Becontree tube station

Becontree station stands on the District line between Upney and Dagenham Heathway, south of the Becontree estate in Barking and Dagenham. The line runs 9.1 kilometres from Upminster and 25.1 kilometres to Earl’s Court, where it splits into branches. The station opened in 1926 as Gale Street Halt, built to serve the new Becontree housing estate. In 1932 it was rebuilt and renamed Becontree, with two new platforms for electric District line trains. The original London–Southend services stopped calling in the 1960s, leaving only the District line platforms in use. The station’s history reflects the growth of one of London’s largest estates, planned in the 1920s by C. J. Wills and Sons Ltd. By 1935 the area had about 18,000 homes and a population of 116,000. Commuters used the line to reach West and East Ham, cutting bus use and cutting journeys to Charing Cross to as little as 35 minutes. A temporary railway once crossed the site during the estate’s construction between 1921 and 1934. Plans for trams and a monorail were abandoned after objections from local councils. Visitors find a single-storey brick building in typical 1930s style, shared with stations like Dagenham East and Upminster. The platforms are reached by stairs; lifts were installed but never brought into use. Parsloes Park lies to the north and a small shopping area to the south. Schools and a driving school sit nearby, and buses 62 and 145 connect to Barking, Ilford and Dagenham. Off-peak trains run every five minutes to Upminster and Earl’s Court, with some continuing to Richmond or Wimbledon.