About our area

There are a number of notable people who came from the area. These include Titanic survivor Eva Hart MBE, who was a resident until her death in 1996; a local Wetherspoon public house, situated in the old local Police station, is named after her. Mary Wollstonecraft was an early advocate of Women’s Rights and the mother of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. The artist Henry Gillard Glindoni lived locally. Actors Millicent Martin and Michelle Dockery and David Essex also lived in Chadwell Heath.

A number of well known sports personalities also came from Chadwell Heath. These include footballers Tony Cottee and Nick Shorey, rugby ace Jason Leonard OBE,  boxers Frank Bruno and Colin McMillan, cricketer Graham Gooch, marathon runner Jim Peters and F.1 driver Jackie Oliver, to name just a few.

Chadwell Heath is a large, suburban district in East London, situated across the boundary of London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and London Borough of Redbridge. Our Residents’ Association is in Barking & Dagenham.

Chadwell Heath originated from one of two hamlets, Black Heath and Chadwell Street, situated along the great Roman road from London to Colchester. As the area grew larger, the two hamlets merged to become Chadwell Heath. However, Chadwell Heath today remains divided between the two London Boroughs.

St Chads WellThe origin of the name Chadwell Heath is believed by some to stem from St Chad who brought Christianity to Essex in the 7th Century. Others claim that the name derives from the words 'cald wielle' which apparently means 'cold spring' in Old English. St Chads Well is situated in Billet Road and the name Chadwell was recorded in 1254.

Chadwell Heath High Road is a busy shopping area, with some supermarkets and a variety of smaller retail and service outlets. Local housing consists mainly of attractive, traditional early to mid-20th century homes. However, some concern is being raised at the prospect of high rise buildings replacing lower buildings, when empty sites are purchased by developers.

North of the Borough is an area of Chadwell Heath called Marks Gate. This area has medieval heritage and generally comprises farming and municipal housing. Nearby Padnall Lakes are a habitat for birds and waterfowl. This area is to have up to 300 homes built nearby.

The area has a popular and active History Society. There are some noted heritage sites and traditional buildings around Chadwell Heath, including a 17th C brick barn, still in use, and a WWII anti-aircraft battery.  The White horse, in the High Road, dated back to 1602, and was included on the LBBD Local list of Buildings of special Architectural or Historic interest. Following two devastating fires, it is hoped that it will once more return to serve the community, as part of a new development on the original site. The West Ham United training ground was situated in Chadwell Heath for many years, before being relocated in 2015.   St Chad’s Lawn Bowling Club is situated in St Chads Park, which is the oldest park in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. This attractive Victorian park has ornamental gardens and many sports and play amenities plus a wild life conservation area.  There is a revival of the Friends of St Chads Park group.  The popular Moby Golf with its driving range, 18 hole golf course and Moby Dick themed Adventure Golf feature, also attracts many visitors to this area.

Chadwell Heath has good bus and rail transport systems. The TfL rail at Chadwell Heath station is on the Crossrail line, with easy access to central London and on towards Heathrow.