Everything about Hornchurch totally explained
Hornchurch is a town in the
London Borough of Havering in
East London,
England. It is a suburban development located east north-east of
Charing Cross. Hornchurch is home to the
Queen's Theatre, a modern 500–seat theatre located close to the town centre.
Havering Sixth Form College is located in the town.
Environs
The
River Ingrebourne forms the boundary with
Upminster to the east. Hornchurch borders
Romford to the north west and
Rainham to the south.
History
Hornchurch probably gets its name from an architectural feature of Saint Andrews church, near the town centre. The earliest recorded use of the name is a Latinized form
Monasterium Cornutum in 1222 meaning 'church with horn-like gables'. It was recorded as
Hornechurch in 1233. The horned bull's head mounted on the eastern end of the church dates from much later; around the
18th Century. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic
Liberty of Havering.
Hornchurch originates from around the 12th century when
Richard I gave the lands to a monastery in
Savoy as a gift for their help in aiding him and his army across the
Alps. A new monastery was built in Hornchurch as well as Saint Andrews church. The monks were forced out during the 14th century when a new law banned foreign land ownership. The lands were then given to Lord Chancellor
William Wykeham who made major renovations to the church. He subsequently gave Hornchurch to Oxford, which still owns all church lands and buildings. Due to this fact Saint Andrew's church wasn't a part of the
Diocese of Chelmsford until a contract was signed between them and
New College, Oxford in the 1930s. This parish is therefore staffed by a Vicar temporal and his curates.
During
World War I and
World War II nearby
Hornchurch Airfield was an important
RAF station; is was known as RAF Suttons Farm during WWI, with its HQ as far away as Upminster Hall. During WWII, the airfield was known as RAF Hornchurch, and was home mostly to a number of
Spitfire squadrons, with an advanced sub-station at Rayleigh. The land has since been reused for a large housing development and
Hornchurch Country Park.
Like most suburbs of London, Hornchurch had been entirely rural until the arrival of the railway which spurred huge property development during the early
1900s. Whole estates were constructed such as
Emerson Park to the north. Development was fuelled further by the arrival of the electrified
District Line during the
1930s with inter and post war housing developments south and west of Hornchurch in places such as
Elm Park.
Hornchurch Urban District was formed in
1926 from part of Romford Rural District. In
1934 it was enlarged to include
Upminster,
Cranham, and
North Ockendon although none are today considered part of Hornchurch. The council offices were located at
Langtons until
1965 when the present-day
London Borough of Havering was formed.
A.F.C. Hornchurch are the local football team, formed to replace
Hornchurch F.C..
Economy
Hornchurch is identified in the
London Plan as a "district centre", with few well known
High Street names other than banks and a supermarket, with some small independent or specialist businesses and a growing number of restaurants and bars. The town centre competes mostly with nearby
Romford and the out-of-town shopping centres of
Lakeside and
Bluewater.
Both the
Queen's Theatre and nearby Harrow Lodge Sports Centre attract leisure spending. There are a number of dispersed local parades of shops and other small businesses away from the town centre serving residential areas.
Hornchurch is home to both Lyons and Shantons Patball Clubs. A fierce rivalry has existed between the sides for almost 10 years. South Hornchurch is home to Kemps Patball club, known commonly as Kempino.
Transport
There isn't a station in central Hornchurch, however four stations are located within the town;
Upminster Bridge tube station is located just within its eastern boundary,
Hornchurch tube station is located about a half-mile south of the high street,
Elm Park tube station is about a mile and a half to the south west and
Emerson Park railway station is located about a half-mile to the north. The nearest main line railway station is at
Upminster.
Hornchurch is served by the following
Transport for London contracted
London Bus routes:
165,
193,
248,
252,
256,
365,
370 and
372.
Nearest places:
Education
Gallery
Image:Queens theatre hornchurch.jpg|Queen's Theatre
Image:Langtons house london.jpg|Langtons House and gardens
Image:Fairkytes arts centre london.jpg|Fairkytes Arts Centre
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hornchurch'.
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