The suburban town of Barking in east London boasts around 100,000. It's 8.8 miles east of Charing Cross and is among the 35 major centres named in the London Plan. Historically, it was a fishing settlement in Essex and an ancient parish. After that it moved to market gardening and industrial development to the south, adjacent to the River Thames.
Barking quickly evolved into a larger town and its rail station opened in 1854. It has been served by the London Underground since 1908. Throughout the twentieth century, when there was considerable suburban growth of London, Barking expanded and increased in population. This was mainly as a consequence of the construction of the London County Council estate at Becontree within the 1920s. Barking became a municipal borough in 1931 and part of Greater London in 1965.
Rejuvenation plans were shown in 2007, hoping to change the town square included in the Mayor of London's 100 Public Places.