Elm Park

This is the fourth station I have visited on the District Line, the longest line on the tube network. It is a small station with just two platforms and a sloped exit rather than steps. The station is painted in its original red and cream.

As I left the station there were a couple of men, one on either side of the entrance/exit asking for money. I am used to seeing people begging near the stations in Central London but was surprised to see it happening here in the suburbs. I must admit I felt a little uneasy but did engage in conversation with one of the young men. He gave me a 'cock and bull' story about needing money to get to a hospital as he had been mugged and had broken his cheek bone. His face looked remarkably free of bruising or swelling. On my walks I never dress to impress as I like to blend into the background, nor do I carry much in the way of valuables. So, as I get free travel, I was able to say quite truthfully that I had no spare money but wished him well. He didn't query my answer and was polite to me. However, he was foul mouthed to a gentleman who walked past and ignored him. I gladly support homeless charities but refuse to give to people begging on the streets, nevertheless I always acknowledge their requests and engage in conversation if they want.

It was therefore interesting to read an article in the Elm Park library that in 2003 the station  was selected as a test site in London to have classical music played in the station as a measure to combat anti-social behaviour and calm crowds. This initiative was such a success that over 40 other London underground stations have now introduced the system.

The Elm Park garden city and the new District line station were officially opened in 1935. The building of 7000 new homes was to be  built on 600 acres of land at a cost of £3,500,000 by Richard Costain Ltd after the purchase of Elm Farm in 1933.
With the coming of the railway these new villages and towns were easily accessible from London. Costain knew this and realised he needed a station on the new housing estate. He negotiated a deal with the railway company to build a station at Elm Park and have trains stop here. It was the last station to open on this line.


The garden city movement is a method of urban planning founded on a series of principles developed by  Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928).
His ideas included:
Mixed types of housing that are affordable for ordinary people.
Homes with gardens in healthy communities.
Opportunities for residents to grow their own food, including allotments.
Generous green space with surrounding belt of protected countryside to prevent sprawling developments.
Local job opportunities.
Public parks and tree lined streets
Recreational and shopping facilities in walkable neighbourhoods.
Accessible transport system.

There were lots of flowers around and tree lined streets with well kept gardens

The station was very close to all the shops.

St Nicholas church was built in 1955-6 close to a temporary church that had been erected in 1936 to serve the new housing development. That was demolished in 1934.

In June 2009 a brand new library opened its doors. The roof is fitted with solar panels. The sedum roof improves insulation, absorbs some co2 and other pollutants and is also a wildlife habitat.

There is a lot of green space around Elm Park

To the North of Elm Park  is Harold Lodge Park. The River Ravensbourne cuts through the park into the first of two large lakes, one of which is used for boating. The park has a number of facilities including children's playgrounds, hockey and cricket pitches and tennis courts. To the West of Elm Park is The Chase Local Nature Reserve.

So after a couple of hours walking around I made my way back to the tube station and home. There wasn't much more to see other than rows of houses. The tube was quite empty and quiet. As usual on the way home I write a few notes about my walk. After a short time I  was aware that   I was surrounded by a group of teenage boys sitting either side of me and across the aisle from me. I hadn't noticed that the train had filled up at the last couple of stations. Fair enough, I could have done with a bit more elbow room but not to worry. I smiled at the boy on my right who was drinking an energy drink. He grinned at me so I asked if he was going anywhere special. A music festival and then onto the after party he replied. I then noticed that they all had bottles of energy drinks. On close inspection I noticed they were filling them from small bottles of spirits!  It is illegal to drink  alcohol on the tube but I wasn't going to be the one to challenge them. I engaged in small talk with the lads opposite mainly about which one of them would remain sober enough to make sure they all got home safely in the morning. Although I was the only white female at  this end of the train I felt at ease, which was just as well as there was an older man a little further down the carriage drinking from a bottle in a brown paper bag. Another man who was obviously drunk was leaning against one of the doors. It was 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. Is this typical of the District Line, I wondered. Hopefully not as I still have another 37 stations to visit.

Hornchurch

This is the third station I have visited on the District Line. The station at Hornchurch opened in May 1885. The District line was the second underground suburban railway to be constructed in London and opened in 1868 between Westminster and South Kensington by the Metropolitan District Railway. Metropolitan District trains began services to Upminster in 1902 but it wasn't until 1933 after a number of different railways amalgamated that it became the District Line. The line is the green one on the Tube map.

On leaving the station I turned left towards the town

Just a short distance from the station is the aptly named Railway Hotel. Tried to discover some historical details but sadly all I could find were details of the prosecution of the manager and chef in 2012 when one person died and numerous others suffered from food poisoning. Not a great claim to fame for a pub!

The familiar blue light sign for the police station.

I passed a number of restaurants and pubs and realised that Hornchurch was much bigger than I expected. It was a Friday and the High Street was busy with shoppers.

 Pie and mash shops have been around since the 19th cent. The pies are usually minced beef served with mashed potatoes and an eel liquor sauce which is a green colour (from the parsley). Eel pies were a favourite of the working class during the Victorian era as eels were plentiful, being the only kind of fish that could survive life in the polluted River Thames. Nowadays the shops tend to sell either steamed or jellied eels to go with the pie and mash. Neither of which appeals to me.

There are lots of eating places here including Tea Island which apparently does very good afternoon teas.

Just beyond the High Street is the Queen's theatre. A large 500 seat complex.

Across the road from the theatre is this beautiful Georgian building which is now the arts centre. The door was open so I wandered inside. In one room there was a painting class taking place. They pointed me in the direction of the annex.

In the annex was a photographic exhibition which happened to be about travel. I found it very interesting.

A little further on was Langton House and gardens. When Hornchurch town centre was redeveloped in the late 60s and 70s many older buildings were demolished to make way for more modern shops etc. Fortunately Langtons 18th century building escaped the developers and is now the local registry office.


A house has stood on this spot since the 15th century. In the 18th century the house was rebuilt into a two storey structure with wings, an orangery, stable block and lake. In 1929 Langtons was gifted to the council and in 1976 became Superintendent Register Office, wedding venue and function hall.

Swans, geese and ducks on the lake made it a very picturesque spot.

Just behind the house is a delightful courtyard with a tea shop.

Couldn't resist a slice of mango cake and a pot of tea.

I left the gardens and crossed back over to the theatre and walked back to the High Street via North Street.

I passed the library, built in 1967 and refurbished in 2007 adding a new tower with lift and stairs.

A supermarket with a Baptist church above.

This beautiful listed building used to be the King's Head pub but as you can see is now a Prezzo restaurant (Italian chain). You would have thought they could have designed a sign more in keeping with the building.

I walked back past the station as I wanted to have a look at Hornchurch Country Park. When I left the station this morning I had noticed a signpost  for the park. It was one mile from the station, a little further than I would normally go but I was interested to see what it was like. The park is on the former site of Sutton's farm airfield from which biplanes of the Royal Flying Corps took off to defend London in WW1. The airfield later became RAF Hornchurch; fighter squadrons from Hornchurch were prominent in the Battle of Britain and it became the most renowned spitfire station in Fighter Command.

There are still relics of the site's RAF history visible in the park. These are type 22 Pillboxes. They provided protection from air-raids and 360 deg visibility for riflemen defending the airfield from ground attack.
















This type is hexagonal with iron reinforced concrete walls 30cm thick and a central blast wall. The Pillbox would have been camouflaged painted.

I have seen a number of Pillboxes before but not one of these. This is a Tett Turret named after their inventor H.L.Tett. The turret provided protection for one gunner. They were mounted on a ball race, allowing it to be turned easily, on a brick or concrete chamber which housed extra ammunition and a second person (gun Loader). They were manufactured in Surrey during the invasion crisis of 1940-41 and had a number of advantages as they were easy to conceal and cheap to produce.

The Ingrebourne marshes

The Lake

By 1944, Hornchurch's role as a fighter aerodrome was coming to a close as the squadrons moved out and prepared to move south, ready for D-Day and the invasion of Europe in June that year. After the war ended in May 1945, Hornchurch reverted back to a peacetime station and through the 1950s was used as the RAF's main Aircrew Selection Centre until 1956. Hornchurch Aerodrome closed in July 1962. The London Borough of Havering decided to remember the airman that had flown from RAF Hornchurch by naming streets, roads and avenues after them in their honour.

I spent a couple of hours wandering around the park finishing at the cafe in the visitor's centre.  An excellent way to end my day in Hornchurch.