Industrial History Online
Eastern Counties Railway factory
Key Words :- railway
Address :- Elvet Avenue, Squirrels Heath, Romford, London, Greater London, RM2 6JN
Grid Ref :- TQ 53483 89644
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.584756 , Long 0.213941
Local Authority :- Havering London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Essex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 1323740,
Site Condition :- Site refurbished to residential housing
Site Dates :- 1843-47 -
Description and History of Site:-
The engineering works form two blocks, north dating from 1843 and south from 1847, plus a power house and chimney.
Set up after railway reached Romford 1839 for repair of rolling stock. Rolling stock converted from broad to standard gauge 1844. Evidence of broad gauge lines (5ft) remains. Superintendent William Fernihough experimented with balance weights in rims of locomotive wheels. On repair work being transferred to Stratford after 1845, became factory making wagon covers and sacks. Later also produced horse-cloths and 'forage and provender'. New buildings erected c.1900 for forage and provender. Clock and watch repair department moved into works c.1902.
Site visited 24 March 2003 by Paul W. Sowan:
Note surviving tall brick chimney. At least three buildings survive mostly within TQ 534896 and TQ 535896 at the end of what was called Factory Road but is now Elvet Avenue. Parts of the site are now re-developed and occupied by blocks of flats in Durham and Elvet Avenues. However the Ravensbourne Court development includes provision for '100 loft apartments within the listed railstore sheds' according to the developers' sign on site.
Of the three buildings lying parallel with the railway lines there are, from north to south:
(1) a single-storey building currently roofless and gutted;
(2) a largely two-storey building in which (presumably) the loft conversions are intended;
and (3) a single-storey ? boiler house with tall brick chimney, and an iron tank on the west end of the roof.
I was not able to reach or see the eastern extremity of the site.
VCH Essex VII (1978) says this was the Eastern Counties Railway's engineering works opened in 1843; the engineering functions were relocated to Stratford in 1847 and the buildings retained for making railway tarpaulins and sacks - closed in the 1960s.
Converted to residential use in a development known as the Railstore, Kidman Close, c2005.
Further Reading and References:-
Allen, Cecil J. 'The Great Eastern Railway'. Ian Allan, 1955
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/123news.html#N
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/124news.html#D
https://www.layersoflondon.org/map/records/elvet-avenue
https://gersociety.org.uk/
Help us improve this entry
Grid Ref :- TQ 53483 89644
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.584756 , Long 0.213941
Local Authority :- Havering London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Essex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 1323740,
Site Condition :- Site refurbished to residential housing
Site Dates :- 1843-47 -
The engineering works form two blocks, north dating from 1843 and south from 1847, plus a power house and chimney.
Set up after railway reached Romford 1839 for repair of rolling stock. Rolling stock converted from broad to standard gauge 1844. Evidence of broad gauge lines (5ft) remains. Superintendent William Fernihough experimented with balance weights in rims of locomotive wheels. On repair work being transferred to Stratford after 1845, became factory making wagon covers and sacks. Later also produced horse-cloths and 'forage and provender'. New buildings erected c.1900 for forage and provender. Clock and watch repair department moved into works c.1902.
Site visited 24 March 2003 by Paul W. Sowan:
Note surviving tall brick chimney. At least three buildings survive mostly within TQ 534896 and TQ 535896 at the end of what was called Factory Road but is now Elvet Avenue. Parts of the site are now re-developed and occupied by blocks of flats in Durham and Elvet Avenues. However the Ravensbourne Court development includes provision for '100 loft apartments within the listed railstore sheds' according to the developers' sign on site.
Of the three buildings lying parallel with the railway lines there are, from north to south:
(1) a single-storey building currently roofless and gutted;
(2) a largely two-storey building in which (presumably) the loft conversions are intended;
and (3) a single-storey ? boiler house with tall brick chimney, and an iron tank on the west end of the roof.
I was not able to reach or see the eastern extremity of the site.
VCH Essex VII (1978) says this was the Eastern Counties Railway's engineering works opened in 1843; the engineering functions were relocated to Stratford in 1847 and the buildings retained for making railway tarpaulins and sacks - closed in the 1960s.
Converted to residential use in a development known as the Railstore, Kidman Close, c2005.
Allen, Cecil J. 'The Great Eastern Railway'. Ian Allan, 1955
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/123news.html#N
http://www.glias.org.uk/news/124news.html#D
https://www.layersoflondon.org/map/records/elvet-avenue
https://gersociety.org.uk/
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Contributor :- GLIAS Database - 2 June 2018
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Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © GLIAS Database