Creekmouth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Creekmouth |
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 Barking Creek tidal barrier from the Creekmouth industrial estate |
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 Creekmouth
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| OS grid reference | TQ457448 |
| • Charing Cross | 10 mi (16 km) W |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARKING |
| Postcode district | IG11 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
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| London Assembly | |
Creekmouth is an area in Barking, located in east London, England. It is mostly known for its large area filled with factories and businesses, called an industrial estate. This industrial part, especially around River Road and Thames Road, is one of the biggest places for jobs in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Creekmouth is home to many different businesses, from small local companies to huge international ones.
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History of Creekmouth
The area known as Creekmouth Village was built in the 1850s. It was located close to the Thames and Roding rivers. A man named John Bennett Lawes built it mainly for the people who worked at his factory. His factory was called the Lawes Chemical and Fertiliser Company.
The village had about fifty small houses in two rows. It also had its own school, a Mission Hall, a shop, and a public house (a pub) called The Crooked Billet. This pub is mentioned in old records from as far back as 1719. The people living in the village were quite cut off from other towns.
Most villagers worked at the chemical factory. Others worked on the river, moving goods on barges or as Lightermen (people who operate barges). The area around the village was mostly marshes and fields. Cows and horses often grazed in these fields. For a lot of the 1900s, Creekmouth was where the old Barking Power Station was located. The current power station is now further east, near Dagenham Dock.
A very big flood, called the 1953 North Sea flood, hit the village hard. The sea water rushed in and flooded the entire village. The water was about 3 feet (1 meter) deep. Luckily, no one died in the flood. However, the village at Creekmouth was torn down soon after. The people who lived there were given new homes on the nearby Thames View Estate. Later, in the early 1980s, the Barking Creek tidal barrier was built. This barrier helps protect London from floods.
How Creekmouth is Governed
The local government for Creekmouth is the Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. This area is part of the Thames ward. A ward is like a local voting area. Three councillors are elected from this ward to represent the people.
For elections to the London Assembly, Creekmouth is part of the City and East area. The London Assembly helps oversee the Mayor of London. For elections to the UK Parliament, Creekmouth is in the Barking constituency. This is where people vote for their Member of Parliament (MP).
Green Spaces and Nature
A special project to make Creekmouth greener started in 2005. It cost £290,000. The Environment Agency worked with a local charity called the Creekmouth Preservation Society. Together, they turned unused land near the Barking Barrier into a nice green space.
Billy Bragg, a famous poet and musician from nearby Barking, helped out. On November 28, 2007, he joined local children from Thames View Junior School. They planted over 500 wild flower bulbs at the "Creekmouth Open Space" near the Barking Barrier. This helped make the area more beautiful.
Getting Around Creekmouth
Creekmouth has bus services that help people travel around. The East London Transit bus service EL3 runs through Creekmouth. It goes between Little Heath and Barking Riverside.
Other East London Transit routes, EL1 and EL2, serve the nearby Thames View area. This is just north of Creekmouth. These buses connect to places like Barking, Ilford, Barking Riverside, and Dagenham Dock.
There was a plan for a Creekmouth DLR station. The DLR is a type of light rail train. This station would have been part of an extension to Dagenham Dock. However, this plan was cancelled in 2008.
