Village life in Havering: Hornchurch and Rainham

Hornchurch Village

Hornchuch is the undisputed cultural hub of Havering. It's home to the Queens Theatre which produces a full programme of performances all year round.

Not only residents from Hornchurch and Havering, but also those from neighbouring places come to dine, grab a coffee or buy something from the one of many shops in the village of Hornchurch.

Cafés and Green Spaces in Hornchurch

Hornchurch has cafés in abundance and on sunny days, the streets are lined with people dining al fresco. The green spaces and walkways through the area provide leisure and walking opportunities past many landmark buildings and historic points of interest.

Langtons

To the north of the High Street is Langtons. This fine, grade II listed 18th-century house stands in a picturesque landscaped garden. The garden is strongly influenced by the last great English landscape designer of that century, Humphrey Repton.

The estate contains a house, an orangery, a bath house, a gazebo and stable block all dating from the 18th century.

Fairkytes

Opposite the Queen's Theatre is another 18th century Georgian villa called Fairkytes. Once the home of Joseph Fry, son of the famous prison reformer, Elizabeth Fry, the house was then made into a public library before becoming Havering's Arts Centre, which it remains today.

St Andrews Church

St Andrews Church is an historic landmark dating from around 1222. Hornchurch's unusual name possibly came about because in 1222, the town was referred to by its Latin name, Monasterium Cornutum, which roughly translates as 'church with horn-like gables.'

The graveyard at St Andrews contains graves of those who died in the Battle of Britain flying from nearby RAF Hornchurch Rainham.

Rainham

The riverside village of Rainham is full of surprises!

Rainham Village conservation area has been described as "a gem in London" by English Heritage. This attractive, compact village has a core of historic buildings, many of them listed, tightly clustered around its Y-shaped medieval street plan. In addition, the villages boasts the parish church of St Helen and St Giles which was built around 1170. The church is located alongside a tight grouping of historic buildings dating from the 18th century.

Rainham's conservation area includes the village centre where you can find key attractions such as Rainham Hall.

Rainham Hall

Rainham Hall is a Georgian building built in 1729, set back from the road behind beautiful wrought iron gates. The Hall was built to exceptional standards and much of the original survives.

Now owned by the National Trust, interesting features include ornamental stonework, a carved wooden porch, a huge mulberry tree, a beautiful walled garden and a Victorian dog house.

Rainham Marshes

From the railway station, the Rainham Marshes stretch away to the south, to a vast Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Reserve and the River Thames and Thames-side path beyond.