Hornchurch Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located within Greater London (though historically part of Essex), in its easternmost borough of Havering, is the town of Hornchurch. The origin of the name 'Hornchurch' is unknown, although various theories exist. A Latin document of 1222 mentions 'Monasterium Cornutum', meaning 'horned monastery', in relation to a priory opposite St Andrew's Church where the walk begins. The village, as it was at the time, appeared in written records as 'Hornechurch' in 1233 and 'Hornedechirche' in 1291. A church has stood at the site of the current St Andrew's Church since 1163 or earlier. It is said to be situated at the at the southernmost point at which an ice sheet formed during the Anglian Ice Age from 450,000 years ago. At its eastern end is a sculpture of a bull's head, although this dates from the 18th century, implying a reference to the town's name, rather than vice versa. In addition to agriculture, Hornchurch was once home to a thriving leather industry. Skinners, tanners and shoemakers were able to make a living by plying their trades in Romford market just two and a half miles northwest. The leather industry would eventually disappear by the mid 19th century. However, new trades would emerge in its place, including brewing and manufacturing of farm machinery and industrial goods. In 1885 the railway arrived in Hornchurch. This was built by The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, and connected Hornchurch to Fenchurch Street Station in the City of London to the west, and Southend-on-Sea to the east. In 1933, following a series of mergers involving existing lines of track, the District Line opened in its current form as part of the London Underground. Today this provides regular services west with the City of London accessible within around 40 minutes, as well as services to the eastern terminus of Upminster two stops away. Following the arrival of the railway and the expansion of London, the population of Hornchurch increased dramatically. Between 1881 and 1931 it jumped tenfold from around 2,800 to 28,000. London's development continued to spread outwards, finally reaching its geographical limits with the establishment of the Metropolitan Green Belt whose eastern frontier in this case is just past North Ockendon around five miles to the east. Historically, Hornchurch was located within the county of Essex up until 1965 with the formation of the ceremonial county of Greater London. Concurrently, the London Borough of Havering was created, within which Hornchurch is situated. Famous people from Hornchurch include author Jilly Cooper and actor Nick Frost. 👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇 https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?su... Filmed: 28th June 2022 Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/Psve3hFQ3H9Pnn2LA Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 St Andrew's Church 1:27 High Street 2:04 Wykeham Cottage 2:11 High Street 4:40 Station Lane 8:15 High Street 9:21 North Street 11:34 High Street 13:35 Billet Lane 15:34 High Street