Barking Hotels

Barking is both a suburb of London and, as many London suburbs are, a town in and of itself, which lies in the east of the city, just north of the Thames. Barking has a long maritime history of fishing and boat-building, and has suffered somewhat in recent decades as these industries have declined and moved further away from the city. Though deprived in comparison to the wealthier boroughs, Barking is expected to benefit from regeneration of the town centre and riverside. In the meantime, Barking hotels are a cheap place to stay with good connections to the centre of London.

There are really only two Barking hotels, of which the Premier Inn is the closest and most highly-rated at three stars. While unlikely to be an exciting base for a holiday, it is clean, comfortable and practical. One kilometre further away is the other option, the 1 star Central Hotel, which is a collection of rooms sharing bathroom facilities above a sports pub.

If proximity to Barking is not essential, travellers will find a much better selection of hotels slightly to the north in Ilford. Barking tube station services national rail, the London Overground, and the Underground. For the underground, Barking is the terminus of the Hammersmith & City Line after East Ham, and also lies on the District Line between East Ham and Upney.

Barking Tube Station

Barking Station is in Zone 4, on the District and Hammersmith & City Lines.  It’s the eastern terminus on the latter.  It’s in Essex and has a National Rail and London Overground station as well as an underground station.  It first opened for rail services in 1854 and at the time was positioned just outside the town.  The electrified District Line arrived in 1908 and the Hammersmith & City in 1936.  From 2010 it becomes an interchange for East London Transit, a bus rapid transit scheme that has been put in place in anticipation of increased demand due to the redevelopment of a patch of land in East London called the Thames Gateway.

Attractions

There are plenty of things to see and do in the area surrounding the station.  Eastbury Manor House is an Elizabethan building, mentioned by Daniel Defoe in “A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain”.  It was built by a rich merchant and is today owned by the National Trust.

Barking Abbey is a short distance from the town centre.  The ruins are open to the public and it is an important archaeological site, where ancient jewellery, carved bone, pottery, glass and gold thread have been discovered.

Barking Park opened in 1898 and has 30 hectares of space.  This includes a lake, playing fields and boating, bowls and football facilities.  An events programme operates throughout the year with guided walks, talks and children’s activities on offer.

There’s a great big shopping centre near the station called Vicarage Fields, where you can find 55 retailers.

Recommended Web Sites

Email team@tubehotels.com to get your Barking related website listed. It must be complimentary and not a competitor to TubeHotels, and you must be willing to co-promote.