DH Foundation

Barking Park War Memorial

Loxford · 1.2 miles

Wall dedicated to those from Barking who lost their lives during the First and Second World War.

Martyrs Memorial

Stratford New Town · 1.9 miles

A 19th-century monument in Stratford New Town marks the site where a group of eleven men and two women were executed for their Protestant convictions during the Marian persecutions of 1556. The stone column stands in St John’s churchyard on Stratford Broadway and was raised in 1879 to honour those who suffered at the hands of the authorities. Designed by J T Newman, the structure comprises an ornate hexagonal shaft topped by a twelve-sided spire that reaches approximately 65 feet. One face bears a terra-cotta relief panel that reproduces an illustration from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, while the remaining sides list the names of the thirteen individuals, together with Elizabeth Warne, Stephen Harwood, Hugh Laverock, John Apprice, Patrick Packingham and the Reverend Thomas Rose, whose fates were linked to the same period of religious turmoil. The memorial was financed through public subscription, the appeal being chaired by Rev William Jay Bolton, Vicar of Stratford. Its unveiling on 2 August 1879 was conducted under the auspices of the Earl of Shaftesbury, whose address reflected the anti-Catholic sentiment of the time. Contemporary commentary in The Graphic criticised the polarising tone of the speech. The monument is recorded on the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II listed structure, with Historic England confirming its protected status. Visitors can view the memorial within the churchyard, where the surrounding setting remains unchanged since its erection.

Eastbury Manor House

Thames View · 2.5 miles

A substantial Elizabethan residence survives in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, where Eastbury Manor House stands as a Grade I listed museum. The building occupies land that once formed part of the demesne of Barking Abbey and lies close to the Thames View area of Greater London. Ownership rests with the National Trust while day-to-day management is provided by the borough council; the house welcomes visitors for ten months each year. Construction began in the 1570s after merchant Clement Sisley acquired the former abbey lands. Contemporary records note brickwork bearing the dates 1572 and 1573, and dendrochronology places the timber roof in 1566, indicating a rapid build-up. The house was probably the first brick structure locally, featuring glass windows that may have been imported from Italy and unusually high chimneys, both signs of its original wealth. A later tradition links the house to the Gunpowder Plot, although no documentary evidence supports the claim. Following a period of decline from the late eighteenth century—during which the Great Tower Staircase was removed by 1814 and original flooring and fireplaces disappeared in the 1830s—only the west wing remained habitable by the nineteenth century’s end. The National Trust purchased the property in 1918, restored it, and opened it as the Museum of Barking in 1931. After being listed in 1954, the house benefited from Heritage Lottery Fund-backed restorations, the most recent completed in 2010, which added a permanent exhibition detailing the building’s architectural evolution and succession of owners.

Olympic Bell

Fish Island · 3.1 miles

A striking feature of the Olympic Park is the Olympic Bell, a bronze monument commissioned for the 2012 London Olympic Games and now displayed near the former stadium. Cast in 2012, the bell measures about 2 metres in height with a 3.34-metre diameter and weighs roughly 23 tonnes, making it the second-heaviest bell in Europe after Cologne’s Petersglocke and the largest harmonically tuned bell worldwide. Its main pitch is the note B, and the surface bears the inscription “London 2012” together with a line from *The Tempest*: “Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises”, plus the Whitechapel Bell Foundry’s name and coat of arms. The casting process involved the Whitechapel Bell Foundry’s design work, subcontracting the actual pour to Royal Eijsbouts in the Netherlands, and contributions from twenty companies across three countries. After being tested in the stadium at midnight on 1 June 2012, the bell was positioned for the opening ceremony, later moved to make space for the cauldron, and stored within the park until its re-erection on a support structure outside the stadium in May 2016. Although the bell was featured symbolically during the opening ceremony—Bradley Wiggins “ringed” it mechanically and it sounded at key musical moments—it is not currently rung, as authorities consider the sound could disturb nearby residents. The monument remains a permanent memorial within the Olympic Park, accessible to visitors exploring the site.

Old Ford Island

Fish Island · 3.1 miles

Old Ford Island is a nature reserve within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the London Borough of Newham.

Victoria Park

Homerton · 3.7 miles

Covering 86.18 hectares, Victoria Park ranks as the largest green space in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and attracts around nine million visitors annually. Situated on the north-eastern fringe of the borough, it lies between Bethnal Green to the west, Bow to the south, Hackney Wick to the east and the borough of Hackney to the north, with Homerton identified as the nearest town. The A1205 Grove Road bisects the park, and a network of gates provides access for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles on all sides. The layout, commissioned after a 1841 Act of Parliament and executed by Sir James Pennethorne between 1842 and 1846, reflects the design principles of Regent’s Park. Waterways frame the site: the Regent’s Canal runs along its western edge and the former Hertford Union Canal borders the south. Notable features include replica Dogs of Alcibiades statues at the Sewardstone Road entrance, and two Grade II-listed pedestrian alcoves at the eastern end that incorporate stone fragments from the 1760 refurbishment of Old London Bridge. A former bathing pond gave way to a lido opened in 1936, which after wartime damage reopened in 1952, closed in 1986 and was demolished in 1990. The park has also served as a venue for public speech, political rallies and, during the Second World War, as an anti-aircraft site. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets manages the park and publishes its opening times. Visitors can enter through multiple gates, and the park contains canals, statues and listed alcoves. Facilities such as the historic lido site and the open lawns are available for recreational use, while the park’s heritage status is reflected in the listed structures within its boundaries.