Chadwell Heath - History

History

Chadwell Heath formed a hamlet in the ancient parish of Dagenham. The London to Colchester Roman road caused some early 'ribbon' development while much of the rest of the parish remained rural. The railway was constructed through the area from Romford and Ilford and in 1864 Chadwell Heath railway station was opened. Suburban growth commenced in 1900 and proceeded rapidly until World War I; increasing after the war. It was the 'end of the line' for both the London tram system and later the electric trolley bus service from Aldgate. The trolley buses turned around at Station Road and Wangey Road.

Mary Wollstonecraft (born 1759), mother of 'Frankenstein' author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly, lived briefly at a farm near Whalebone Lane until the family moved to Barking. Mary Wollstonecraft senior wrote 'Vindication of the Rights of Women' in 1792 and was a notable critic of the Whig MPEdmund Burke, a number of photographs of Mary can be seen in the Eva Hart.

Artist Henry Gillard Glindoni (1852–1913) moved to Chadwell Heath around 1891 and lived in a new villa on the corner of Mill Lane and Whalebone Lane North. This building is still there and his north-facing studio adjacent to the house is now a small shop. He painted local scenes and some of his work can still be seen in Valence House Museum.

The area suffered several bomb hits during World War Two. A large parachute mine also exploded causing extensive residential damage while a second failed to explode and its parachute became entangled in trees near Chadwell Heath station. A heavy anti-aircraft battery was located east of Whalebone Lane North and traces of the concrete emplacements remain today.

A survivor of the RMS Titanic, Miss Eva Hart MBE, was a resident of Japan Road, Chadwell Heath, for many years until her death in 1996. Miss Hart had been a magistrate who dealt with alcohol licence applications. When the former police station was converted into a public house by Wetherspoon's it was named after her and remains so today. It contains several photographs of young Eva and her family. Immediately following the tragedy Miss Hart and her mother lived with her grandmother in Whalebone Grove. Apart from a short stay in Australia she was a lifelong Chadwell Heath resident.

Actress and singer Millicent Martin was born in Mill Lane in 1934 and went to school in Romford. She became famous for appearances in 'That Was The Week That Was' and 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' on UK TV in the 1960s. Most recently she has played Daphne's mum in the US series 'Frasier'.

Comedian, actor and musician Dudley Moore used to refer to his mother's Baron Road home as 'Chadwell Heath' in television interviews but technically it was in Dagenham. He and his red Ferrari car were familiar sights in the area during the 1970s. He returned for his mother's funeral in 1981.

Author Michael J Merry lived in Hall Road between 1940 and 1958. He attended Chadwell Primary School. Singer and actor David Essex lived on the Marks Gate estate for 15 years.

Actress Michelle Dockery, a 2nd generation Irish woman, was educated at the Chadwell Heath Foundation School. She is best known for stage appearances and for roles in Downton Abbey and The Hogfather.

Fishmonger Eric Ruffell formerly ran a shop in High Road, Chadwell Heath. For many years he held the Royal Warrant as supplier to HM The Queen by appointment. The shop was demolished during commercial redevelopment in the 1980s.