Local History
The Becontree Estate Map
The Becontree estate was described as the largest social housing estate in the world. Around 27,000 new homes were built to help rehouse people that were moved from the East End. The first homes were completed on Chitty's Lane in 1921. By the end of 1935, the estate was home to community of 120,000. The majority lived in two storey cottages with gardens.
Chad McCail created a mural to show the colourful past of the Becontree estate with appearances from Ghandi, the famous Dagenham Ford factory, BNP and the town's girl pipers. It begins in 1921 with the building of the first red brick houses. The houses were intended to be homes fit for heroes to live in.
Did you know...
The FORD factory was built in 1917
Mahatma Gandhi visited Kingsley Hall in 1931
Dagenham Girl Pipers were formed in 1930
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