Description
Becontree Heath, probably the meeting place of the Saxon Hundred Court, was ancient commonland, and the area remained rural until the 1920s. Although much is since built over, some remains as open space. In 1931 a portion of the land was transferred to Dagenham UDC by Special Act of Parliament, extinguishing common rights, and was levelled, drained and planted for public recreation, opening as Central Park. The land north of Wood Lane was largely used for allotment gardens in the C20th, but by 1971 Wantz Boating Lake had been created to the south. The open land today is used for school playing fields, children's recreational facilities and a golf club, which uses the former boating lake as an Aqua driving range, the only one of its kind.
Practical Information
| Site location | Wood Lane, Dagenham, Essex |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM8 1JX |
| What3Words | ///mime.clown.knee |
| Type of Site | Private Open Land |
| Borough | Barking & Dagenham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am-9pm |
| Facilities | Pay and play 9-hole golf course, driving range over water |
| Public Transport | Tube: Dagenham East (District). Rail: Chadwell Heath. Bus: 5, 87, 103, 128, 129, 173, 175, 499. |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2015 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Becontree Heath was a large area of commonland, probably the meeting place of the ancient Saxon Hundred Court. By 1777 the hamlet of Becontree Heath had grown up, a couple of miles north of the main centre of population in Dagenham village. It comprised a cluster of houses on the unenclosed common at the meeting of a number of important early routes, Wood Lane, Green Lane and Whalebone Lane to which there are references from the C14th. At one time at the south-east corner of the heath was a tower mill, which was converted to steam by 1894. The Dagenham area remained rural until the 1920s, after which it began to change radically as housing as well as industrial use accelerated and at Becontree Heath only a few C19th buildings survive among the proliferation of houses, shops and other facilities.
In 1931 Dagenham Urban District Council obtained c.11 acres of the commonland by Special Act of Parliament, which vested Becontree Heath in the Council, extinguishing common rights. The Heath had become known as ‘Nanny Goat Common' due to the amount of common grazing on the land; following transfer of ownership to the Council, a number of owners were impounded for not removing their goats from the common. The Council levelled, drained and planted the land with shrubs and borders ‘to provide an area to serve as a pleasure ground for adults . . .(which was) to be preserved as a natural amenity as well as a central open space of approach to the Civic Centre'. The Civic Centre was built in 1936, although Central Park (q.v.) opened in 1932.
The tract of open land north of Wood Lane was largely allocated to allotment gardens until the 1960s, as shown on the OS Map of 1961, 1:2500. The OS Map of 1970-74, 1:1250 shows an artificial body of water had been created in the area just north of Wood Lane, named Wantz Boating Lake; Dagenham Swimming Pool also opened nearby in 1972. The Wantz Stream, which flows from Romford through Becontree Heath and feeds into the Beam River to the east, is one of a number of waterways that run through this area, now largely culverted. What remains of the former commonland as open space is now predominantly used for school playing fields and a golf course, the lake now an Aqua Driving Range within Crowlands Heath Golf Club. This driving range over water is the only one of its kind.
In 1931 Dagenham Urban District Council obtained c.11 acres of the commonland by Special Act of Parliament, which vested Becontree Heath in the Council, extinguishing common rights. The Heath had become known as ‘Nanny Goat Common' due to the amount of common grazing on the land; following transfer of ownership to the Council, a number of owners were impounded for not removing their goats from the common. The Council levelled, drained and planted the land with shrubs and borders ‘to provide an area to serve as a pleasure ground for adults . . .(which was) to be preserved as a natural amenity as well as a central open space of approach to the Civic Centre'. The Civic Centre was built in 1936, although Central Park (q.v.) opened in 1932.
The tract of open land north of Wood Lane was largely allocated to allotment gardens until the 1960s, as shown on the OS Map of 1961, 1:2500. The OS Map of 1970-74, 1:1250 shows an artificial body of water had been created in the area just north of Wood Lane, named Wantz Boating Lake; Dagenham Swimming Pool also opened nearby in 1972. The Wantz Stream, which flows from Romford through Becontree Heath and feeds into the Beam River to the east, is one of a number of waterways that run through this area, now largely culverted. What remains of the former commonland as open space is now predominantly used for school playing fields and a golf course, the lake now an Aqua Driving Range within Crowlands Heath Golf Club. This driving range over water is the only one of its kind.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ495870 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Barking & Dagenham |
| Site Management | leased to Crowlands Heath Golf Club |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Barking & Dagenham |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The small park was opened in the 1930s as Jutsums Lane Recreation Ground, later changed to Jutsums Park. Judson's Lane is an old lane running across farmland, shown on C19th maps. The Great Eastern Railway had reached Romford in 1839 and thenceforth the old market town expanded although the area to the west remained largely farmland into the 1920s. The future park's site, near Crowlands and Fiddler's Hall, is marked as a gravel pit by 1896. By 1939 the Recreation Ground is shown laid out with perimeter trees along north, south and west boundaries, bounded to the north by the railway escarpment. A children's playground is shown to the east with a drinking fountain and lavatories, and a path leads east from the entrance on Jutsom's Lane.
Central Park was laid out on a site purchased by Dagenham Borough Council in 1928, and opened in 1932; facilities included a putting green, miniature golf course, pavilion and tennis grounds. The Civic Centre opened in October 1937 with its Council Chamber overlooking the park, which since 2017 has been converted to a university run by the Coventry University Group.
Extensive plans for the park, including formal planting near the Civic Centre, were disrupted by WWII and never completed. Facilities added over the years include the Old People's Garden, a children's playground (1952), and a new Bowling Green. A Memorial Garden was opened in 2006.
Extensive plans for the park, including formal planting near the Civic Centre, were disrupted by WWII and never completed. Facilities added over the years include the Old People's Garden, a children's playground (1952), and a new Bowling Green. A Memorial Garden was opened in 2006.
Heath Park Estate was built in 1951 for Dagenham Council at the time of the Festival of Britain, and its design reflects the new ideas for urban housing then prevalent. Architects Norman & Dawbarn won a Festival of Britain Award for the estate, which was laid out on 39.3 acres of land. It provided 279 dwellings in a mixture of cottages and 3, 4 or 5-storey blocks of flats with areas of open space, lawns and gardens to provide a sense of spaciousness. At the north end of the estate old people's cottages were set around a green. Heath Park Open Space provided 6 acres of amenity space near the community centre.