Barking and Dagenham is a London borough that sits on the city’s outskirts and is an up-and-coming area with many hidden gems to discover. We love the 50m swimming pool at the Becontree Heath Leisure Centre in Dagenham, which makes it the only other Olympic-length pool in London other than the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford.
Home to the 2012 London Olympics, Barking and Dagenham is well connected with a new overground station connecting the Gospel Oak route beyond the Barking station. According to Transport for London, it now links the town centre to the Riverside development in just seven minutes, providing connections to the District and Hammersmith and City Underground lines and to C2C trains at Barking station.
Dagenham is set to become home to a new film and TV studio, with £100 million invested in the building project. The studios will cover 22 acres, with 12 sound stages, virtual reality attractions and an events centre. The new venture is expected to bring hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs to the area, making Dagenham the new London Hollywood!
Students love studying in Dagenham
Did you know that Dagenham has its own university? Coventry University has a London-based campus situated in the former civic centre of the borough, meaning students attending here get to study in a beautiful grade II-listed building.
The campus has undergone a 4.5M renovation and offers a range of subjects to study, including business, finance and accounting, marketing, management, economics, fashion and more.
Quirky road names
Do you know how to tell if someone is genuinely from Dagenham? Simple. They call local places by the shop names on them (or were there in the past) rather than the actual street name – and we love that!
Once upon a time, back in the 1930s, a furniture shop in Dagenham owned by Will Andrews sat at the junction of Becontree Avenue. The store is long gone, but locals still refer to the area as Andrews Corner rather than its actual street name.
Barking and Dagenham has a lot of character that is often lacking in other London boroughs, which is why it is such a great place to live, work, study or visit.
Great places to eat in Dagenham
Eastbrookend Country Park is an excellent place for a walk, and you can take in a refreshing drink at the tea rooms, a lovely little cafe with a great view. The Chase Nature Reserve is next to it, and you can easily forget that you are so close to the city.
There are some great places in town to grab a bite to eat, including a variety of mixed cuisines including Turkish, Asian and Italian. Of course, not forgetting the best place locally to go for a pizza is the London Pizza Depot in Dagenham. We are easy to find on 6 Reede Road RM10 8DP, Dagenham.
Whether you fancy something sweet and tangy, rich and spicy or extra creamy, we have the perfect pizza toppings for you! Why not take a look at our menu to see which of our delicious pizzas will tickly your tastebuds tonight! Why not finish your meal with some warm and melty chocolate chip cookies or a cool scoop of ice cream.