Property, Houses and Flats for Sale in Beckton, East London

Beckton has shaken off its industrial past to become a modern residential area with excellent transport and amenities.

Living in Beckton

Royal Albert Dock and London City Airport mark the southern boundary of Beckton, an area of modern townhouses and apartments, beautiful parks and out-of-town shopping centres.

The A13 Newham Way marks Beckton's northern border and Royal Docks Road and Prince Regent Lane mark the borders to the east and west.

Beckton is divided into East Beckton, Mid Beckton, North Beckton, West Beckton, and Cyprus, which received its name in 1878 to celebrate the British capture of Cyprus from the Ottoman Empire.

West Beckton is also known as Custom House, reflecting the time when great trading ships docked in the River Thames and unloaded their wares from India, Africa and the New World.

Victorian housing survives in a few parts of Beckton, most notably in Winsor Terrace and the 'Nottingham' estate off Prince Regent Lane.

Residents in Beckton enjoy several large areas of green, most notably Beckton District Park which cuts a swathe from northern Beckton down almost to the river.

Beckton's parks offer many facilities, including a golf driving range and mini golf, basketball court, cycle route, football pitch, fishing, a multi-use games court, bowling green, tennis court, and various play areas.

In Beckton Triangle Retail Park there are several large stores including a Sainsbury's, and Gallions Reach has thirty-five well-known high street shops.

Other amenities in Beckton include a cinema complex, 10-pin bowling, jet-bike/waterskiing, sailing and windsurfing, and a number of gyms.

Transport

Beckton Station is the eastern terminus for the Docklands Light Railway. Other DLR stations serving Beckton are Gallions Reach, Cyprus, Beckton Park, Royal Albert, and Prince Regent.

For information regarding the DLR and bus routes serving Beckton please visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx.

London City Airport lies to the south of Beckton on the River Thames and there are National Railway stations in North Woolwich and Silvertown & City Airport.

For information regarding flights please visit http://www.londoncityairport.com/.

For details of train services throughout the UK please visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

History and culture

Beckton was named after Simon Adams Beck, the governor of the Gas Light and Coke Company. Ink, dyes, mothballs and fertilisers are by-products from turning coal to coke and producing gas.

In 1969, Britain switched to North Sea natural gas and the Beckton gasworks closed.

Following World War II, prefabricated houses were constructed in North Beckton and the streets were named after generals and war heroes.

In the 1980s, North Beckton was redeveloped and all the street names were changed to names of birds, with the exception of Eisenhower Drive.

Beckton has been used as the location for a number of high profile films, including Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket', 'For Your Eyes Only' (James Bond) and several low budget British movies.

For current information about Beckton please visit http://www.newham.gov.uk/.