Elm Park began in 1933 as a planned community by Costains, the builders, formed from a scattered settlement of farms in the south of the parish of Hornchurch
Elm Park Garden City as it was initially known.
Part of the London Borough of Havering, Elm Park has been connected to central London by the electrified District line service since 1935 and the planned development of the area formed part of the interwar private housing boom that was interrupted by World War II.
The name came from a farm (remembered in Farm Way) but Costains probably wanted to borrow the cachet of a smart street in Chelsea called Elm Park Gardens.
Costains donated Harrow Lodge Park, 130 acres of parkland which has recently seen restoration of its huge lake and planting of a new wildflower meadow.
Two factors helped launch Elm Park. One was the arrival of Ford's in Dagenham. Ford workers were well paid and wanted to live near the factory.
The other was the District Line, which was extended from Barking to Upminster in 1932, alongside the existing Fenchurch Street railway. The trains running right into central London.
