Upton Park

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.

Barking Park War Memorial

Loxford · 1.9 miles

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

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 · 2.5 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 · 2.5 miles

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

Maryon Park

Charlton Riverside · 3.1 miles

Set on the south-east bank of the Thames, the green space lies within Charlton, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and is managed by Greenwich London Borough Council. It can be reached from the A206, with entry points on Woolwich Road, Charlton Lane and Thorntree Road, and the nearest settlement is Charlton Riverside. The park forms a component of the Maryon Wilson Park and Gilbert’s Pit Local Nature Reserve. The area was originally known as Hanging Wood, a steeply sloping woodland that later supplied sandpits. In 1891 the Maryon-Wilson family presented the sandpits to the London County Council; one of the former pits was laid out as a public park and opened the same year. The layout, featuring winding paths that follow the hill’s contours, was drawn up by J. J. Sexby, then chief surveyor to the council’s parks department. Within the park, Cox’s Mount marks the site of a Roman hill-fort discovered in 1915 and, in the 1850s, served as a compass-adjustment point for ships navigating the Thames. Grassland supports species such as hawkweed, gorse and broom, while the Capital Ring and Green Chain long-distance footpaths cross the grounds. Recreational facilities include hard tennis courts, a basketball court and a children’s play area. To the south, the Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Gilbert’s Pit lies adjacent, and Maryon Wilson Park continues beyond it. The park also features in the 1966 film *Blowup*, where several scenes were shot on location.