the largest commercial, retail, entertainment and leisure districts outside central London and has a developed night time economy.