West Ham's Timeline Includes East Ham & surrounding area events.

A History of West Ham. West Ham, is now part of the Greater London Borough of Newham, situated to the east of the city and on the north side of the river Thames. This page contains a 'timeline' of events that occurred mainly in the local area, gleaned from various sources including Newham booklets and newspapers. Smaller areas within and also some 'around' Newham are mentioned. Those within Newham itself include West Ham, East Ham, Plaistow, Stratford, Canning Town, Custom House, Silvertown, Beckton and North Woolwich. Those outside Newham include Barking, Ilford, Dagenham, Rainham, Romford, Poplar, Hackney all in nearby London boroughs (Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, etc.).

Relevant reigns and some 'national' events are included to help clarify the timescale of the list,
and these tend to overwhelm local information in the early stages of the area's history.
English Kings & Queens

Events and statistics quoted are for West Ham itself unless stated otherwise...

1300+ 1600+ 1700+ 1830s. 1840s. 1850s. 1860s. 1870s. 1880s. 1890s.
1900s. 1910s. 1920s. 1930s. 1940s. 1950s. 1960s. 1970s. 1980s. 1990s
2000s. WWII Air raid info

• Around 400,000 BC - Stone Age (Palaeolithic) people living near Thames using stone tools.
• 8,000 / 4,000 BC - Stone Age (Mesolithic) camp excavated at Royal Docks.
• 3,000 BC - New Stone Age (Neolithic) timber trackway down to Thames found at Fort Street, Silvertown.
• 2,400 BC / 43 AD - Bronze and Iron Age settlements along the Rivers Lea and Roding.
• 43 AD - Roman Invasion of Britain.
• 43 - 450 - Stratford lies on the Roman Road between London and Colchester.
• 60 AD - Boudica (Boadicea) is warrior queen of the Iceni (Norfolk), they join with the Trinovantes tribe (Essex) and rampage across the Essex area against the Roman and tribes allied to them.
• 901 - Edward (the Elder), King of the Angles, (to 924)
• 957 - Edgar chosen as king north of the Thames then 'of the whole people' (to 975)
• 958 - Reference to the physical existence of 'tall thorn' which described Stratford Langthorne.
• 1042 - Edward the Confessor King of England (to 1066).
• 1066 - William I (the Conqueror) reigns. (to 1087) :: Stratford first recorded where the London to Colchester road crossed the River Lea.
• 1086 - The Manor of (West) Ham has a population of 130 - a large village. :: There are 8 (water) mills in the vicinity of (West) Ham.
• 1087 - William II (Rufus) reigns (to 1100).
• 1100 - Henry I reigns (to 1135).
• 1118 - Wiggen (water) Mill (later 'Honeredes' then 'Abbey' Mill) on the Channelsea river in Stratford is bought by Queen Maud and later given to Barking Abbey who later still sell it to Stratford Abbey who retain it until the Dissolution. (see 1538, 1633, 1662 & 1672).
• 1135 - King Stephen reigns. (to 1154) :: William De Montfitchet founded the abbey at Stratford Langthorne.
• 1154 - Henry II reigns (to 1189).
• 1189 - Richard I (The Lionheart) reigns. (to 1199). :: Woodgrange, an outlying farm of the abbey is first mentioned. :: King Richard grants Stratford Abbey the privilege of pasture 'for 960 sheep', this right is maintained until 17th century.
• 1198 - Queen Maud, wife of Henry I dies, she had the original 'Bow' (a name taken from the actual 'bowed' shape of the first bridge) and Channelsea bridges built, linked by a causeway, thus bringing the London Colchester Road through what was later called 'Bow' rather than further northwest at the earlier Bethnal Green crossing (see 1366, 1741, 1839, 1906 & 1967).
• 1199 - King John reigns (to 1216).
• 12th Century - Prior to this date, references to 'Ham' Pasture do not distinguish between East and West. :: The original All Saint's Church built 2nd half of 12th century.
• 1216 - Henry III reigns. (to 1272)
• 1225 - After this date until around 1301, both East and West Ham parishes are defined as part of 'Essex Forest'. (see 1301).
• 1247 - Romford, gains a charter from Henry III for a weekly market on Wednesdays. still going strong today, and this included a 'livestock' market up till 1950/60s.
• 1253 - The King grants Richard De Montfitchet a Tuesday market at West Ham and an annual fair on 19 - 22 July (both are discontinued before 1796).
• 1272 - Edward I reigns (to 1307).
• 13th century - The local place name 'Upton' originates from this time.

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• 1301 - Boundaries re-established which make the main Romford Road the southern boundary to Essex (Epping) Forest.
• 1307 - Edward II reigns (to 1327). :: Stratford Abbey is valued at £511 15s 3d 'per ann.' according to one source but at £573 15s 6d by another.
• 1308 - First recorded - a Woolwich 'ferry'.
• 1327 - Edward III reigns. (to 1377). :: 101 people were assessed for 'lay subsidy' - the largest group (apart from Barking) in the Becontree Hundred . :: East Ham is said to contain 18 houses and 43 people during Edward III's reign.
• 1366 - Bow Bridge repaired by government levy (see 1198,1741, 1839, 1906 & 1967)
• 1377 - Richard II reigns. (to 1399), resigns crown and dies in 1400.
• 1381 - There are 240 poll tax payers.
• 1399 - Henry IV reigns (to 1413).
• 1413 - Henry V reigns (to 1422).
• 1414 - The place name 'Plaistow' first appears in old records.
• 1422 - Henry VI reigns (to 1461).
• 1461 - Edward IV reigns (to 1470).
• 1470 - Henry VI reigns again (to 1471).- [Wars of the Roses]
• 1471 - Edward IV resumes reign (to 1483).- [Wars of the Roses]
• 1483 - Edward V reigns briefly. :: Richard III reigns (to 1485).
• 1485 - Henry VII reigns (to 1509).
• 1509 - Henry VIII reigns. (to 1547)
• 1523 - 238 paid the lay subsidy.
• 1538 - Abbey Mill comprises two water mills under one roof, and due to the Dissolution it passes to the possession of Sir Peter Meautis (or Mewtas) and his heirs in 1539. (see 1118, 1633, 1662 & 1672).
• 1547 - Edward VI reigns. (to 1553)
• 1550 - Around this time (mid-16th century), the forerunner of West Ham Park is established as grounds of a residence - The Grove - belonging to the Rooke family then the Smythe family for around 100 years each (see 1762).
• 1553 - Lady Jane Grey reigns for 9 days, then Mary I reigns. (to 1558)
• 1556 - 18 Protestants are burnt at Stratford and Bow, (13 on one fire). see 1879.
• 1558 - Elizabeth I reigns. (to 1603)
• 1587 - The manor court says 'a cage and pillory should be set up at Stratford Street'.

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• 1603 - James I (VI of Scotland) reigns (to 1625).
• 1625 - Charles I reigns (to 1649).
• 1633 - Abbey Mill is sold to Sir John Nulls. (see 1118, 1538, 1633, 1662 & 1672).
• 1649 - Commonwealth - Cromwell's republican government in Britain (to 1660).
• 1650 - Stratford has 2 constables, Plaistow and Church Street 1 each. (from 1651 they all have 1 each, with the 4th being for Upton.)
• 1660 - Charles II reigns (to 1685).
• 1662 - Abbey Mill sold to William Curtis of Mile End (Mddx.) for £7,127 (see 1118, 1538, 1633, & 1672).
• 1665 - July to May 1666 - despite old traditional sayings about the spread of London's Great Plague being 'halted at Bow Bridge' by the fumes from the non-stop burning of lime kilns, about 160 are reported killed by it - including the Parish Clerk Nicholas Reader and the Church Warden William Bird.
• 1670 - West Ham contains some 415 houses, but the population decimated by the 1665/6 plague
• 1672 - Abbey Mill sold to John Phillips of London who later in 1974 willed it in stages to Christ's Hospital (London) (see 1118, 1538, 1633 & 1662 - there are later mentions of the mill in this list).
• 1681 - Abbey Mill toll gate set up. Operated until 1930s, the last on the eastern side of London.
• 1685 - James II (VII of Scotland) reigns (to 1688)
• 1689 - William (of Orange) & Mary reign together. (to 1694), then William continues reign alone. (to 1702)
• 1692 - Letters are collected/delivered twice daily at Stratford & West Ham village, once a day at Upton, Plaistow & Green Street.
• 1696 - Maryland Point first appears on maps.

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• 1702 - Queen Anne (to 1714)
• 1714 - George I reigns (to 1727).
• 1723 - First Parish school - West Ham Church School - opens, originally held in the church.
• 1725 - West Ham Church School admits girls.
• 1727 - George II reigns. (to 1760) :: Around this period Dick Turpin is supposed to have been working for a farmer in Plaistow and starts his lawless 'career' by stealing two fat oxen from him.
• 1731 - West Ham Church School moves to new building, old building leased to Sarah Bonnell school for girls' education.
• 1732 - By this date, stocks, whipping-post and pillory are being maintained at Stratford by the parish vestry.
• 1739 - John Wesley preaches at Stratford and Plaistow.
• 1740 - Number of householders estimated at 570 and a writer claims there are 'more than 60 Public Houses in West Ham'.
• 1741 - Bow & Channelsea Bridges widened (see 1198, 1366, 1839, 1906 & 1967).
• 1742 - There are 14 'licensed' Public Houses in Plaistow.
• 1745 - West Ham waterworks originates from around this time.
• 1749 - Bow porcelain factory (opened in Bow 1744) moves to new site by Stratford High Street (Marshgate Lane). (see 1775)
• 1752 - A coach runs from the 'Coach & Horses', Plaistow to Whitechapel, twice every day.
• 1760 - George III reigns. (to 1820).
• 1762 - Property now known as West Ham Park acquired (see 1550.) by Quaker physician and botanist - John Fothergill, and is enlarged and developed over 18 years into a botanic garden second only to Kew. (see 1872.)
• 1766 - Sarah Bonnell's girls school is established under the terms of her will, is associated with West Ham Church School.
• 1768 - Abbey Mill rebuilt at a cost of £7,676.
• 1769 - There are 46 'licensed' Public Houses in West Ham.
• 1770 - Coaches run 'hourly' to Whitechapel from Plaistow.
• 1775 - Bow porcelain ceases local production (see 1749).
• 1776 - First record of The Greengate public house.
• 1778 - Sarah Bonnell School opened for 'poor' girls from West Ham and 'adjacent places'.
• 1785 - The parish arranges a contract for the maintenance of its public fire-engines (it has two).
• 1787 - Duke of Cumberland (brother of George III) buys what became Cumberland House giving rise to the later Cumberland Road, Plaistow.
• 1792 - The vestry buys a third fire-engine, later appointing three 'engineers' - one for each ward.
• 1794 - There is a postal receiving/sorting office in Stratford & a receiving office in Plaistow at this time.
• 1795 - There are 34 'licensed' Public Houses in West Ham.
• 1797 - A factory, the fore-runner of Howard & Sons Chemical Co. is founded by Luke Howard in rural Plaistow.
• 1801 - Population of West Ham - 6,485.
• 1802 - Brickfields Independent Chapel School established in Union Street 'for 20 girls'.
• 1806-9 - A Whit-Monday 'pleasure' fair is established opposite the Greengate Inn attracting large crowds, but an objection made on religious grounds suppresses it in 1809.
• 1807-10 - The 'Barking Road' is constructed from Canning Town to Barking and is little used for many years, with only 'six houses' between Iron Bridge and the Abbey Arms up to c 1850s (one was The Halfway House Inn). (note the early 'construction' was very poor indeed).
• 1809 - Elizabeth Fry moves to Plashet House, East Ham.
• 1810 - The 'Iron Bridge' at Canning Town built by Commercial Road turnpike trust (see 1896 & 1935). :: 5 Coaches & 3 'carriers' (carts) daily from Plaistow to Whitechapel.
• 1811 - Population of West Ham - 8,136. :: Ferry service between Charlton (Kent) & Plaistow Level (now Silvertown) established, from this the creation of Prince Regents Lane built across the marshes to Barking Road. (see 1847)
• 1815 - There are 32 'licensed' Public Houses in West Ham.
• 1820 - George IV reigns. (to 1830)
• 1821 - Population of West Ham - 9,753.

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• 1830 - William IV reigns. (to 1837). :: Original St Mary Church, Plaistow, built. :: Forest Gate British School founded by local Congregational church.
• 1831 - Population of West Ham - 11,580. :: St. Mary's (Oliver's) School founded and funded by John Oliver.
• 1834 - St. John's Church, Stratford, built.
• 1835 - Stratford National (St. Johns) School opens. :: A boy's school sited between East St. and West St. near Carpenter's Road and attached to High Street RC Chapel is in existence before this date.
• 1836 - West Ham Poor Law Union formed. :: Brickfields School endowed by Samuel Gurney. :: Boys British Stratford School opens in Little North Road (now Station Road).
• 1837 - Queen Victoria comes to throne.
• 1839 - Eastern Counties Railway (London to Norwich) opens through Stratford to Romford. :: Second Bridge built at Bow (see 1198, 1366, 1741, 1906 & 1967). :: Confectionery manufactured at High Street Stratford by Volckman & Sons (till 1890s).

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• 1841 - Population of West Ham - 12,738.
• 1843 - Sugar refining production is in what is later called Sugar House Lane, Stratford at this time. :: Before this period there was a stagecoach from Plaistow to 'London', return fare 3s 'inside' and 2s 'outside', this was a 'serious' journey and often booked as an 'overnight' stay.
• 1844 - Gerard Manley Hopkins, Jesuit poet, born in Stratford. :: Metropolis Buildings Act passed. :: Offensive trades ('smelly' industries - chemical, offal, manure, etc.) begin to cross the River Lea. :: Plaistow Public School established in North Street with the help of John Curwen.
• 1846 - C.J. Mare (later Thames Ironworks) engineering and shipbuilding established in Canning Town. :: The Gutta Percha Co. established at Stratford.
• 1847 - North Woolwich branch railway - proposed by a group which includes Robert Stephenson - opens. :: Eastern Counties Railway works established in Stratford. :: Charlton - Plaistow Level ferry service ceases. (see 1811).
• 1848 - There are 4 Post Offices in West Ham parish by this date. :: Hallsville National School opens in 'a shed' and adjoining cottage.
• 1849 - East London Waterworks Co. established before this time.

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• 1850 - Work starts on constructing the Royal Victoria Dock. :: Omnibus service runs 'every 55? minutes' from the Bull, Barking, to Leadenhall Street, via Barking Road.
• 1851 - Population of West Ham - 18,817. :: West Ham Church School / Sarah Bonnell separate. :: Chapel Street Ragged School opens for those who could not afford to pay. (see 1927). :: Great Eastern Railway Mechanics Institute opens in Angel Lane.
• 1852 - S.W.Silver establishes a company - later the India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph - works by the River Thames, thus founding Silvertown. :: Brickfields School moves to Bridge Street and becomes West Ham & Stratford British School.
• 1854 - North. Woolwich Station opened. :: Great Eastern Mechanics Institute moves to Store Street and the Angel Lane site becomes a day school for railway workers sons. :: The West Ham Vestry defaults on its payments for maintenance of their fire-engines and they are impounded by Edward Thorman - engineer of West Ham gasworks.
• 1855 - Royal Victoria Dock opened by Prince Albert. :: Enquiry by General Board of Health into sanitary conditions of West Ham. :: Channelsea School opens administered by the Vicar of Christ Church.
• 1856 - West Ham constituted a local government area and Local Board of Health established. :: West Ham Gas Co. founded. :: There are 9 Post Offices in West Ham at this time. :: A voluntary fire brigade is formed by subscription. :: The City of London Cemetery opens for business on 24th July built on the former Aldersbrook Farm, Manor Park, it contains several chapels and 200 acres in area.
• 1857 - West Ham Cemetery at Forest Gate laid out. :: St. Marks (Iron Church) School in Tidal Basin opens (see 1860).. :: First burial at West Ham cemetery 3rd November.
• 1858 - London, Tilbury and Southend Railway opens through Plaistow. :: Local Government Act allows the local board to take over the volunteer fire brigade.

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• 1860 - Dec 29th, HMS Warrior - 1st British 'iron-clad' launched from Thames Ironworks - then largest warship afloat. (can now be seen at Portsmouth Dockyard.) :: Ancient parish of West Ham measured and comprised of 4,667 acres. :: Three 'satellite' schools at Silvertown, Victoria Docks & North Woolwich open under guidance of St Marks School, (see 1857)
• 1861 - Population of West Ham - 38,331. (11,214 in Plaistow) :: There are 497 houses and a population of 2,858 in East Ham :: West Ham, Stratford & South Essex Dispensary (later Queen Mary's Hospital) opens in Stratford. :: Stratford Co-operative Society founded. :: West Ham Church School moves buildings and becomes Pelly Memorial School. :: Hallsville National School moves to new site and is renamed Holy Trinity National School. :: St. Margaret's RC School opens as a direct result of Irish labourers building the docks. (see 1883)
• 1862 - Stratford Co-op open their first shop in Maryland Street.. :: St. Mark's Church, Silvertown, opened. :: Clyde Wharf sugar refinery, Silvertown, built by James Duncan (see 1893). :: St. Angela's Ursuline R.C. admit first pupil boarders.
• 1863 - Metropolitan Northern Outfall sewer constructed (completed 1865).:: Silvertown railway Station opened.
• 1865 - Hudson's Town National School (St. Paul's, Stratford) opens in Alma Street & Queen Street (see 1869).
• 1866 - 'Stratford Express' newspaper founded. :: Plaistow Public School moves to new premises in Balaam Street.
• 1868 - Beckton Gas Works constructed (completed 1870). :: Green Street House ('Boleyn Tower') bought as a Reformatory School for Roman Catholic boys.
• 1869 - West Ham Town Hall (Stratford) opened. :: New school opens at Maryland replacing Hudson's Town Schools. :: Stratford fire station is built as part of town hall scheme.

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• 1870 - To this date most children are taught (inadequately) by church and charity, and there are 27 schools in 46 departments run by various means, a high percentage of children receive no education, despite this the churches are against education being 'taken over' by an official 'board'. They fail to stop it. :: St. Angela's Ursuline original school buildings wing provided.
• 1871 - Population of West Ham - 62,919. :: West Ham School Board established. :: East London Cemetery laid out. :: North Metropolitan Tramways open horse tram service from Aldgate to Stratford. :: Forest Gate British School sited at Forest Lane / Woodgrange Rd. :: Temporary St. Andrew's National School opens in Webb Street. (see 1874, 1927, 1936).
• 1872 - St.' John's Church, North Woolwich, opened. :: Grove House demolished, and it's grounds become West Ham Park (see 1550? & 1762). :: Telegraph service available. :: First burial at East London cemetery in August.
• 1874 - West Ham Park opened. :: Odessa Road (Forest Gate), Hallsville (Canning Town) & High Street (Stratford) Schools opened. :: New Channelsea Road School replaces Channelsea School which is closed (see 1855). :: St. Andrew's National School moves to St. Andrew's Road. (see 1871, 1927, 1936)
• 1875 - Small part of Wanstead added to West Ham and merged with borough increasing it's size to 4,706 acres. (see 1860). :: Work starts on the Royal Albert Dock. :: Relf's Music Hall (formerly Town of Ayr PH), Victoria Dock Road opens. :: Channelsea Road & St. Bonaventure's R.C. Schools open. :: Nelson St., Tidal Basin, and Custom House Schools transferred to St. Lukes parish. (see 1882)
• 1876 - Sarah Bonnell School moves to new buildings in West Ham Lane and is refounded as West Ham High School for Girls.
• 1877 - Fire Brigade re-organized 'on a more professional basis' by Local Board. :: Henry Tate's cube sugar firm comes to Thames Wharf, Silvertown. :: Canning Town School opened (see 1945). :: Canning Town fire station built.
• 1878 - Worst ever Thames maritime disaster when the steamer 'Princess Alice' carrying 600 people sank after colliding with the vessel 'Bywell Castle' close to where the Thames Barrier now is. :: East Ham Local Board elected. :: South Hallsville School, Agate St. opens. Sugar refining starts at Silvertown.
• 1879 - Stratford Fruit and Vegetable Market opens. :: Memorial to Protestant martyrs erected in St. John's Churchyard, Stratford (see 1556) :: Maryland School & Clarkson St. School, Tidal Basin, opened.

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• 1880 - Royal Albert Dock opens. :: James Keiller, marmalade & confectioner builds factory at Tay Wharf (later Crosse & Blackwell, then Nestle). :: The Royal Primrose Soap works opened by John Knight Ltd. Silvertown. :: Guild of 'St. Alban the Martyr' form a settlement at an 'old house in Balaam Street' - the brothers do 'ordinary' work, donning brown robes on their return and work among the local community. (note: this 'group' is still in existence in Balaam Street.).
• 1881 - Population of West Ham - 128, 953. (of whom only 49,484 were born in Essex) :: East Ham has 1,930 houses and a 10,703 population. :: Abram Lyle starts syrup firm at Plaistow Wharf, Silvertown. :: Grange School, Canning Town (funded by J S Curwen), Abbey School, Abbey Road & Silvertown School, Oriental Road, all opened.
• 1882 - Stratford Music Festival founded. :: Colegrave Road, Grove & Regent Lane Schools opened. :: Nelson Street is St. Lukes only school.
• 1882 - St. Margaret's School new school built - destroyed during WW2 (see 1861)
• 1884 - Theatre Royal, Stratford opened.
• 1885 - Separate Parliamentary representation for West Ham obtained. :: Jeyes Sanitary Compounds Co (disinfectant). formed in Richmond Street, Plaistow. :: Carpenters Road, Denmark Street (later Ravenscroft), Godwin Road, Upton Cross, West Silvertown (Boxley St.) & Custom House Schools all open. Fyfield Truant School is also opened.
• 1886 - West Ham granted Charter of Incorporation as a Municipal Borough. it already has the 9th largest population for a 'borough' in the country. :: First (privately owned) public swimming baths opened in Manbey Park Road.
• 1887 - Tate Institute, Silvertown, opens. :: A steam tug collides with the 'Iron Bridge' (at Canning Town) making it unsafe.
• 1888 - Beckton Road, St. Antony's R.C. & Stock St. (later Curwen) Schools open. ::  South West Ham Radical Club founded in a shop on the Barking Road. (see 1894)
• 1889 - West Ham becomes a County Borough. :: Dispute at Beckton Gas Works. :: National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers founded in Canning Town. :: Great Dock Strike. :: Woolwich Free Ferry service inaugurated. :: Mansfield House Settlement, Plaistow, founded. :: West Ham Park (Park) School opens. :: First burial at Woodgrange Park cemetery - February.

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• 1890 - Fire at Forest Gate Industrial School - 26 boys suffocated and died. :: Woolwich Free Ferry opened by new London County Council. Two paddle steamers - 'Duncan' and 'Gordon' start the service. :: Original Seaman's Hospital opens near the Connaught, Custom House.
• 1891 - Population of West Ham - 204,903. :: Population of East Ham - 32,718, with 5,818 houses. :: GER Railway Works at Stratford build a steam locomotive in the unsurpassed record time of 9 hours 47 minutes. :: Carpenter's Company open a technical school for boys. :: Elmhurst Rd. School, Upton. opens.
• 1892 - Keir Hardie elected as MP. in West Ham South.- First ever Labour MP. in Britain. :: Canning Town Women's Settlement opened. :: Bridge Rd. (later Bridge) School opens replacing the 'British' schools.
• 1893 - First purpose built public library, Canning Town. :: A third paddle steamer ferry joins the Woolwich service - 'Hutton'. :: Large fire ends sugar refining at Clyde Wharf, Silvertown. (see 1862). :: Brunner Monde build caustic soda plant at Crescent Wharf, Silvertown (see 1917). :: Russell Road (later Ashburton) School opens. :: School board open temporary centres for deaf & dumb children.
• 1894 - East Ham Urban District Council formed. :: West Ham is granted its own (Court) Quarter Sessions.  :: Public Hall, Canning Town, opens. :: Balaam Street, Plaistow, Beckton Road and Canning Town Recreation Grounds open. :: Tottenham and Forest Gate Railway opened. :: Cave Rd. (later Greengate), Upton Lane & Hermit Rd. Schools open. :: West Ham Swimming Club formed. :: New South West Ham Liberal & Radical Club is formed from the former South West Ham Radical Club and has premises in Bradley Road. (see 1898).
• 1895 - West Ham begin Municipal electricity generation. :: Drew Rd. (Silvertown), Star Lane, Three Mills, St. Joachim's R.C. & Manor Rd. Schools all open.:: Thames Iron Works football team (later West Ham Utd.) play their first match on Sep 7th.
• 1896 - Borough Theatre, Stratford opens. :: New steel 'Iron Bridge' at Canning Town Bridge opens (see 1810 & 1935). :: National Telephone Co. open exchange in Stratford. :: Credon Rd. Holbrook Rd. & Whitehall Place (later Forest Gate) Schools open. :: School for mentally & physically handicapped children opened in Grange Rd. (later renamed Elizabeth Fry, and restricted to physical handicap).
• 1897 - Memorial Recreation Ground, West Ham, opened. :: Blackwall Tunnel opens to traffic (Tower Hamlets). :: Albert Dock telephone exchange opened by National Telephone Co. :: Balaam St. (later Burke), Water Lane (later Stratford Green) & Frederick Rd. Schools open. :: Permanent centre for deaf & dumb children opens in Frederick Rd.
• 1898 - The population of West Ham is estimated at 287,000 with 45,000 children on 'Board School' rolls. :: Labour Group gain political control of West Ham - the first socialist Council in Britain. :: Accident during launch of HMS 'Albion' at Thames Ironworks, Canning Town - 37 drowned. :: West Ham Technical Institute opened. :: Central Public Library, Stratford opens. :: Empire Theatre, Stratford, opens. :: Public electricity supply service established. :: Council Technical Institute started. :: South West Ham Liberal & Radical Club take over the Zion Chapel, Barking Road. (see 1940)
• 1899 - First Council housing built - Bethell Avenue, Canning Town. :: Hermit Road Park bought for public use :: A whale is beached at North Woolwich after swimming up river. :: High Street School, Stratford closes. :: London School of Tropical Medicine founded at Seamen's Hospital by Sir Patrick Manson.

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• 1900 - West Ham United Football Club founded (was Thames Iron Works team). :: Passmore Edwards Museum, Stratford, opened. :: 2nd permanent centre for deaf & dumb children opens in Water Lane. :: New 'Iron Bridge' is opened (Canning Town).
• 1901 - Population of West Ham - 267,358. :: Population of East Ham - 96,018 with 17,937 houses. :: Edward VII reigns. (to 1910) :: Balaam Street Municipal Baths, Plaistow, opened. May 2nd. :: CWS Mill opened in Victoria Dock. :: Harold Rd. School opens. :: The company of Moore and Nettlefold in North Woolwich are employing 150 immigrant workers.
• 1902 - District Line extended to East Ham. :: School Board has 47 'blocks of school buildings' with four under construction and 58,900 school places in West Ham. :: There are three main and three sub fire stations in West Ham.
• 1903 - West Ham School Board abolished, West Ham Education Committee established. :: Grange Road Special School (for "Crippled and Mentally Defective Children") opened. :: Yardley of London (perfume) build a factory in Carpenter's Road. :: Fire at Shaftsbury Rd School (East Ham).
• 1904 - East Ham gain Borough status. :: West Ham electric tramway service inaugurated. :: Funds established by Daily News and Daily Telegraph to fight 'famine' in West Ham. :: West Ham Poor Children's Dinner & Clothing Fund are providing soup dinners at ten schools. breakfast is also provided at 49 schools and boots are provided for the needy. :: Rank's Premier Mill opened in Victoria Dock. :: HMS Black Prince launched from Thames Ironworks. :: City of London Cemetery opens its new 'crematorium' but does not actually get its first 'customer' until 1905 when just 9 cremations in total took place.
• 1905 - Distress Committee founded to provide relief and assistance for the unemployed. :: Third Bow bridge built. :: Last horse tram. :: District Line electrified to East Ham. :: Millennium Mill (W Vernon & Sons, later Spillers) opens in Victoria Dock. :: Telephone service extended to Plaistow. :: Carpenter's Company School closes (see 1891). :: Holborn Road (later Faraday), Shipman Rd. & Napier Rd. Schools open, High Street Schools (East Ham High St. South) built - costing £5,000. :: Manor Park Library opens - cost £5,000.
• 1906 - Plaistow Triangle Camp established by unemployed men. :: Education Committee made responsible for school meals. :: Third Bow Bridge opened (see 1198, 1366, 1741, 1839 & 1967). :: Stratford Grammar & Hilda Rd. Schools open.
• 1907 - 'West Ham - a study of social and industrial problems' by Howarth & Wilson, is published. :: Fyfield Truant School closes to become an Industrial school.
• 1908 - School Medical Service introduced. :: Rotherhithe Tunnel opens. (Tower Hamlets) :: District Line electrified to Barking. :: St. Helen's R.C. School opens. :: East Ham Central Library opens.
• 1909 - Port of London Authority established. :: First purpose-built cinema - the Cinematograph Hall - opens in Canning Town. :: First motor fire appliance bought. (see 1923)

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• 1910 - George V reigns. (to 1936) :: West Ham Gas Co. taken over by the Gas Light and Coke Co. :: R H Greene & Silley Weir Co. formed from two smaller firms.
• 1911 - Population of West Ham - 289,030. :: Population of East Ham - 133,487 with 25,694 houses. :: February 1st, HMS 'Thunderer' launched at Thames Ironworks (to be completed at Dagenham Dock). Largest warship then afloat. :: Venesta opens a factory at Silvertown producing wood veneer packing cases for the tea trade (later became Empire Aluminium; Aluminium Foils, British Aluminium & British Alcan). :: A census shows that 1.5% of West Ham's and 1.9% of East Ham's populations are 'not British'.
• 1912 - Thames Ironworks closes. In its day has built more than a thousand vessels and supplied ironwork for Blackfriars Bridge, Hammersmith Bridge and others. :: Woolwich Foot Tunnel (under Thames) opened. :: Albert Cinema, Silvertown, opened. (closed before WWII). :: Gainsborough Rd. School opens.
• 1914 - East Ham becomes County Borough. :: War declared on Germany, 4th August. :: New Silvertown Fire Station (Fort St.) opened. :: Abbey Mill is bought by West Ham borough council from Christ's Hospital. :: California PH, North Woolwich built.
• 1915 - British Liner 'Lusitania' torpedoed, sparking anti-German attacks in West Ham and elsewhere. :: First Zeppelin raid on London, 31st May.
• 1916 - Conscription introduced, 2nd March. :: 1st Zeppelin shot down in Hertfordshire, 3rd September.
• 1917 - 19th January, Explosion at Brunner Monde TNT factory, Silvertown, 73 killed, 400 injured, West Silvertown & Silvertown Schools damaged. (West Silvertown School was repaired and modernised the same year) :: 13th June, air raid, houses damaged, 18 killed in Upper North Street, Poplar.
• 1918 - 1st January, Food rationing introduced. :: 19th May, Last air raid on London. :: 11th November, Armistice signed. :: Influenza epidemic - 1000 deaths. :: Grange School damaged by bombing.
• 1919 - 28th June, Versailles Peace Treaty signed. :: Rosetta Rd. School opens.

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• 1920 - First Maternity & Child Welfare Centre opened in Silvertown. :: Plaistow United Swimming Club founded. :: Knox Rd. (later Gurney) School 2nd for handicapped children, (now restricted to educationally handicapped) opens. :: Plaistow United Swimming Club founded. (became one of England's best).
• 1921 - Population of West Ham - 300,860. :: Population of East Ham - 143,304 with 27,487 houses. :: 8th July, King George V Dock opened by King George V. :: YMCA Red Triangle Club, Plaistow, opened. :: The two firms of Tates' and Lyles' amalgamate to make one of the world's largest sugar refiners. :: Due to severe unemployment 'education continuation' centres are set up for those over school age. (they have only limited success but last into the 30s).
• 1922 - New paddle steamer ferries - 'Squires' and 'Gordon' replace old ones at Woolwich Free Ferry service. :: Municipal Baths in Silvertown opened. :: Maryland telephone exchanged opens. :: Percy Thompson is murdered in Ilford by Frederick Bywaters, both Bywaters and Percy's wife Edith (all three were from Newham) are convicted of the act and hanged in 1923 despite strong evidence that Edith was not party to the actual killing.
• 1923 - West Ham United lose 2 - 0 to Bolton Wanderers in the first ever Wembley FA Cup Final, the record crowd of 150,000 -200,000 still stands, known as the 'White Horse' Final. :: West Ham also lose 5-1 at Upton Park to Hakoah Wien (Vienna) becoming the first top English club to be defeated by a continental team, albeit Hammers fielding a 'mainly reserve' team. :: Whitfield & Co convert old tram depot into a chocolate factory in Tunmarsh Lane, Plaistow (later Rowntree). :: Last horse-drawn steam 'fire-engine' goes out of service.
• 1924 - West Ham War Memorial - Queen Mary's Outpatient Department, opened. :: Lyle Park opened. :: Harland & Woolff open ship repair works in King George V dock. :: Channelsea Road School closes. :: London School of Tropical Medicine moves from Seamen's Hospital to the University of London.
• 1925 - Population of West Ham peaks at 318,500. :: Council embark on first 'high rise' (four storey) scheme in which 400 flats were built in Manor Road by 1928 (still in use).
• 1926 - Plaistow Municipal Secondary School opens. :: Coloured Men's Institute, Canning Town, opened (till 1930). :: Administration of West Ham Board of Guardians taken over by the government (till 1929). :: School leaving age raised to 15 for all West Ham children. :: Plaistow secondary (later grammar) School opens.
• 1927 - Broadway Cinema, Tramway Avenue, Stratford, opened. :: Chapel Street Ragged School closes. (see 1851). :: St. Andrew's School organised into Junior / Senior sections. (see 1871, 1874, 1936).
• 1928 - West Ham Stadium, Custom House, opened. (closed 1972). - Speedway starts
• 1929 - East Ham Memorial Hospital officially opened (July 24th - by Queen Mary) :: South Hallsville junior School opens. (see 1931)

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• 1930 - Prime Minister - James Ramsay Macdonald presented with the Honorary Freedom of the County Borough of West Ham on 27th May 'in recognition of distinguished services to the nation, and his strenuous efforts in the cause of international peace and goodwill'. :: Rebecca Cheetham & Edith Kerrison nursery schools opened. :: New paddle-steam ferries 'John Benn' and 'Will Crooks' join the Woolwich Ferry fleet. :: Coloured Men's Institute, Canning Town, closed. (see 1926)
• 1931 - Population of West Ham - 294,278. :: Population of East Ham - 142,394 with 29,602 houses. :: South Hallsville infant School opens. :: Prince Regent Lane fire station built.
• 1932 - Unemployment reaches 20,642 in West Ham. :: Unemployment Protest demonstration turns into a riot in Romford Road :: Pretoria Rd. (later Eastlea) & South Hallsville senior Schools open.
• 1933 - West Ham Tramways taken over by London Transport. :: First part of Stratford High Street Improvement Scheme opens. :: Hallsville School closes. :: Tollgate Rd. Schools open.
• 1934 - Silvertown Way opened. :: Romford Road Baths opened.
• 1935 - River Lea Flood Relief Works completed. :: Cumberland House demolished. :: Third 'Iron Bridge' opens (see 1935 & 1810). :: Oswald Mosley gives a speech at a meeting in Stratford Town Hall in the presence of many protesters .
• 1936 - Edward VIII begins reign, (abdicates 1937). :: West Ham Jubilee celebrations. :: Daisy Parsons, first woman mayor. :: St. Andrew's School closes (see 1871, 1874, 1927) :: Plaistow United Swimming Club provide 5 members of the British Olympic water polo team.
• 1937 - George VI reigns (to 1952). :: Trolleybuses introduced. :: Beckton Lido opened. :: Albert Dock Hospital, Custom House, opened replacing original Seamen's Hospital..
• 1938 - New West Ham Municipal Workshops for the Blind opened. :: Abbey School closed. :: Centres for deaf & dumb transferred to new site in Tunmarsh Lane (later West Ham school for the deaf).
• 1939 - 1st September, evacuation begins. :: August, Cunard's SS Mauritania enters King George V dock after her first Atlantic crossing, with only inches to spare at the lock gates - largest vessel ever to enter the 'Royals'. :: 3rd September, War declared.

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• 1940 - 8th January, Food rationing starts, :: 10th May, Local Defence (Home Guard) formed. :: 23/24 August, First bombs hit West Ham. :: 7th September, London Blitz starts. St. John's Church, bombed and destroyed on first day. :: 10th September, Bomb hits Hallsville Road School, Canning Town. Many killed. :: Silvertown School bombed and closed. :: New South West Ham Liberal & Radical Club open new premises in Barking Road.
• 1941 - No population census :: 19th April, Eight Air Raid wardens are killed when a bomb hits their post - Custom House School. :: 1st June, Clothes rationing begins. :: Frederick Rd. School bombed & closed.
• 1943 - Tidal Basin (railway) Station closed after bomb damage, never re-opened.:: Regent Lane, Upton Lane, Hermit Rd. and Beckton Rd Schools bombed and demolished around this time.
• 1944 - 16th June, First V1 (Doodlebug) hits West Ham. (months later one landed on the pitch at West Ham Utd's Upton Park destroying part of the stands.) :: 27th Oct, First V2 rocket hits West Ham. :: 13th December, Home Guard disbanded.
• 1945 - 8th May, V-E Day, Victory in Europe. :: 14th August, V-J Day, Victory in Japan. (** see below this list for West Ham's Air-raid statistics). :: Canning Town & Custom House Schools closed.
• 1946 - Central Line opened, Liverpool Street to Stratford.
• 1947 - West Ham Electricity Board taken over by London Electricity Board. :: First houses on Kier Hardie Estate, Canning Town, opened.
• 1948 - Hospitals taken over by National Health Service. :: New Hallsville Primary School, Radland Road opens. :: 'Starfish' Swimming Club founded.
• 1949 - A new Regent Lane School opens on site of old school (bombed 1943). :: Denmark St. School renamed Ravenscroft.

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• 1951 - Population of West Ham - 170,100. :: West Ham 'B' Power Station opened
• 1952 - George VI dies, Elizabeth II begins reign. :: South West Ham Technical School (later Trinity School), Canning Town, opens. :: Hardie primary School opened on site of old Beckton Road School. :: St. Helen's R.C. School rebuilt. :: West Ham Tech (later Trinity & Cumberland) opened.
• 1953 - East Coast floods, 1130 houses affected in Silvertown and Canning Town. :: Theatre Workshop at Theatre Royal, Stratford, established. :: Adelaide House, old people's home, West Ham, opened. :: Stratford Tube Crash, 12 killed, 41 injured.
• 1954 - London Co-op buys J R Robert's store on Stratford Broadway (see 1957). :: A new Custom House School (infants) opens on old school's site (see 1945).
• 1955 - First 'live' West Ham Utd. TV game from Upton Park. :: Clarkson St. School, Tidal Basin. demolished. :: First cremation at Manor Park cemetery.
• 1957 - London Co-op build their department store at Broadway site. (takes to 1962, see 1954). :: Stratford Market (railway) Station closes. :: Venesta take over Empire Aluminium.
• 1958 - Mayflower Centre, Canning Town, opened. :: New Stratford Grammar School, Upton Lane, opened. with Stratford Green boys transferred to their former buildings in Tennyson Rd. :: Telephone House, Forest Gate, opened.
• 1959 - 5,000th Council house built. :: New Plaistow Road built. :: Plaistow High Street, widened. :: Stratford grammar School opens on site of old Upton Lane School.

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• 1960 - Last trolleybus. :: 'Cedars', Portway, West Ham, demolished (home of Elizabeth Fry).
• 1961 - Population of West Ham - 157,367 :: Jack Lloyd wins F1 'World' Stock Car Championship at West Ham Stadium. :: The former Venesta (Empire Aluminium) become Aluminium Foils Ltd.
• 1962 - Anchor House Hostel, Canning Town, opened.:: Bridge School & West Silvertown School, Boxley St. closed (see 1885 & 1917).
• 1963 - New Rathbone Market, Canning Town, opened. :: Stratford Railway Works closed. :: 'The Beatles' appear at Granada, East Ham 'live', twice - in March & November. The old steam-paddle Woolwich ferries are replaced by three diesel powered types - 'Ernest Bevin', 'John Burns' & 'James Newman'. :: Dartford Toll Tunnel opens (Essex-Kent). :: Hilda Rd. School closes.
• 1964 - West Ham United beat Preston North End 3 - 2 FA Cup Final. :: John F Kennedy Centre, Stratford, opened. :: Stratford Youth Centre opened. :: New Fire Station, Romford Road, Stratford, opened.
• 1965 - London Borough of Newham created. incorporating West Ham & East Ham :: West Ham United win European Cup Winner's Cup at Wembley beating TSV Munich 2 - 0. :: West Ham Speedway team win 'triple crown' of League Championship, K/O Cup and London Cup. :: Three members of the Rolling Stones are arrested and charged after an 'incident' at a Stratford garage. :: Ellis Ford wins F1 'World' Stock Car Championship at West Ham Stadium. :: Three Mills School closes. 
• 1966 - Three West Ham United players are in the England team that win the World Cup.
• 1967 - Stratford International Freight Terminal opens. :: Bow Bridge Flyover opened (see 1198, 1366, 1741, 1839 & 1906). :: Terence McMillan Stadium, Custom House, opened. :: Blackwall's 2nd 'parallel' tunnel opened.
• 1968 - 18th May, Ronan Point, Canning Town, tower block collapses after a gas explosion, 4 die (another died a few days later). :: Upton House, Forest Gate, demolished. (Lord Lister's birthplace). :: New Queen's Market, Upton Park, opened. :: New St. John's Church opened in North Woolwich.
• 1969 - Beckton Gas Works closes.

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• 1970 - North Woolwich Station closed. ::  Four members of the West Ham Speedway team are killed when their minibus crashes in Lokeren, Belgium - Martyn Piddock, Peter Bradshaw, manager Phil Bishop and junior rider Malcolm Carmichael die along with Wimbledon's Gary Everett, others are injured.
• 1971 - Population of West Ham - 233,700. :: HMS Belfast under restoration in the King George V dry dock, now on permanent display near Tower Bridge.
• 1972 - West Ham Stadium, Custom House, closed (note - streets later built on the site were named after West Ham's former speedway stars). :: Newham Way opened. :: Harland & Woolff close their repair works in King George V dock. (see 1924)
• 1974 - Newham Community Council Health Council established. :: Stratford Centre, Stratford opened (inc. shopping Mall).
• 1975 - West Ham United beat Fulham 2 - 0 to win FA Cup.
• 1976 - West Ham United lose Cup Winner's Cup Final to Anderlecht 4 - 2. :: Civic Centre, Stratford, opened. :: An IRA bomb accidentally explodes on a tube train at West Ham station, the driver is shot dead as he pursues a suspect.
• 1978 - The former Venesta (Aluminium Foils Ltd) becomes British Aluminium.

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• 1980 - West Ham United beat Arsenal 1 - 0 in FA Cup Final.
• 1981 - Population of West Ham - 209,128. :: Royal Docks closed. :: LDDC (London Docklands Development Corporation) created. :: St. Mark's Church, Silvertown. - Fire destroys original hammerbeam roof.
• 1982 - Fire at West Ham Town Hall, Stratford. :: Beckton District Park opens. :: Tom Allen Arts Centre, Stratford, opened. :: Thames Barrier comes into operation. :: The former Venesta (British Aluminium) becomes British Alcan - closes in the 1990s recession.
• 1983 - Newham General Hospital, Custom House opens, Queen Mary's in Stratford & St. Mary's in Plaistow close. :: Last 'old style' cinema - Ace, Upton Park - closes. :: New Balaam Street Baths, Plaistow, opens.
• 1984 - Thames Barrier officially 'opened'. :: British Telecom satellite site, North Woolwich, opened. :: Old North Woolwich Station restored and opened as a museum. :: In March, Britain's heaviest man, Peter Yarrall, 59 stone (826 lb/374.73 kg), who suffered from a glandular disorder, died in his flat in London's East Ham. Ten firemen took five hours to demolish the bedroom and winch his body to the street using a crane.
• 1985 - Newham Maternity Hospital, Forest Gate, closes.
• 1986 - West Ham Centenary. :: Ronan Point demolished. :: West Ham Town Hall, Stratford, restored & re-opened. :: GLC abolished.
• 1987 - The great 'Hurricane' hits Britain in October but Newham is. relatively, only lightly damaged.

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• 1990 - Poll Tax introduced, hundreds refuse to pay.
• 1992 - West Ham Bus Garage (Greengate Street) closes.
• 1992 - Bobby Moore dies of cancer.
• 1995 - The average house price is £47,428 in Newham.
• 1996 (approx) - Silvertown By-pass 'bow-string' bridge demolished. ::  The average house price is down to £46,614 in Newham.
• 1997 - New Canning Town Bus/DLR/Rail interchange Station opened. :: There are 6,361 people per square mile living in Newham, (Hackney & Tower Hamlets are both over 9,000 ppsm and Canterbury has just 450 ppsm). :: The average house price is £53,178 in Newham.
• 1998 - Rathbone Market refurbishment. :: DLR operational from Canning Town and other Newham stations.  ::  The average house price is £62,485 in Newham.
• 1999 - Stratford and West Ham stations rebuilt and expanded. :: Jubilee Line opens through Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford. :: University of East London's new Campus opens beside docks. :: Millennium Dome visible across river. :: Two men murdered at Beckton Arms PH.  ::  The average house price is now up to  £64,978.

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• 2000 - Excel Conference / Exhibition Centre opens. :: Stratford Library (and Local Studies Library) moves to new location in The Grove, Stratford. :: Thames Barrier Park opened by London's first elected Mayor - Ken Livingstone (along with the adjacent Barratt's luxury riverside homes complex).
• 2001 - 'Wombles' - Newham's community recycling project is officially launched. :: The Ironworks sports academy starts up in Canning Town. :: West Ham United rebuild main 'West Stand' at the Boleyn Ground - renamed Dr. Marten Stand. :: Major A13 / Prince Regent Lane junction works start. :: 1.6 million people use Newham's London City Airport this year.
• 2002 - Newham vote to change to an 'elected' mayor. - Sir Robin Wales is the first to get the local vote. :: Queen Elizabeth II visits Newham during her Golden Jubilee year and officially 'opens' West Ham United's new 'Dr. Martens Stand'. :: Theatre Royal, Stratford reopens after extensive refurbishment.
  2003 - March 24th - 'Champions' statue is unveiled by the Duke of York at Boleyn junction. :: West Ham relegated to 1st Division despite gaining a 'record' number of points. :: Watts Point is demolished by explosive means. :: Original Drew School building demolished after 106 years of use. :: A13 Prince Regent Lane underpass & second Canning Town 'flyover' are opened to traffic.
• 2004 - Online 'survey' shows Newham has just 87 pubs for its population of around 245,000 making the borough one of the most 'pub deprived' areas of the country (Barking & Dagenham came bottom!).  ::  Excel hosts its first International Boat Show (January). ::  Major new 'International' hotels open in the docks area of Newham (Ibis & Novotel), adding several hundred rooms and other facilities for visitors. ::  Bid to bring 2012 Olympic Games to the east London area begins. :: Trevor Brooking becomes 'Sir' Trevor.
• 2005 - Olympic committee tour proposed games site. ::  Hammers win promotion back to Premiership via 'playoffs'. ::
• 2008 - The Queen and Prince Philip visit Tate & Lyle's in Silvertown celebrating 130 years of sugar refining at the site. ::

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Air Raid Attacks.28th August 1940 - 8th May 1945.
 

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