Creekmouth

Creekmouth is a largely industrial suburb of East London, England. It is located to the south of Barking and one of the areas earmarked for redevelopment, especially when the Barking Reach extension is expanded to Dagenham. The industrial area around River Road and Thames Road is one of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham's largest employment areas. Creekmouth has a wide range of businesses from small local manufacturers to major multi-national companies.

History

The Creekmouth Village as it was known, was built just below the Thames riverbank in the 1850s by Mr John Bennett Lawes, primarily for workers at his factory, Lawes Chemical and Fertiliser Company. The village consisted of two rows of small houses, approximately 50 in total and had its own school, Mission Hall, shop and a public house called The Crooked Billet which is mentioned in records going back to 1719. The village community was very isolated. Most people who lived there worked for the chemical factory, or on the river, on the barges or as Lightermen. The area was surrounded by marshes and fields full of grazing cows and horses. For much of the 20th Century Creekmouth was the location of the former Barking Power Station; the current station is further east near Dagenham Dock.

Regeneration project

The regeneration project, costing £290,000 was started in 2005 and has seen the Environment Agency work in partnership with local charity the Creekmouth Preservation Society to transform disused land at the Barking Barrier into a green space. A station Creekmouth DLR station is proposed on the Dagenham Dock extension of the Docklands Light Railway with a suggested opening date of 2016.

Billy Bragg, poet and musician originally from nearby Barking helped local children from Thames View Junior School plant over 500 wild flower bulbs at the “Creekmouth Open Space” at the Barking Barrier on 28 November 2007.

Dagenham is located to the north-east. Creekmouth is located on Barking Reach.