BARKING AND DAGENHAM

outer borough of eastern London, part of the historic county of Essex, on the north bank of the River Thames. It was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the greater parts of the boroughs Dagenham and Barking, including the communities of Barking, Becontree, and Dagenham and parts of Marks Gate and Becontree Heath. From the 7th to the mid-16th century AD, development in the area was centred on Barking Abbey (founded c. 666), which, prior to the dissolution of monastic institutions in the 1530s, was the preeminent Benedictine nunnery in England. William I the Conqueror stayed at Barking Abbey during the construction of the Norman keep (the White Tower of the Tower of London). The ruins of the abbey adjoin the parish church of St. Margaret, where the explorer James Cook was married in 1762. Still guarding the churchyard entrance is the 15th-century Curfew Tower. H-shaped and red-bricked, Eastbury Manor House (late 16th century) is well preserved. The partly moated Valence House Museum (17th century) includes local artifacts and the Fanshawe collection of portraits. Other notable sites include the church of St. Peter and St. Paul and the 15th-century Cross Keys Inn, where Shakespeare's dramatic troupe, the Chamberlain's Men, are thought to have performed before moving on to such venues as the Globe Theatre. Barking was an important fishing port until the coming of the railways (19th century), when market gardening became the main economic activity. This, in turn, ceased with the building of the huge Becontree Estate housing development by the London County Council in the 1920s and the associated large-scale influx of new industries. Important manufacturers include the Ford Motor Company works and the Rhne-Poulenc SA chemical plant at Dagenham. The immense Barking Power Station closed in 1981 but is still a conspicuous landmark. The borough's public open space includes Old Dagenham, Parsloes, and Mayesbrook parks. The ethnic makeup of Barking and Dagenham is fairly homogeneous, with ethnic minorities accounting for only a small percentage of the total population. Area 14 square miles (36 square km). Pop.(1998 est.) 155,600.