London Borough of Newham Tourist Information

The London Borough of Newham is on the north bank of the River Thames, to the east of The London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is the heart of London's East End.

Facts and Figures:

The London Borough of Newham came about in 1965 when the municipalities of East Ham and West Ham were merged to create Newham. It has a population of 244,000 people and covers an area of 36km. It is currently one of the fastest growing populations, with an expected increase of 28% by the year 2020.

Newham Council describes itself as “the most culturally diverse region in the world” with no single ethnic group dominating. The ethnic breakdown is 39% White and 61% of Black and Mixed Ethnicity.

Famous local residents include Bond girl Honor Blackman, footballers Sol Campbell and Jermain Defoe, singer David Essex and actor Danny Dyer.

Description:

The East End of London, now the London Borough of Newham, is well known for its Bow Bells, the home of pie and mash, and the domain of notorious gangs and criminals such as the Kray Twins.

Newham is the heart of the historic London Docklands. Built in the 1850s, the docks stretch from one side of the borough to the other and make up Britain's largest dockland area. They include the Royal Docks: Royal Albert Dock, Royal Victoria Dock and King George V Dock.

The London City Airport is situated overlooking the docks and is only suited to Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) Aircraft.

The borough has been shaped by its cultural diversity, civil disobedience and local industry, to produce today's multicultural image.

Newham is home to West Ham United Football Club.

During the 2012 Olympics in London, Stratford, the largest urban regeneration project in the UK, will transform parts of the city into a metropolitan centre to host the majority of the Olympic athletes.

Newham has more than 20 parks and recreation grounds including the Thames Barrier Riverside Park and East Ham Nature Reserve.

Borough Attractions:

The Thames Barrier is located within the London Borough of Newham, the largest of its kind in the world. It has an interesting Visitor Centre which can be toured.

The Abbey Mills Pumping station is an example of industrial architecture dating back to Victorian times when the area was thriving.

To see a restored Tide Mill, visit the Three Mills complex on the east bank of the River Lee. Built in 1776, it still has its original four water wheels, millstones and grain chutes.

The Newham City Farm provides a taste of rural life for city children and has rare breeds of goats, pigs, sheep and smaller petting animals. The Shire horse provides cart rides during special events.

Cultural attractions in Newham include the Theatre Royal in Stratford East and the North Woolwich Old Station Museum.

Getting There:

Newham Borough has a host of underground stations on the District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Central lines. The Docklands Light Railway serves London City Airport and the borough has many mainline railways stations.