East Ham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
East Ham


OS grid reference:	TQ425835
Latitude:	51.532356°
Longitude:	0.055409°
Administration
London borough:	Newham
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Essex (1965)
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	E6
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:	East Ham
London Assembly:	City and East
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

East Ham is a place in the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles (12.8 km) east north-east of Charing Cross.

The principal offices of Newham Council are located on the corner of Barking Road and the High Street in the former East Ham Town Hall, a grand Edwardian structure with a clock tower.

To the north of East Ham is Manor Park and Little Ilford, to the east over the North Circular Road is Barking, to the west is Upton Park and to the south over the A13 is Beckton and London City Airport.

Housing in East Ham consists principally of Victorian and Edwardian terraced town houses, often in tree-lined avenues, which radiate from the High Street. Mass transport is provided by East Ham tube station and bus services which form a hub near the Town Hall.

East Ham lends its name to the House of Commons constituency of East Ham, which covers East Ham and neighbouring areas. The current MP is Stephen Timms.

East Ham was also a local government district of Essex from 1894 to 1965, covering a larger area. In 1965 it was merged with the County Borough of West Ham to form the London Borough of Newham.

East Ham has a large multi-cultural society, predominantly made up of south Asians and eastern Europeans; although until recent years it has mostly been the home of white working class people who worked on the docks. There are many stores and restaurants that specialise in ethnic tastes, including Saravana Bhavan (Indian), King of Kings (Cantonese) and Kebabish (Greek & Asian). There are also the traditional East End eateries, including the century-old Robin's, who specialise in the traditional East End dish of pie, mash and jellied eels.

There are various places of worship for many different religions, ranging from St. Michael's Church to Plashet Grove Mosque.

West Ham United FC is located on the western border of East Ham and the eastern border of Upton Park, in the Tudor district of the town. Places where there are live screenings on matchdays, attracting large contingents of fans, include The Boleyn (Green Street), Earl of Wakefield (Katherine Road), Green Man (Katherine Road) and Denmark Arms (High Street North) public houses, and also the East Ham Working Men's Club, situated at the merging of Boleyn Road and Cleves Road.

There are many places of natural beauty in the otherwises bustling area of East Ham. The East Ham Nature Reserve is the largest reserve of its kind in London, housing a number of different species of insect and butterfly for naturalists. Central Park (Central Park Road) and Plashet Park (Plashet Grove) are the two largest parks in East Ham, and both combine open space with playgrounds and cafés. There are also smaller play areas and parks, including Priory Park (Grangewood Street) and Flanders Field, famous for supplying the late former England captain Sir Bobby Moore with space for him to ply his future trade.

There are many sporting opportunities for young residents of East Ham to participate in, thanks mainly to the success of the London 2012 Olympics bid being staged in Newham. The main focal points of sporting opportunities are in East Ham Leisure Centre (Barking Road) and Langdon Comprehensive Secondary School (Sussex Road). In 2002, Hartley Avenue-based Hartley Primary School won the treble in primary school cricket in their first ever competitive season, winning the Newham Hardball League and Cup and the Softball League, mainly thanks to the performances of the heroic captain Mubasher Hussain (Kempton Road) and of the outstanding fielding and all-round performances of Ajay Pillai (Lawrence Road). Hartley lost out in the Softball Cup final to Manor Park's Monega Primary School, but have Pillai to thank for his unbeaten 32 from only 10 deliveries.

[edit] People associated with East Ham

David Bailey (photographer) moved to East Ham, at the age of three
Terrance Dicks (author and scriptwriter, including Doctor Who), was born in East Ham, and attended East Ham GS
Grime MC Kano
Vera Lynn born in East Ham
poet Benjamin Zephaniah