is a town in
East London ,
England . It is the principal town of the
London Borough Of Havering and located 14.1 miles (22.7 km) east north-east of
Charing Cross .
Romford has been a market town since
1247 , and it holds the exclusive right to hold markets over an area of radius "six and two thirds miles" centred on Romford, a right granted in
Mediæval times but successfully used to prevent nearby
Ilford from opening a market as recently as the
1990s . Romford shopping centre grew up around the original
Marketplace , on the line of the old Roman road from
London to
Colchester .
The
Liberty Shopping Centre has recently been expanded and modernised by the Romford Revival program in order to compete with out-of-town shopping centres such as the
Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex and
Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. A large swimming pool and leisure center called The Dolphin which closed in
1995 was recently demolished to make way for further expansion of the shopping centre and the addition of 230 modern flats and apartments.
The town has been associated with a ford over a small stream which flows through it, now known as the
River Rom , a 'back-formation' from the name of the town. The name 'Romford' most likely derives from early English 'rúm ford', meaning 'wide or roomy ford'.
Romford was created an
Urban District of
Essex in
1894 . In
1937 it became the
Municipal Borough Of Romford which in
1965 was transferred to
Greater London and became part of the London Borough of Havering. It is part of the
Romford constituency and the
Havering And Redbridge London Assembly constituency.
Romford Railway Station is on the
Great Eastern Main Line and is served by regular stopping, and occasionally fast, services to
Liverpool Street in the
City . Romford is a hub on the
London Bus network with services to places such as
Stratford ,
Leytonstone and
Dagenham as well as feeder services from the large housing developments which surround it such as
Collier Row and
Harold Hill .
It is planned that Romford will be served by a future extension of the
East London Transit .
Romford is home to the
Romford Raiders ice hockey team, who play at the
Romford Ice Arena . Another local sports club is Romford Hockey Club.
Romford Hockey Club
- Chadwell Heath, London, England
- Collier Row, London, England
- Elm Park, London, England
- Gidea Park, London, England
- Hornchurch, London, England
