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The London Borough of Newham is a London borough in East London.

It is situated 5 miles east of the City of London and north of the River Thames.

History

The borough was formed in 1 April 1965 by merging the former area of the County Borough of East Ham and the County Borough of West Ham. Green Street marks the former boundary between the two. North Woolwich also became part of the borough (previously being in the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich) along with a small area west of the River Roding which had previously been part of the Municipal Borough of Barking.

Borders

Newham borders the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham by the River Roding to the east, the London Borough of Greenwich by the Thames to the south, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the London Borough of Hackney by the River Lee to the west and the London Borough of Waltham Forest and the London Borough of Redbridge by Wanstead Flats to the north.

Council and democracy

Unlike most English districts, its council is led by a directly-elected mayor, currently Robin Wales. Census information indicates Newham is the most culturally diverse place in the United Kingdom. The council goes on to claim it is the most culturally diverse place on Earth. The borough is the local authority with the second highest percentage of Muslims in Britain (24.3).

It is considered part of Outer London for most purposes because the majority of the borough was not in the old County of London. However, economically it is one of the more deprived areas and the council is actively campaigning to have Newham officially considered part of Inner London for all purposes in order to increase the level of funding the borough receives.

2012 Olympics

Newham will be one of the host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Something in excess of 60% of the Games will take place within the borough. Newham also falls within the boundaries of the London Thames Gateway.

Places of interest

  • ExCeL Exhibition Centre
  • Gallions Reach Shopping Park
  • Green Street, the largest shopping centre catering for the Asian community in London.
  • London City Airport
  • North Woolwich Old Station Museum
  • The Royal Docks,comprise three docks - the Royal Albert Dock the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock built between 1880 and 1921 on riverside marshes. The three docks collectively formed the largest enclosed docks in the world with a water area of nearly 250 acres (1 km²) and an overall estate of 1100 acres (4 km²). Constructed to provide berths for large vessels that could not be accommodated further upriver. The Royal Docks were finally closed for shipping in 1981.
  • Stratford Circus
  • St. Mark's Church, Silvertown The church was designed by Samuel Saunders Teulon. It was built between 1861 and 1862 after a cholera epidemic swept the district and local clergy appealed through the columns of The Times for funds to provide an architectural, as well as spiritual, beacon for the area. It is now the home of the Brick Lane Music Hall.
  • Thames Barrier Park London's newest and most spectacular riverside park, developed following an international competition won by a team led by the acclaimed French landscape architect, Alain Provost, best known for his work at the Parc Citroen in Paris.
  • Theatre Royal Stratford East
  • Three Mills, a magnificent restored mill complex on the east bank of the River Lea. A trading site for nearly a thousand years, Three Mills itself was built in 1776 and was the country's largest tidal mill complex and an important industrial centre. It has been restored as a working museum and contains much of its original machinery including four large waterwheels, millstones and grain chutes.

  • University of East London
  • Wanstead Flats, the southern-most part of Epping Forest comprising a mix of rough grassland and mown areas.
  • West Ham Park
  • West Ham United F.C.
  • Stratford Shopping Centre, one of the biggest shopping centres in Newham, home to over 100 shops specialising in everything from knitting to music, from ethnic foods to aromatherapy.
  • The Hub, a revolutionary community resource centre built by the local community, in Star Lane, E16, featuring up to the minute "green" features
  • Grassroots, also built by the local community and another revolutionary green resource centre built by the community. Grass Roots is in Memorial Recreation Ground, E13.

Districts

Transport

Transport in Newham has seen vast improvement in recent decades with the construction of the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee Line Extension with new or improved stations at Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford. Newham is home to London City Airport and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is being constructed through Newham with a station at Stratford which will offer fast domestic and international train services. The Stratford International Station is due to open in 2007. The Crossrail scheme will also improve rail connections to several stations in the borough. A further extension to the Docklands Light Railway will serve London City Airport and will connect Newham with Woolwich.

List of stations

See also

External links

Districts of London | Newham

Newham (londýnský obvod) | London Borough of Newham | Newham | Newham | Newham | Newham (burg)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "London Borough of Newham".

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