Discover Barking IG11 – East London's Historic Riverside Town
Barking IG11 is one of East London's most historically significant and rapidly transforming towns, situated in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham on the banks of the River Roding near its confluence with the Thames. First mentioned in a charter dating back to 735 AD, Barking is home to the ruins of Barking Abbey, a nunnery founded in 666 AD that once shaped the entire surrounding manor covering what is now Barking, Dagenham, and Ilford. The Grade I listed St Margaret's Church, where explorer Captain James Cook married in 1762, still stands at the heart of the town alongside the historic Curfew Tower and the Grade I listed Eastbury Manor House, a 16th century Elizabethan property managed by the National Trust. Today Barking is undergoing one of the largest regeneration projects in London, with Barking Riverside bringing 10,000 new homes and a new Overground station to the Thames waterfront. For residents and visitors travelling to Heathrow with luggage, a pre-booked minicab or taxi from Barking offers the most direct and practical route across London without the complications of multiple train changes or the uncertainty of a metered fare.