Barking is a town and district within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It's 8.8 miles east of Charing Cross and is among the 35 important centres named in the London Plan. Historically, it was a fishing settlement in Essex and an ancient parish. It then shifted to market gardening and industrial development to the south, next to the River Thames.
Barking quickly progressed into a larger town and its rail station opened in 1854. It has been served by the London Underground since 1908. In the course of the 20th century, when there was significant suburban development of London, Barking expanded and increased in population. This was primarily as a consequence of the construction of the London County Council estate at Becontree inside the 1920s. Barking became a municipal borough in 1931 and part of Greater London in 1965.
The town centre is a significant retail and commercial district which is presently in plans for regeneration. You'll find former industrial lands towards the south which are being redeveloped as Barking Riverside, which aims to regenerate the Thames riverside region of East London by means of new houses, jobs and services. It contains 350 acres of brownfield land, and development began in 2008. It is anticipated to be completed by about 2025. 10,000 houses are going to be constructed, which are anticipated to house 25,000 people. The developers will also provide new transport links, such as East London Transit and an extension of the Docklands Light Railway at Barking Riverside DLR station.