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.