King George V Park (including Newham City Farm)

King George V Park opened in 1982. Its name reflects the nearby King George V Dock, the last of the three Royal Docks to be built. Victoria Dock had been constructed in 1850-55, followed by Albert Dock, completed in 1880, which opened up an entrance for ships at Gallions Reach. The prefix 'Royal' was given to the two docks in 1880 and they became London's main docks, which led to a huge expansion of employment opportunities and a need for accommodation for the workers. The new settlements of Hallsville, Canning Town and North Woolwich were developed, together with an expansion of housing in areas later known as Custom House, Silvertown and West Silvertown. The final dock to be constructed was King George V Dock, which was opened by King George V in July 1921 and was immense, with 49 cranes, dolphin berths enabling loading from both sides and two 6-storey warehouses. It handled the largest ocean liners of its day, having a 225m-long dock and large entrance capable of accommodating huge vessels such as the RMS Mauretania in 1939. It would have been larger still, with another dock on marshland to the north planned, but never built. The Royal Docks were built on the large tracts of the Plaistow marshland, an area where the river was wide and deep, enabling warehouses and railway lines to be built up to the docks. As trade and the British Empire had expanded in the C18th and early C19th, the East and West India Docks at first took pressure of the Port of London, but proved insufficient as trade expanded. The plan to build larger and deeper docks on the marshland to the east of London was the inspiration of George Parker Bidder and a group of entrepreneurs, When completed the Royal Docks formed the largest area of impounded water world-wide and secured London's position as a global centre for trade and industry.  Along with the docks, new residential areas were built up as well as industrial enterprises and factories, the area becoming London's largest base for the cargo industry by 1880.

The Royal Docks suffered bomb damage during World War II but continued to operate after the war. However, decline of the Royal Docks began from 1960 as the shipping industry adopted new practices, in particular containerisation that could not be accommodated here and was moved downstream to Tilbury. Despite efforts by the newly established Docklands Joint Committee, who published a London Docklands Strategic Plan in 1976 that led to the development of Beckton as a residential area, the Royal Docks eventually closed in 1981 resulting in massive unemployment and social problems in East London. The site became abandoned and derelict until the 1990s when the London Docklands Developement Corporation was established by Government to redevelop the area. Much of the historic warehouses and structures were demolished. New housing developments ensued under the auspices of various developers, and enterprises such as the ExCel Exhibition Centre opened in 2000.

Within King George V Park site is the former Newham City Farm, which had opened in 1977, making it one of London's longest established city farms. Designed by Newham Council's Landscape Architect the farm had traditional farm animals as well as more exotic beasts such as llamas, ferrets, wallabies and guinea pigs. In 2022 Newham Council closed the farm, although there are plans to restore this as part of Beckton Parks Masterplan, adopted in 2024. Adjacent to the park a lake was constructed in 1983.

King George V Park is contiguous with Beckton District Park, North and South, located across Stansfield Road, which was created under the auspices of the London Docklands Development Corporation in the early 1980s on fields and derelict industrial land between old settlements and new development.  

The Beckton Parks Masterplan area covers c.36 hectares and within its scope are Beckton District Park (North and South), New Beckton Park, Beckton Corridor, the former Newham City Farm site and King George V Park. It proposes a variety of leisure and community facilities as well as community growing and designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. Highlights include a new community farm with green skills hub on the former Newham City Farm site; enhancement to the lake, and creation of a sports hub around the Will Thorne Pavilion. Already completed is the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Pathway in Beckton Meadows and a new play area in Beckton District Park South.