East Ham

A settlement in the area named Ham is first recorded as Hamme in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 958 and then in the 1086 Domesday Book as Hame. It is formed from Old English 'hamm' and means 'a dry area of land between rivers or marshland', referring the location of the settlement within boundaries formed by the rivers Lea, Thames and Roding and their marshes.[3]

In 1859 East Ham railway station opened and, although in 1863 the area was still being described as a "scattered village" the availability of transport resulted in increasing urbanisation, especially from 1890 onwards.[4] The electric services of the District Railway first served East Ham in 1908.[5]

In 1894 East Ham formed the East Ham Urban District of Essex and was incorporated as a borough on 10 August 1903. As a result of popular pressure, East Ham sought and obtained the county borough status on 1 April 1915 and remained such until 1965 when it was abolished and the County Borough of West Ham merged with its former area to form the London Borough of Newham.

The principal offices of Newham Council were at the junction of Barking Road and High Street South in the former East Ham Town Hall, a Grade II listed Edwardian structure designed by A. H. Campbell, H. Cheers and J. Smith, which included a landmark clock tower. Built between 1901 and 1903, Passmore Edwards opened the Town Hall on 5 February 1903.[6] Most council departments moved to Newham Dockside (Building 1000, Dockside Road E16) in 2010.[7]

Founded in 2011 in a former glass factory, it has various uses; as an art space, as a gallery and for events – it is independent, grassroots and community focused.[11]

Newham Council running a number of subsidised or free support programs for locals such as the ParkLives scheme.[12] Run by Coca-Cola in association with Active Newham,[13] free activities are hosted in Newham's parks, including Yoga, Tennis, Rounders and other social sports.

East Ham has its own Women's Institute group, formed in 2016. The group meets every second Tuesday of the month.[14] A modern WI, they host activities and talks as well as running a pop up cafe at local events such as; The Newham Show [15] and local art exhibitions.[16]

Bike from Boleyn was set up by the Boleyn community in 2016. They host a bi-annual bike ride from Upton Park to West Ham's new stadium in the Olympic Park to promote and preserve the historic, community and economic links between Boleyn and West Ham United as well as the local area and community networks. This also highlights the Greenway, London as an important Newham asset linking the East and West of the borough, and encourages cycling in the borough.

MONEGA (Resident's) ASSOCIATION The Monega (Resident's) Association has been a focal point of the area for over twenty years. It was established under the purview of Newham Council in order to manage a programme of improvements to the physical environment of the area. Its name came from what was then the Monega Ward. The Association has been very incisive in prompting local Labour Cllrs to better relate to residents, and to work with officers of the local Council on promoting services and initiatives through a members meeting held each quarter. Non-members are welcomed. Over a hundred guests have appeared before residents since the current Chairman took office. Subjects have ranged from animal cruelty, rec-cycling right through to mental health and FGM. The Association has very good relations with the Labour MP for East Ham, Rt Hon. Stephen Timms who sometimes attends. Other guests have included the Labour representative on the London Assembly, and the UKiP MEP for the area. Very popular have been the four jazz nights organised to a professional standard, with food cooked and donated by residents. In 2018 the Association received international recognition for its success in commemorating the hitherto generally forgotten role that Romania played in World War 1 by erecting a small plaque in the garden of the local Romanian restaurant, funded by Newham Council and unveiled by the local MP and the Defense Secretary of the Army, Navy and Airforce of Romania. The Association is dedicated to bettering the lives of local people and during the 2020 pandemic organised discounts in local Katherine Road shops to both support those shops and to enable people to avoid driving to and the danger of queing up in the high street. A free pick-up and delivery offer was organised for vulnerable residents and free pizza's delivered by the Romanian restaurant. A special colour newsletter was printed and paid for by a resident. Following the unexpected removal of financial support by Newham Council the Association has had to close its web site, scale down its newsletters, and survives on the goodwill of residents and its local shops. The Association is currently (2020) campaigning against Newham Council's objective of seeing their local shops turned into housing, and in saving the community's Pharmacy at a time when it is most needed.

The Greatfield Residents Association is a local residents association based in East Ham South (This area used to be an electoral ward known as 'Greatfields', which is where the name is from). Their objective is to promote the local area and create 'a sense of togetherness'. The group meets regularly and publishes a biannual newsletter, as well as being involved in local events and working with the council to encourage improvements to the area. In 2016 they also set up a quarterly craft and food market, funded by the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund,[17] to showcase local talent and diversity.[18]

Bonny Downs Community Association (BDCA) is an East Ham charity founded in 1998 with a vision to "work together to change lives and transform our community".[19] BDCA runs two community hubs in East Ham – The Well Community Centre and Flanders Playing Field, where Bobby Moore was discovered by West Ham United Scouts. BDCA provides a range of activities for older people, youth, children and families.[20]

There are some local area blogs, run by enthusiastic residents, including EastBlam (a local events blog and review site) which was featured in the Evening Standard as a 'blog to watch'.[21]