Location & History Analysis

Built around 1800 for the Romford Charity School, afterwards St Edward's School, the structure served as Romford's library until 1965, when it was replaced by a new Central Library for the newly formed London Borough of Havering. It hosted The Samaritans and Toc-H after it was shuttered as a library. Demolition commenced in July 1968, as part of a massive makeover of Romford town centre. The town centre is mostly surrounded by a ring road made up of St Edwards Way, Mercury Gardens, Thurloe Gardens, Oldchurch Road, and Waterloo Road. The market square, as well as much of South Street and High Street, are all pedestrianised. The railway runs through the town on a viaduct from east to west, with the majority of downtown Romford to its north. The River Rom flows under the town in underground tunnels before joining the Thames after passing through Hornchurch; elsewhere along its route, it is known as the River Beam and is part of the Blue Ribbon Network of vitalwaterways. Romford has been a part of London's continually built-up region since the 1930s, bordered by Rush Green to the west, Collier Row to the north, Gidea Park to the east, and Hornchurch to the south east. Romford is a London Buses hub, providing routes to Canning Town, Stratford, Leytonstone, and Dagenham; feeder services are also available from the big housing complexes at Collier Row and Harold Hill. Romford railway station serves the town; it is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and the Elizabeth line, in London fare zone 6. Trains on the Elizabeth line, which runs between London Paddington and Shenfield, stop at the station. When the line is completely operational, services will be extended across central London to Reading.