Walking alone: Barking to Upton Park... and beyond

Sunday October 25, 2026

Partly cloudy with winds of 30-40mph (48-64kph), with a high of 14°C (57°F), but feels like 10°C (50°F)

With the clocks going back one hour I awoke earlier than usual. With the weather having cleared from the storm that had set in yesterday, I decided to plan a walk.

I set off from home, at 09:00, and made my way to Watford underground station, where I boarded a train for Baker Street. At Baker Street I bought a coffee from the Starbucks kiosk and then headed to Platform 5, where a Hammersmith & City line pulled in moments later. I boarded, grabbed a seat and rode the train to the end of its route, at Barking.

On leaving Barking station I was greeted by blue skies and strong gusts of wind, which was whipping leaves, rubbish and anything that was light enough along the Station Parade. 

I headed west, along East Street, crossed Broadway and entered the grounds of Barking Abbey via Curfew Tower. Ahead and to the left of me people were making their way into St Margaret's Parish Church, while to my right a small graveyard beckoned. As I made my way along the path I noticed that a tree had fallen and was informed by an elderly lady, who was feeding the squirrels, that it had fallen the night before. 

On leaving the small graveyard, with the lady feeding about a dozen squirrels, I made my way through a gate to where the ruins of Barking Abbey stretched out. Barking Abbey was established in AD666 by the Saxon Bishop, Erkenwald, for his sister, Ethelburga, who became the first abbess. William the Conqueror stayed here after he was crowned King, in 1066, while King Henry VIII closed the Abbey in 1539, with it being demolished shortly after. I was amazed to find that I had the place to myself, which allowed me to explore the site and take some photos without interruption. Gallery.

On leaving the ruins I made my way along Barking Wharf Square and found myself beside the River Roding. With building works cutting off the footpath, to my right, I headed south and crossed the river via Highbridge Road. Ahead of me the North Circular Road cut across my path, so I used the pedestrian footbridge to reach the other side. As I neared the top of the bridge the wind picked up, blowing large pieces of cardboard, plastic sheeting and other materials ripped from a nearby building site. Using the footbridge did offer me a great view westward towards the distant towers of Canary Wharf, before my descent out of the wind and into a wooded footpath.

I followed the path, thankful for the shelter from the wind, until I reached Flanders Road, where I turned north along Park Avenue. I then headed west along Market Street, before turning north up Wellington Road, then west along Nelson Street where I stopped to take some photos of the old East Ham Corporation tram depot building. Opened on June 22, 1901, it served as the base for the East Ham Corporation Tramways, which was one of the earliest municipal electric tram networks in London. The building closed on September 30, 1933, when operations were transferred to the West Ham depot.

At the end of Nelson Street I turned north up High Street South, until I reached Barking Road, where I turned westward. I passed countless avenues, all of which looked the same, until the road sign for Ladysmith Avenue caught my eye. It was along this avenue that Dame Vera Lynn had lived, between 1921 and 1938. A little further along I saw a shop, unfortunately closed on Sundays, that I will have to revisit when I am next in the area. It is called 'The Who Shop' and is dedicated to all things from the TV series 'Doctor Who', with the shop being in existence for over 40 years. 

Continuing on I found myself at the 'World Cup Sculpture', sometimes called 'The Champions', which is a 4.9 metre (16 foot) high bronze sculpture of Bobby Moore being hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates Geoff Hurst and Ray Wilson while triumphantly holding the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft, with Martin Peters standing alongside them. After taking a few photos I headed across the road and entered The Boleyn Tavern, ready for a drink.

The Boleyn Tavern is a restored Grade II listed Victorian 'gin palace' that was built between 1899 and 1900. It is legendary for its long-standing historic ties to West Ham United F.C. and its former stadium, the Boleyn Ground, which stood just north of the pub. After ordering a pint of Broadside bitter I explored the pub. Wooden screens with etched glass divide the pub into seven distinct areas, all spread around a horseshoe bar. Photos showing West Ham F.C. adorn some of the walls, while a Symphonion stands in one of the corners. It is a spectacular pub.

On leaving the Boleyn Tavern I headed up Green Street, turned down Castle Street, then up Thunderer Street and into Shipbuilding Way. This brought me to the Boleyn Ground Memorial Garden, where a plaque marks the spot where the centre circle of the Boleyn Ground once was. I then continued my walk by crossing Priory Road and entered Priory Park.

I meandered through the park, dodging the large puddles from yesterday's rain, until I exited the park at Grangewood Street. Having never visited this area I headed along Eversleigh Road, then Katherine Road and Heigham Road, which brought me to High Street North. Here I turned north, stopping to take a photo of East Ham station which was originally opened in 1858. Although it was rebuilt in the early 1900s, it still retains many of its original features.

Further along I spotted The Ruskin Arms. This was an iconic music venue where Iron Maiden played in the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with bands like Small Faces. It finally closed in 2018, bringing an end to a life that began in 1899.

After passing beneath the railway bridge that transports the Suffragette line, I turned along Salisbury Road and onto Romford Road, deciding to visit Woodgrange Park Cemetery, since I was in the area. Woodgrange Park Cemetery is unique in that it is the only cemetery, in the UK, that is protected by its own specific Act of Parliament... the Woodgrange Park Cemetery Act 1993. 

The cemetery is home to 288 Commonwealth War Graves, and is the final resting place of Charles Mare, a shipbuilder, and Frederick Charrington, a Temperance Advocate. Ironically, the latter was born into the wealthy Charrington brewery family. The cemetery is also the resting place of five of the Iranian Embassy Siege terrorists, shot by the Special Air Service in 1980. They were placed in unmarked graves.

On leaving the cemetery I continued west, along Romford Road, before turning north up Balmoral Road. Soon I was on Sebert Road, with Manor Park Cemetery and Crematorium to my right. So, I went in. Manor Park Cemetery was established in 1874 and is unique because it is still owned and managed by the same founding family, unlike other cemeteries that are run by a local borough council. It is the final resting place for nearly 387,000 interments and has an on-site crematorium, which was opened in 1955. It is the final resting place of John Cornwell VC, the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross, Sarah Dearman, a leader of the 1888 Bryant & May Matchgirls Strike, the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster victims, Annie Chapman, the second victim of Jack the Ripper, and many more.

I was here to pay my respects to one particular person who was interred here in 2024... Paul Martin Andrews, who was more famously known as Paul Di'Anno, who was the lead singer of Iron Maiden for their first two studio albums. After finding his grave and paying my respects I took to wandering through the cemetery, searching out historical graves and memorials.

With time getting on, and with dark clouds threatening rain, I headed out of the cemetery and made my way to Manor Park station, where I caught an Elizabeth line train to Farringdon. Here I switched to an Amersham-bound Metropolitan line train, that I took as far as Baker Street. Here I purchased a coffee, at the same Starbucks kiosk that I had visited this morning, before I boarded a Watford-bound Metropolitan train with only a minute to spare before it departed.

I spent the journey home looking through the photos and videos that I had taken, occasionally checking the clouds that seemed to be following our route. Fortunately, they didn't make it as far as Watford, so I was able to walk home without getting wet.

All-in-all it was yet another great day discovering new places and learning new things.

Distance travelled:

• Bus - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Cable Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Car - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• DLR - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Ferry - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Overground - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• River Boat - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Taxi - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Train - 6.9 miles (11.10 kms) Elizabeth line
• Tram - 0.0 miles (0.0 kms)
• Underground - 47.6 miles (76.60 kms)
• Walking - 8.7 miles (14 kms)