Upminster Carpets

Upminster Windmill

Upminster Bridge · 0.6 miles

A smock mill of considerable age stands on the edge of Upminster Bridge, its four-storey tower and single-storey brick base dominating the local skyline. Designated a Grade II* listed building, the windmill was erected in 1803 for James Nokes of Hunt’s Farm and originally drove three pairs of millstones with four common sails. Over the following decades steam power was introduced, the number of millstones expanded to six, and the mill passed through the hands of the Nokes and Abraham families before being acquired by the county council in the late 1930s. A 35-year lease was granted to the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust in 2004, and a restoration programme between 2016 and 2023 returned the mill to working order and added a visitor centre. The structure comprises a 52-foot-high smock on a brick base, a boat-shaped cap with an external gallery, and a six-bladed fantail that automatically turns the cap into the wind. Four patent sails are mounted on a cast-iron windshaft, and the internal machinery drives four pairs of millstones – three of French Burr and one of Peak – by wind alone. The visitor centre, built alongside the mill during the recent restoration, is open to the public at selected times, allowing guests to view the restored sails and learn about the mill’s engineering. Access is via the surrounding footpaths; no admission fee or on-site car park is mentioned in the available information.

RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre

Havering · 1.9 miles

The former RAF Hornchurch sector station, now presented through the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre, lies in the parish of Hornchurch within the London Borough of Havering, southeast of Romford. Designated as a history museum, the centre offers insight into the airfield’s evolution from its origins as Sutton’s Farm during the First World War to its closure in 1962. Visitors can trace the development of the site from the 1915 establishment of the London Air Defence Area, when the landing ground first hosted BE2c aircraft, through its re-opening in 1928 as a key fighter station defending London and the Thames corridor. Exhibits illustrate the succession of squadrons that operated from the field, including 39 (Home Defence) Squadron, 78 Squadron and later units that took part in the Battle of Britain and the Dieppe Raid. The centre highlights the actions of pilots such as Lt William Leefe Robinson, VC, and Lt Wulstan Tempest, DSO, whose interceptions of enemy airships are commemorated in local street names. Displays also cover the airfield’s role in cross-channel operations, the deployment of barrage balloons in 1944, and its final use as a marshalling base. The heritage centre is listed on OpenStreetMap as a museum of historical type, with Havering identified as the nearest town for visitors planning their journey.

Pages Wood

Harold Wood · 1.9 miles

Pages Wood is a 74 hectare wood and public park in Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering. It is the largest Forestry England site in the Thames Chase Community Forest, and 100,000 trees have been planted since it opened in 2002. It also has meadow areas, 6.5 kilometres of footpaths and 2.2 kilometres of bridlepaths.

Ingrebourne Marshes SSSI

South Hornchurch · 2.5 miles

The largest stretch of freshwater marsh within Greater London extends along both banks of the River Ingrebourne in Hornchurch, forming a 74.8-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. Managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust, the site contains extensive reed sweet-grass, common reed swamp, wet neutral grassland and tall fen, supporting a notable range of invertebrates and breeding birds. Sixteen nationally scarce species of flies, beetles, dragonflies and crickets have been recorded, together with two Red Data Book species – the hoverfly *Anasimyia interpuncta* and the scarce emerald damselfly *Lestes dryas*. Sixty-one bird species breed regularly, including common redshank, northern lapwing and reed-warbler, while common cuckoos are known to parasitise reed-warbler and sedge-warbler nests. Havering Council has intervened by raising water levels and re-introducing grazing to maintain the wetland’s condition. Public entry is limited to the eastern strip that runs from the river to Berwick Pond Road, where the reservoir at Berwick Pond is open for fishing and can be viewed from Hornchurch Country Park. The remainder of the marshes is largely closed to visitors, although sections are observable from the park’s perimeter. Access points are provided from Hornchurch Country Park and from Berwick Pond Road; no admission charge is mentioned, and facilities are confined to the existing park infrastructure.

Beam Valley Country Park

Dagenham · 3.7 miles

Spanning 74 hectares, Beam Valley Country Park lies in Dagenham within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, bordering the River Beam and the Wantz Stream. The site is split between two Local Nature Reserves: the main Beam Valley area and a narrow strip south of Western Avenue that falls under the Environment Agency’s remit. Both sections are also recognised as Grade 1 Sites of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, one positioned north and the other south of South Dagenham Road. Visitors encounter a mosaic of habitats, including mixed woodland, open grassland, and the remnants of former gravel pits that give the landscape a varied character. The ground that now hosts the park was once derelict, yet archaeological traces reveal human activity back to the Stone Age and a Roman pottery kiln, indicating long-term use of the area. A range of birdlife inhabits the waterways and surrounding scrub, with species such as kingfishers, reed warblers, reed buntings and skylarks regularly recorded. In 2014 a pedestrian and cycling bridge, erected by Sustrans, linked Beam Valley to the neighbouring Bretons Manor across the River Beam, improving access for walkers and cyclists. The nearest town is Dagenham, and the park is reachable via local road networks that skirt the River Beam. Admission is not specified, and facilities are not detailed in the available material.

Raphael Park

Gidea Park · 3.7 miles

A stretch of green lies north of the railway line that runs between Romford and Gidea Park, forming part of a chain of parks that run in that direction. The southern gateway opens onto Main Road – once called Hare Street – while the northern entry sits just south of the A12 Eastern Avenue. Along the western edge the park follows Black’s Brook, which was dammed before the park’s creation to produce Black’s Canal, a lake ranging from 12 to 20 ft in depth. The dam sits beside the eighteenth-century Black’s Bridge, which still carries Main Road across the water. Within the grounds the lake supports angling, and a bandstand occupies the southern sector. Near the lake’s far end a rockery provides a setting for the Romford Summer Theatre. The open area expands eastwards to hold football pitches in winter, cricket pitches in summer, and sunken tennis courts whose level reflects historic sand extraction for nearby housing. A children’s play area, remodelled in 2009, lies north of the courts; the site previously held water known locally as the “Spoon Pond”. Two ancient pedunculate oaks, recorded by the Woodland Trust, survive among the mature woodland and grassland. The park takes its name from Sir Herbert Raphael MP, who presented the land to Romford Urban District in 1904, and it features a statue of Percy the Park Keeper, inspired by a real keeper who worked here. Admission is free and the park is accessible from both Main Road and the A12 frontage.