The London Borough of Havering is a London borough in East London, England and forms a part of Outer London. The London Borough of Havering was created in 1965 by the combined former area of the Municipal Borough of Romford and Hornchurch Urban District which had been transferred to Greater London from Essex by the London Government Act 1963. The name Havering is a reference to the Royal Liberty of Havering which occupied the location for a number of centuries. The local authority is Havering London Borough Council.
The principal town in Havering is Romford and the other main communities are Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. Havering is bordered south by the London Borough of Bexley by the River Thames, to the west by the London Borough of Redbridge plus the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and towards the north and east by Essex. The borough is mainly characterised by suburban development with large locations of protected open space. Havering covers an overall area of 43.35 square miles. There's a high ratio of area per capita as significant areas of Havering are parkland and 23 square miles (60 km2), which is more than half of the borough, is Metropolitan Green Belt protected land. Those areas of development are extensive but hardly ever intensive.
Romford's urban centre is a main metropolitan retail and night time entertainment centre and to the south the borough extends into the London Riverside redevelopment area of the Thames Gateway. Havering is served by the London Underground and there's an substantial network of London Bus routes.