Description
Goresbroook Park follows the course of the Gores Brook and is in three sections, divided by Dagenham Avenue. Liable to flooding and thus unsuitable for housing development by the LCC, the land was reserved for open space and presented to Barking Council in 1930. By 1938 part of the site was levelled, laid with turf and landscaped, and had a few facilities such as a sandpit and paddling pool, but it remained largely undeveloped into the 1950s.
Practical Information
| Site location | Dagenham Avenue/Goresbrook Road/Hedgemans Road, Barking |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM9 |
| What3Words | ///vouch.glow.handle |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Barking & Dagenham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children's play areas; basketball courts, 5-a-side courts |
| Public Transport | Tube: Dagenham Heathway/Becontree (District). Bus: 134 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Goresbrook Park, a ‘strip of land reserved for open space' at the south end of the Becontree Estate in the 1930s, was deemed unsuitable for housing development due to the contour of the land and liability to flooding of the Gores Brook, the course of which the park follows. Presented to Barking Council by the LCC in 1930, part of the site was developed by 1938 with levelling, laying of turf and provision of a sandpit, playground, paddling pool, and with trees and shrubs planted at its boundaries. Barking Council apparently allocated funds for improvement and completion of its layout as recreation ground; however, it largely remained a site awaiting development into the 1950s although in 1957 the land was re-seeded. Bisected by 2 main roads (Dagenham Avenue and Hedgemans Road), Goresbrook Park is in three sections through which the Gores Brook runs in a concrete culvert, overgrown with greenery and largely hidden; it retains the look of land left over. Planting includes a number of mature trees, shrubs. An A13 Artscape project for the park was abandoned due to vandalism. 2008: two new children's play areas were opened.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ484839 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 14.24 |
| Site Ownership | LB Barking & Dagenham |
| Site Management | Parks & Countryside Ranger Service |
| Dates | 1930s |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
King George's Field is an enclosed grassed area laid out by Dagenham Borough Council in 1953 with a grant of £2,000 from King George's Fields Foundation to lay out the 2.1 acre site. The Foundation was set up as a memorial following the death of George V on 30 January 1936 and provided funding for the creation or improvement of a great many playing fields before it was dissolved in 1965. The small park was ‘to be laid out ... with provision for gardening facilities for Marsh Green School'. The gate piers have the characteristic heraldic stone plaques that denote all King George's Fields.
Parsloes Park derives its name from the Passelewe family, who held the land from c.1250. In 1901 part of the estate was leased to the National Trotting Horse Breeders Association for an American-style trotting track. In 1923 the London County Council acquired the estate to build the Becontree Housing Estate, whose official completion was celebrated by the opening of Parsloes Park in July 1935, the central open space of the new estate. Much of the 1930s layout remains. The northern end consisted of playing fields, with large public gardens in the south-west, and the remainder levelled as unrailed open space partly for sports but mostly ‘free for people to walk and children to play upon'.
Dagenham Park opened in 1931 on land purchased by Dagenham UDC. The land was once part of the Manor of East Hall, which dated back to at least the C14th. The park was laid out with children's playground, drinking fountain, bandstand, rose beds, formal planting, bowling green, a Sports Arena with stands and pavilion, tennis courts and a putting green. Over the years various facilities were added to the park including a new stadium stand in 1950 and new children's playground in 1961. The park lodge remains near the original entrance gates.
