Barking is a town and district within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is 14.2 km east of Charing Cross and is among the 35 key centres named in the London Plan. Historically, it was a fishing settlement in Essex and an ancient parish. Then it shifted to market gardening and industrial development to the south, adjacent to the River Thames.
Barking quickly developed into a bigger town and its rail station opened in 1854. It has been served by the London Underground since 1908. Throughout the 20th century, when there was significant suburban growth of London, Barking expanded and increased in population. This was primarily due to the building of the London County Council estate at Becontree inside the 1920s. Barking became a municipal borough in 1931 and part of Greater London in 1965.
The town centre is a significant retail and commercial district which is presently in plans for regeneration. There are former industrial lands towards the south which are currently being redeveloped as Barking Riverside, which aims to regenerate the Thames riverside area of East London by way of new homes, jobs and services. It is made up of 350 acres of brownfield land, and development began in 2008. It's anticipated to be finished by about 2025. 10,000 houses are going to be built, which are expected to house 25,000 people. The developers will also deliver new transport links, such as East London Transit plus an extension of the Docklands Light Railway at Barking Riverside DLR station.