| North Ockendon | |
|---|---|
 North Ockendon village | |
  North Ockendon Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ595855 |
| • Charing Cross | 18 mi (29 km) WSW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UPMINSTER |
| Postcode district | RM14 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°32′53″N0°17′57″E / 51.54815°N 0.29924°E /51.54815; 0.29924 | |
North Ockendon is the easternmost settlement ofGreater London, England, and part of theLondon Borough of Havering. It is 18 miles (29 km) east-northeast ofCentral London and consists of adispersed settlement within theMetropolitan Green Belt. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Essex, which was abolished for civil purposes in 1936.[1] North Ockendon is the only inhabited area in Greater London outside theM25 London Orbital Motorway. North Ockendon is north ofSouth Ockendon, inThurrock, Essex.
| 1881 | 329 |
|---|---|
| 1891 | 351 |
| 1901 | 340 |
| 1911 | 309 |
| 1921 | 326 |
| 1931 | 291 |
| source:UK census[2] | |
North Ockendonancient parish had an elongated east–west shape, thus contrasting with a series of perpendicular parishes to its north and west. With the adjoining parishes this formed a large estate that is at least middle-Saxon or, perhaps, evenRoman orBronze Age. The parish church, dedicated toMary Magdalene, was built in the fourteenth century, on the site of an earlier church.
From 1894, North Ockendon formed a parish in theOrsett Rural District ofEssex. In 1931 the county council proposed that the parish should transfer toPurfleet Urban District as part of a review of districts triggered by theLocal Government Act 1929.[3] The proposals met with objections and by 1933 it was decided to divide the parish between an expandedHornchurch Urban District and a newThurrock Urban District. Purfleet Urban District Council took legal action in an attempt to revert to the earlier scheme, ultimately taking the case to theHouse of Lords without success.[4] In 1936 the majority of its former area was used to enlarge theCranham parish of Hornchurch Urban District.[5] The remainder, around 383 acres (1.55 km2), became part of Thurrock Urban District. North Ockendon was still rural at the time of its inclusion in the Hornchurch Urban District, but it was anticipated suburban house building would soon encroach on the parish. The creation of theMetropolitan Green Belt meant the limit of London's urban sprawl stopped just short of the parish boundary, and North Ockendon remained rural.
In 1965, Hornchurch Urban District was abolished, and its former area, including North Ockendon, was transferred to Greater London and used to form the present-day London Borough of Havering. North Ockendon and Great Warley were to the east of theM25 motorway when it was constructed. In 1992, it was proposed that the part of Greater London to the east of the M25 should be transferred to Essex, with the Great Warley section north of the railway transferred to Brentwood and the North Ockendon section to the south transferred to Thurrock. The transfer of North Ockendon from London to Essex was strongly opposed, withNicholas Bonsor MP stating that his constituents agreed it had "more affinity with Havering than with Thurrock".[6] Following the review the Great Warley section was transferred to Essex, but the North Ockendon part was not, leaving it the only part ofGreater London to be outside the M25 motorway.
North Ockendon is the location ofStubbers, a former stately home which was demolished in 1955, the grounds of which are now used as an activity centre.[7]
Elizabeth Kucinich, wife of the U.S. congressman and presidential candidateDennis Kucinich, was born in North Ockendon in 1977.
North Ockendon lies within theUpminster ward. The 2011 census showed that the population was 96% white (92% British, 2% Other, 2% Irish). Indian, Chinese and Black African were 1% each.[8]
To the east is a small area of fenland, which extends intoBulphan and the rest is clays and Thames alluvials. The land is very low-lying. The field boundaries are wholly rectilinear. In the far north, beyond theLondon, Tilbury and Southend line, it borders the villages ofGreat Warley,Little Warley andChilderditch in the borough ofBrentwood. The settlements ofWest Horndon andBulphan are to the east, andSouth Ockendon, to the south, is in the borough andunitary authority ofThurrock. It is the only significant settlement in Greater London which lies outside theM25 motorway.
TheChurch of St Mary Magdalene, North Ockendon has a probably re-used Norman nave door on the south side of the nave. Its tower was used in the first accurate measurement of thespeed of sound, by the ReverendWilliam Derham,Rector ofUpminster. Gunshots were fired from the tower and the flash thereof was observed by telescope from the tower of thechurch of St Laurence, Upminster; then the time was recorded until the sound arrived, from which, with an accurate distance measurement, the speed could be calculated.
North Ockendon is the proposed location of the 175-hectare London Data Freeportdata centre.[9] As of October 2023[update], Havering Council was considering granting permission through alocal development order.[10][11]
The nearest railway stations are atOckendon andUpminster.London bus route370 directly links the area withUpminster andRomford, as well asLakeside Shopping Centre. Essex commercial route 269 operated by NIBSbuses directly links the area withBrentwood, specifically the town centre as well asBecket Keys Church of England School on the two schoolday journeys it operates Monday to Friday, andWarley,Great Warley,Ockendon,Stifford andGrays, although this service only operates five times a day Monday to Friday and four times on a Saturday with special fares that are not part of the TfL fare system.
Ensignbus routes X21, X31 and X81 used to serve North Ockendon on their way toBrentwood,Lakeside Shopping Centre,Shenfield andOngar.[12] However, these services were all withdrawn in favour of a new service called the X90 operating betweenBrentwood andLakeside Shopping Centre on February 18, 2019.[13] However, route X90 did not last long as the service was withdrawn on June 15, 2019 due to an unviable amount of passengers as at the time the Elizabeth line was not fully open, with the intended replacement being the already existing commercial 269 service.[14]
The least frequent regular bus route in London which wasroute 347 served North Ockendon from November 6, 2004 to January 18, 2025, linking the area withRomford,Harold Wood,Upminster,Cranham,Gallows Corner andOckendon.[15] The route was withdrawn due to being "one of the least used bus routes" in all of Greater London excluding mobility routes and school services.[16]
Purfleet Urban District: Inclusion of the parish of North Ockendon
