Upminster | |
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Location within Greater London | |
Population | 25,361 (Cranham and Upminster wards 2011)[1] |
OS grid reference | TQ560865 |
• Charing Cross | 16.5 mi (26.6 km) WSW |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | UPMINSTER |
Postcode district | RM14 |
Dialling code | 01708 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan.
Historically a rural village, it formed an ancient parish in the Chafford hundred of the county of Essex. The economic history of Upminster is characterised by a shift from farming to brick making to garden suburb. It is currently mainly commercial shopping, small businesses and residential.
It was first connected to central London by rail in 1885 and has a terminal station on the London Underground network. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Upminster significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming part of Hornchurch Urban District in 1934, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.