Barking
Barking is a town and district within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It's 14.2 km east of Charing Cross and is among the 35 significant centres named in the London Plan. Historically, it was a fishing settlement in Essex and an ancient parish. Then it shifted to market gardening and industrial development towards the south, alongside 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. Through the 20th century, when there was considerable suburban growth 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.
Improvement strategies were shown in 2007, hoping to transform the town square contained in the Mayor of London's 100 Public Places.