NEWHAM

outer borough of London. It is bordered to the east by the River Roding and Barking Creek, to the south by the River Thames, and to the west by the River Lea. Newham is sometimes classified as an inner borough of London because of its intermediate location and its inclusion in the Inner London Postal Region. It was established in 1965 by amalgamation of North Woolwich, a small part of Barking, and the county boroughs of East Ham and West Ham. It includes such areas and historic villages as (south to north) Silvertown, North Woolwich, Custom House, Canning Town, Beckton, Plaistow, West Ham, East Ham, Upton Park, Stratford, Manor Park, and Forest Gate (in part). Nearly all of Newham lies within the historic county of Essex. The place-name Ham appears in Domesday Book (1086 CE) as Hame; the variants East Ham and West Ham appeared later, as did the name Plaistowe (Place for Play), prior to the 15th century. From the 19th century Londoners from East End communities and European immigrants settled there in great numbers. In the south of the borough, the working-class neighbourhoods of Canning Town, Custom House, and Silvertown sprang up in proximity to the newly constructed Royal DocksVictoria (1855), Albert (1880), and King George V (1921). The northern edge of the borough, which is formed in part by the Wanstead Flats, terminates to the west in the shopping centre, railroad yards, and industrial sector of Stratford. In eastern and central Newham is a densely developed area of terraced houses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an intentional consequence of the policy of the Eastern Railway to provide low fares for workers. To the north and south are housing projects dating from the mid-20th century, including the site of the infamous Ronan Point high-rise tower collapse (1968), which ended Britain's postwar experiment in such dwellings. The Royal Docks are now closed to commercial shipping but are retained as the centrepiece of a mixed-use development. Beyond the Royal Docks, on the banks of the Thames, is an industrial belt with sugar-refining, chemical, and other bulk industries. In 1982 the Thames Barrier, a flood-control device, was inaugurated between Silvertown and the south bank (Greenwich borough). For further discussion of the riverside industrial areas, see London Docklands. Newham is traversed by the North Circular Road and other major routes; a foot tunnel and ferry link it with Woolwich, south of the Thames. The London City Airport (the capital's smallest but closest international terminal) between the King George V and Royal Albert docks was opened in 1987. The borough's public open spaces include Central, Brampton, King George V, and Little Illford parks and, along the Thames, the Royal Victoria Gardens and Lyle Park. More than two-fifths of the population is made up of ethnic minorities (mainly South Asians, but with large numbers of Africans and Afro-Caribbeans). Area 15 square miles (39 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 231,300.