Upminster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 51°33′21″N 0°15′04″E / 51.555743°N 0.251239°E
| Upminster | |
 St Lawrence Church |
|
  Upminster
Upminster shown within Greater London |
|
| Population | 25,441 (Cranham and Upminster wards 2007)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| - Charing Cross | 16.5 mi (26.6 km) WSW |
| London borough | Havering |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UPMINSTER |
| Postcode district | RM14 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | Upminster |
| London Assembly | Havering and Redbridge |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Upminster is a suburban town in northeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan.[2] It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It was historically a rural village in the county of Essex and formed an ancient parish, that was abolished for civil purposes in 1934. Although peripheral to London, the town has good transport links; it was first connected to central London by rail in 1885 and has a station on the London Underground network. The economic history of Upminster is characterised by a shift from agriculture to garden suburb. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Upminster significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming part of Hornchurch Urban District in 1934 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Toponymy
| 1881 | 1,202 |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 1,409 |
| 1901 | 1,477 |
| 1911 | 2,468 |
| 1921 | 3,559 |
| 1931 | 5,732 |
| 1941 | war # |
| 1951 | 13,038 |
| # no census was held due to war | |
| source: UK census[3] | |
The placename Upminster is first recorded in 1062 as Upmynstre and is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Upmunstra.[4] It is formed from Old English upp and mynster, meaning the large church on high ground. The high ground of the parish church being in relation to the valley of the River Ingrebourne and the Upminster Bridge over the river shares the name.[4]
[edit] Early history
There was an ancient farmstead from the 1st century to the 3rd century in the Upminster area.[5] The parish has three early centres of activity; the village around the church and the settlements of Hacton and Corbets Tey.[5]
[edit] Local government
Upminster formed an ancient parish of 3,369 acres (1,363 ha) in the Chafford hundred of Essex.[5] The parish vestry had meetings in the church until 1798, when they moved to the Bell Inn.[6] The parish was divided into North and South wards by the Hornchurch to Cranham road.[6] In 1836 the vestry lost control of poor relief and Upminster became part of the Romford Poor Law Union.[6] In 1875 the parish became part of Romford rural sanitary district. Following the Local Government Act 1894, the sanitary district became Romford Rural District and a parish council was formed of nine members.[6] The parish formed part of the London Traffic Area from 1924 and the London Passenger Transport Area from 1933.[7] In 1934 the parish council was abolished and Upminster formed part of Hornchurch Urban District. In 1965 the urban district was abolished and its former area was combined with that of Municipal Borough of Romford; and since then has formed the northern part of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London.[8]
[edit] Urban development
The estates of Gaynes, New Place and Upminster Hall were purchased during the 17th century by merchants in the City of London.[5] This caused a significant number of buildings in the town to be constructed or improved.[5] Upkeep of the three bridges crossing the Ingrebourne were the responsibility of Upminster, as the adjacent Hornchurch parish was in the Havering liberty and was able to exempt itself of responsibility because of its charter. The railway station in Upminster was opened in 1855 by the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway and following the building of the Whitechapel and Bow Railway, the services of the Metropolitan District Railway started operating to Upminster in 1902.[9] Although the opening of the station was key to the development of the suburb, land was not purchased for development until 10 acres (4.0 ha) were secured in 1901.[5] The line to London was doubled by the addition of two new electrified tracks during in the 1930s and a new station was opened at Upminster Bridge.
The electricity supply was introduced in Upminster in 1926.[6] Gas main supply came from Romford in 1872 and from 1905 there was gas street lighting.[6] The area was served by good spring water, with mains supply provided by the South Essex Waterworks Company from 1836. Works on the sewerage system began in 1899 in Upminster village and Corbets Tey. In 1922 sewage works for Upminster and Cranham were opened in Great Warley.[6] Land for Upminster Park was purchased by the parish council in 1929.
[edit] Governance
The town forms part of the Upminster UK Parliament constituency, and is covered by the Havering wards of Upminster and Cranham. Each ward elects three councillors to Havering London Borough Council. All six councillors elected in 2006 for the two wards were the Upminster and Cranham Residents' Association candidates. From 1945 to 1974 Upminster formed part of the Hornchurch constituency and from the next UK general election it will again join with Hornchurch as part of Hornchurch and Upminster. Upminster is within the Havering and Redbridge London Assembly constituency and the London European Parliament constituency.
[edit] Geography
Upminister rises to about 200 feet (61 m) above sea level to the north and is about 50 feet (15 m) above sea level to the south.[5] It rests on a layer of loam, above sand and gravel in the south and London Clay to the north. It is bounded in the west by the River Ingrebourne and there is a stream running east-west, just north of Corbets Tey that has been dammed to form a lake.[5] It has formed part of the continuously built-up area of London since the 1930s[10] and is contiguous with Cranham to the east and Hornchurch to the west. To the north and south there is open land that forms part of the metropolitan green belt and there are open spaces formed by Upminster Golf Club and Upminster Hall Playing Field to the north, Upminster Park and Clock House Gardens to the south, and the Ingrebourne Valley linear park to the south west. The town is effectively divided into north and south parts by the railway line. The north is predominantly residential, with the southern part containing the main shopping area. Further south it becomes predominantly residential again. Upminster is a post town in the RM postcode area; it forms a long protrusion over the M25 motorway and additionally includes North Ockendon, also in Havering, and Bulphan in Thurrock.[11] Climate data for Upminster is taken from the nearest weather station at Greenwich, around 12 miles (19.3 km) south west of the church:
| Weather data for Greenwich | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Average high °C (°F) | 7.9 (46) |
8.2 (47) |
10.9 (52) |
13.3 (56) |
17.2 (63) |
20.2 (68) |
22.8 (73) |
22.6 (73) |
19.3 (67) |
15.2 (59) |
10.9 (52) |
8.8 (48) |
|
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.4 (36) |
2.2 (36) |
3.8 (39) |
5.2 (41) |
8.0 (46) |
11.1 (52) |
13.6 (56) |
13.3 (56) |
10.9 (52) |
8.8 (48) |
4.8 (41) |
3.3 (38) |
|
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 51.9 (2.04) |
34.0 (1.34) |
42.0 (1.65) |
45.2 (1.78) |
47.2 (1.86) |
53.0 (2.09) |
38.3 (1.51) |
47.3 (1.86) |
56.9 (2.24) |
61.5 (2.42) |
52.3 (2.06) |
54.0 (2.13) |
|
| Source: Met Office[12] 2009 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demography
| Upminster compared (2001 Census) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistic | Upminster[13] | Cranham[14] | Havering[13] | London[13] | England[13] |
| Ethnic group | |||||
| White | 12,354 | 11,930 | 213,421 | 5,103,203 | 44,679,361 |
| Asian | 133 | 120 | 4,088 | 866,693 | 2,248,289 |
| Black | 59 | 64 | 3,139 | 782,849 | 1,132,508 |
| Mixed | 87 | 78 | 2,298 | 226,111 | 643,373 |
| Chinese/Other | 41 | 19 | 827 | 70,928 | 231,424 |
| Population | |||||
| Total | 12,674 | 12,242 | 224,248 | 7,172,091 | 49,138,831 |
| Density(/hectare) | 5.62 | 18.67 | 19.97 | 45.62 | 3.77 |
| Households | 4,946 | 5,111 | 91,722 | 3,015,997 | 20,451,427 |
The Havering committee area for Upminster is defined as the wards of Upminster and Cranham.[15] Demographic data is produced by the Office for National Statistics for these wards. All of Upminster is contained within these wards, however they also cover the connected settlement of Cranham and the rural outlier of North Ockendon. In 2001 the population of Upminster ward was 12,674[13] and Cranham ward was 12,242,[14] giving a total population of 25,098. 80.95% in Upminster and 81.73% in Cranham report their religion as Christian, compared to 76.13% for Havering, 58.23% in London and 71.74% in England. 10.08% in Upminster and 10.46% in Cranham report having no religion, compared to 13.18% in Havering, 15.76% in London and 14.59% in England.[13][14]
[edit] Transport
The town is served by Upminster station on the London-Tilbury-Southend Line and the London Underground, in Travelcard Zone 6.[16] The western part of the town is also served by Upminster Bridge tube station. Upminster and Upminster Bridge are on the District line of the London Underground, with services to Richmond, Ealing Broadway and Wimbledon via central London. The station at Upminster is served by National Rail operators c2c and National Express East Anglia, with services to Fenchurch Street via West Ham; Shoeburyness via Basildon; Southend via Chafford Hundred;[17] and Romford via Emerson Park.[18] There are Transport for London bus services to Hornchurch, Romford, North Ockendon, Lakeside Shopping Centre and Cranham.[19] To the south of Upminster is Damyns Hall Aerodrome. The A127 road to the north is the main radial artery to central London, with the A124 road terminating in the town. The M25 motorway is located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the east of the town centre.
[edit] Culture
Upminster is the location of Upminster Windmill, one of the few remaining mills in Greater London and Grade II* listed.[20] There is also the Tithe Barn Museum, containing artifacts of domestic and agricultural use. In the west of Upminster is Hornchurch Stadium, which is the home ground of A.F.C. Hornchurch. Upminster is often associated with Ian Dury and his 1981 album Lord Upminster is named after the town.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Mid-2007 Population Estimates for 2007 Wards in England". Office for National Statistics. 2009. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13893. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ Mayor of London (May 2006). "The London Plan: East London Sub Regional Development Framework". Greater London Authority. http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/planning/srdf/docs/east-srdf.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ Vision of Britain - Upminster population. Retrieved on 2009-08-15.
- ^ a b Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Upminster: Introduction and manors, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7". 1978. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42829. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Upminster: Local government and parliamentary representation, A History of the County of Essex: Volume 7". 1978. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42830. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ Robson, William (1939). The Government and Mis-government of London. London: Allen & Unwin.
- ^ Vision of Britain - Havering London Borough. Retrieved on 2009-08-15.
- ^ Wolmar, Christian (2004). The Subterranean Railway. Atlantic Books.
- ^ Robson, William (1939). The Government and Mis-government of London. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 26–27.
- ^ Royal Mail (2004). Address Management Guide. Royal Mail Group. p. 168.
- ^ Met Office (2000). "Climate: Greenwich 1971-2000 averages". http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/greenwich.html?s=043330&refer=. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ a b c d e f Neighbourhood Statistics (2001). "2001 Census: Census Area Statistics, Area: Upminster (Ward)". Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadAreaSearch.do?a=7&c=romford+town&d=14&r=1&i=1001&m=0&s=1250418652857&enc=1&areaSearchText=upminster&areaSearchType=14&extendedList=false&searchAreas=. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
- ^ a b c Neighbourhood Statistics (2001). "2001 Census: Census Area Statistics, Area: Cranham (Ward)". Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=7&b=6096871&c=cranham&d=14&g=336496&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1250418744778&enc=1&domainId=16. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
- ^ Upminster Area Committee (June 2009). "Upminster Area Committee (Cranham & Upminster Wards) Agenda". Havering London Borough Council. http://www.havering.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=18289&p=0. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
- ^ Transport for London (March 2009). "High frequency services". Greater London Authority. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/high-frequency-services-map.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ c2c (May 2009). "Train Times". National Express Group. http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/content/download/13431/171193/file/Full+Timetable.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ "Table 6". National Express East Anglia. May 2009. http://www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/content/download/33035/382359/file/Table+6+Shenfield+to+Liverpool+Street.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
- ^ Transport for London (March 2008). "Buses from Upminster". Greater London Authority. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/maps/buses/pdf/upminster-2272.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ "Upminster Windmill, St Marys Lane, Upminster, Havering, Greater London". English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?pid=1&id=201646. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
[edit] External links
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