BOLD CULTURE & HERITAGE
HeART of the matter Barking and Dagenham is working hard to preserve its impressive heritage while building a creative future to be proud of. Jane Thynne finds out more
Pictured: Cllr Darren Rodwell and colleagues in a Downton Abbeyinspired photoshoot at Barking Abbey.
B
arking and Dagenham has a proud cultural heritage: from the ruins of the 7th century Barking Abbey to its former Assembly Hall (now Broadway Theatre) where Neil Young recorded his classic album Harvest, as the birthplace of such seminal performers as Billy Bragg and
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U2 legend The Edge, to the site of St Margaret’s Church where adventurer Captain Cook got married. Whichever way you look at it, the borough has certainly made its mark.
In 2017, the council published its ambitious Culture Everywhere document, outlining a five-year strategy designed to
promote arts and culture in the borough, not just in terms of economic growth but also to stimulate a sense of civic pride, wellbeing and community inclusion. Organisations such as Studio 3 Arts, Create London and A New Direction have flourished under the banner, while heritage schemes at Barking Abbey and
