North Ockendon - History

History

North Ockendon parish had an ancient shape that was elongated east-west, thus contrasting with a series of perpendicular parishes to its north and west. With the adjoining parishes this formed a large estate that is at least middle-Saxon or, perhaps, even Roman or Bronze age. From 1894 until it was abolished in 1936, North Ockendon formed a parish in the Orsett Rural District of Essex. The majority of its former area was used to enlarge the Cranham parish of Hornchurch Urban District and the remainder of the former parish, around 383 acres (1.55 km2), was used to form part of Thurrock Urban District in 1936. In 1965 Hornchurch Urban District was abolished and its former area, including North Ockendon, was transferred to Greater London and used to form the present-day London Borough of Havering; thus it became the only part of Greater London outside the M25 motorway.

North Ockendon is the location of Stubbers, a former stately home which was demolished in 1955 and the grounds of which is now used as an activity centre.

Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of the U.S. congressman and presidential candidate, was born in North Ockendon in 1977.