Editing West Ham

{{Short description|District in East London, England}}
{{About|the area of London|the football club|West Ham United F.C.|the former local government district|County Borough of West Ham|other uses|West Ham (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| region                   = London
| official_name            = West Ham
| constituency_westminster = [[West Ham and Beckton (UK Parliament constituency)|West Ham and Beckton]]
| post_town                = LONDON
| dial_code                = 020
| os_grid_reference        = TQ405837
| postcode_area            = E
| postcode_district        = E15
| london_borough           = Newham
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.534|0.008|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 15,551
| population_ref           = (2011 Census, Ward)<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1237320157|title=West Ham 2011 Census Ward|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>
| charingX_distance_mi     = 6.1
| charingX_direction       = WSW
| static_image_name        = File:West Ham Church - geograph.org.uk - 272731.jpg
| static_image_caption     = All Saints’ Church, serving<br> the Ancient Parish of West Ham
}}

'''West Ham''' is a district in East [[London]], England and is in the [[London Borough of Newham]]. It is an inner-city suburb located {{convert|6.1|mi|1|abbr=on}} east of [[Charing Cross]]. 

The area was originally an [[civil parish#Ancient parishes|ancient parish]] formed to serve parts of the older [[London Borough of Newham#Manor of Ham|Manor of Ham]], and it later became a [[County Borough of West Ham|County Borough]]. The parish and borough of West Ham, situated  east of the [[River Lea]] and north of the [[River Thames]], was an administrative unit, with largely consistent boundaries, from the 12th century to 1965, when it merged with neighbouring areas to become the western part of the new [[London Borough]]. Before 1965 the area was part of the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Essex]]. 

West Ham's long established boundaries take in the sub-districts of [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], [[Canning Town]], [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]], [[Custom House, Newham|Custom House]], [[Silvertown]], [[Forest Gate]] and the western parts of [[Upton Park, London|Upton Park]] which is shared with East Ham.

The district was historically dependent on its docks and other maritime trades, while the inland industrial concentrations led to its byname as the ''Factory centre of the south of England''.<ref>Brewers Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable, Russ Willey, Chambers 2009</ref> These sources of employment have largely been lost, though there has been a degree of regeneration, in part associated with the [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Olympic Games]].

==History==
===Toponymy===
The first known written use of the term, as 'Hamme', is in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 958, in which King Edgar granted the [[London Borough of Newham#Manor of Ham|Manor of Ham]], which was undivided at that time, to Ealdorman Athelstan. A subsequent charter of 1037 describes a transfer of land which has been identified with East Ham, indicating that the division of the territory occurred between 958 and 1037.<ref>The Place Names of Essex, P.H. Reaney, 1969</ref>

The place name derives from [[Old English]] 'hamm' and means 'a dry area of land between rivers or marshland', referring to the location of the settlement within boundaries formed by the rivers [[River Lea|Lea]], [[River Thames|Thames]] and [[River Roding|Roding]] and their marshes.<ref name="mills_london">{{cite book|title=Dictionary of London Place Names|year=2001|last=Mills|first=A.D.|publisher=Oxford}}</ref> [[North Woolwich]] seems likely to have been removed from Ham in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest.<ref>'Becontree hundred: East Ham', in A History of the County of Essex: Volume 6, ed. W R Powell (London, 1973), pp. 1–8. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol6/pp1-8 [accessed 6 May 2022].</ref>

The earliest recorded use of West Ham, as distinct from Ham or East Ham, was in 1186 as 'Westhamma'. The creation of [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]] (one of England's larger monasteries), and the building of  [[Bow Bridge (London)|Bow Bridge]], the only dry crossing of the Lea for many miles, are likely to have increased the prosperity of the area.

===Tudor and Stuart===
In June 1648, during the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], a Royalist force of some 500 to 600 men won a minor battle against the [[Tower division#Military role|Tower Hamlets Militia]] at [[Bow Bridge, London#Battle of Bow Bridge|Bow Bridge]] and occupied Stratford for three days, before heading off along the old Roman Road to the [[Siege of Colchester]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Monteth |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3nhYAAAAcAAJ&dq=robert+monteth+%22the+history+of+the+troubles+of+great+britain%22&pg=PP7 |title=The History of the Troubles of Great Britain, Containing a Particular Account of the Most Remarkable Passages in Scotland, from the Year 1633 to 1650 ... |date=1738 |language=en}}</ref>

===Urbanisation===
The village of West Ham underwent rapid growth from 1844 following the [[Metropolitan Building Act]]. The Act restricted dangerous and noxious industries from operating in the metropolitan area, the eastern boundary of which was the [[River Lea]]. Consequently, many of these activities were relocated to the other side of the river and to West Ham, then a parish in Essex centred on [[All Saints Church, West Ham]]. As a result, West Ham became one of Victorian Britain's major manufacturing centres for pharmaceuticals, chemicals and processed foods. This rapid growth earned it the name "London over the border".<ref name=charter>{{cite news |title=The Incorporation of West Ham |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=1 November 1886 |page=12 }}</ref> The growth of the town was summarised by ''[[The Times]]'' in 1886:

<blockquote>''"Factory after factory was erected on the marshy wastes of Stratford and Plaistow, and it only required the construction at Canning Town of the [[Royal Docks|Victoria and Albert Docks]] to make the once desolate parish of West Ham a manufacturing and commercial centre of the first importance and to bring upon it a teeming and an industrious population."''<ref name=charter/></blockquote>

Many workers lived in slum conditions close to where they worked, leading to periodic outbreaks of contagious diseases and severe poverty. The pollution and

===First World War – West Ham Pals===
In the [[World War I|First World War]], the [[County Borough of West Ham|Mayor and Borough of West Ham]] raised a [[pals battalions|pals battalion]] of local volunteers, the ''13th (Service) Battalion (West Ham)'' of the [[Essex Regiment]]. The battalion first paraded in February 1915 at [[St Luke's Church, Canning Town|St Luke's Church]] in Canning Town. [[East Ham#WWI - East Ham Pals|East Ham also raised a battalion]], but it joined a different regiment.
[[File:Essex Regiment Cap Badge.jpg|thumb|Essex Regiment Cap Badge]]

The ''West Ham Pals'' were assigned to the [[6th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|6th Infantry Brigade]] of the [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|
2nd Infantry Division]] and served on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].<ref>Up the Hammers" The West Ham Battalion in the Great War 1914–1918, by Elliot Taylor and Barney Alston.</ref> The battalion were locally nicknamed ''The Butterflies'' due to the name of their popular leader, Lieutenant Colonel Pelham Rawston Papillon (Papillon was of Huguenot ancestry, with Papillon meaning 'butterfly' in French).<ref>Stratford Express June 1919</ref>

The battalion's disbandment in February 1918 occurred as the British Army was so short of manpower that it could no longer maintain as many units, the surviving members of the West Ham battalion were re-assigned to other battalions of the Essex Regiment in order to bring them up to strength for the [[Operation Michael|anticipated German offensive]].

===Second World War===
The presence of the [[Royal Docks]], the Stratford railway lands and other high value targets made West Ham one of the areas of London and Essex worst affected by bombing during the [[Second World War]]. There were officially 1186 civilians killed,<ref>{{Cite web |last=CWGC |title=West Ham, County Borough {{!}} Cemetery Details |url=https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/4004016/west-ham-county-borough/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=CWGC |language=en}}</ref> but this may have been around 500 higher due to the disputed death toll at South Hallsville School.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boniface |first=Susie |date=2010-09-18 |title=Blitz bomb killed 600 in school, details kept secret for 70 years |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/blitz-bomb-killed-600-in-school-248302 |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=mirror |language=en}}</ref>

===Post-war===
In March 1976, an [[West Ham station attack|IRA terrorist planted a bomb]] on a Metropolitan Line train, but it exploded prematurely, at West Ham station, injuring seven. The perpetrator shot and injured a member of the public and fled. The train driver, Julius Stevens, gave chase but was shot and killed. The terrorist ran into the street where he was confronted by a policeman; he turned the gun on himself but survived.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/15/newsid_2543000/2543605.stm |title=1976: Tube driver shot dead |website=BBC On This Day |year=2008 |access-date=11 November 2017 }}</ref>

In the 1970s and 1980s, the area suffered from [[Deindustrialization|deindustrialisation]], including closure of the [[Bromley-by-Bow gasholders|Bromley gasworks]] and [[West Ham Power Station]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Prof. Russell |date=2020 |title=The Manufactured Gas Industry: Volume 3 Gazetteer |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/8018/TheManufacturedGasIndustry_Volume3 |publisher=[[Historic England]] |pages=208–209}}</ref>

==Administrative history==
===Local government – ancient parish===
West Ham formed a large ancient parish of around {{convert|4500|acre|km2}} in the [[Becontree (hundred)|Becontree]] hundred of [[Essex]]. The parish was made up of three wards: Church-street, [[Stratford, London|Stratford-Langthorne]], and [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]]. The parish also included the hamlet of [[Upton Park, London|Upton]].

[[File:West Ham CP Ward Map 1867.svg|thumb|left|The wards of West Ham Civil Parish in 1867.]]

===Initial administrative response to urbanisation===
In 1840 the parish was included in the Metropolitan Police District soon after the built-up area of London had encompassed much of West Ham.

It had become apparent that local government in the parish of West Ham was not adequate to meet the needs of the area which was divided between the parish vestry, [[highway district|highway board]] and the Havering and Dagenham Commissioners of Sewers. Problems centred on provision of adequate paving, water supply, fire fighting and control of development. In 1853 a group of ratepayers initiated moves to improve local administration. This led to a public enquiry by [[Charles Dickens]]' brother Alfred, a medical officer, who published a report in 1855 severely critical of conditions in the slum areas.<ref name=charter/>

Accordingly, the [[Public Health Act 1848]] ([[11 & 12 Vict.]] c. 63) was applied to the parish, and a [[local board of health]] was formed in 1856. The board had 15 members: 12 elected and 3 nominated by the Commissioners of Sewers.<ref name="vch">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42758 |title=West Ham – Local government and public services |access-date=2008-06-22 |editor=W R Powell  |year=1973 |work=A History of the County of Essex, Vol.6 }}</ref>

West Ham was included in the [[London postal district]], established in 1857, but not in the statutory metropolitan area established in 1855 or the County of London established in 1889. Instead, administrative reform was undertaken in the area in much the same way as a large provincial town. A local board was formed in 1856 under the [[Public Health Act 1848]] ([[11 & 12 Vict.]] c. 63).

In November 1878 the inhabitants of the parish decided to petition the [[privy council]] for a [[royal charter|charter]], incorporating the town as a [[municipal borough]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24651 |date=29 November 1878 |page=6695 }}</ref>
This was in reaction to proposals to enlarge the area governed by the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] to include adjoining districts with a population of 50,000 or more: the primary aim of incorporation was to prevent the inclusion of West Ham in an enlarged London municipality.<ref name=charter/> This initial application was unsuccessful. However, encouraged by the 1883 incorporation of [[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]], a second petition was submitted in May 1885.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25472 |date=22 May 1885 |page=2366 }}</ref> Following an inquiry in October 1885, a scheme for the creation of the borough and dissolution of the board of health was made in June and the charter was granted in July 1886.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25596 |date=11 June 1886 |pages=2797–2798  }}</ref><ref name=incorp>{{cite news |title=The Incorporation Of West Ham |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=23 June 1886 |page=6 }}</ref>  A corporation consisting of a [[mayor]], 12 [[alderman|aldermen]] and 36 councillors replaced the board, with the first elections held on 1 November.<ref name=charter/> The first mayor was John Meeson, head of a local lime burning and cement making firm, and a former chairman of West Ham Local Board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1090 |title=John Meeson, first Mayor of West Ham, 1886-7 |work=The Newham Story |publisher=Newham Council |access-date=3 November 2009 }}</ref>

===Local government – County Borough===
{{Main|County Borough of West Ham}}
In 1889 the borough was large enough in terms of population to become a county borough and was outside the area of responsibility of Essex County Council – though still formally within the county. At the time of the 1901 census it was the ninth most populous district in England with a population of 267,308.[4] 
From 1934 to 1965 it was surrounded by the County Borough of East Ham to the east, the municipal boroughs of Wanstead and Woodford and Leyton to the north, and the metropolitan boroughs of Poplar to the west with the [[Thames]] to the south with Greenwich on the far side.
[[File:HE1080991 Old Town Hall Stratford (1).jpg|thumb|[[Stratford Town Hall|West Ham's former Town Hall]], on Stratford Broadway.]]
[[File:West ham essex 1961.png|300px|thumb|West Ham in Essex, 1961]]

===Coat of arms===
The coat of arms was granted by the [[College of Arms]] on 14 January 1887. The chevrons on the lower portion represent Stratford, taken from the device of [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]]. At the top right, there are crossed hammers which are also shown as the centrepiece of [[West Ham United]]'s badge, representing the [[Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company]] – the borough's main employer. The ship is representative of the [[Royal Docks]], and the area's long association with the sea.  The Latin motto "''Deo Confidimus''" at the base translates as "''In God We Trust''."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1795 | title=The Newham story, Coat of Arms (3) – West Ham | publisher=Newham London | access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref>

[[File:West Ham arms.png|thumb|150px|The coat of arms of the County Borough of West Ham]]

===Formation of Newham and inclusion in Greater London===
The omission of West Ham from the London-administered [[Metropolis Management Act 1855|metropolitan area]], which took in nearby places such as [[Greenwich]] and [[Woolwich]], was first commented on in 1855 and West Ham Council later considered the case for inclusion in the [[County of London]] in 1895 and 1907.<ref name=brit_west>''[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42705 Local administration and public services: Administrative bodies]'', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 (1966), pp. 32–37. Date accessed: 7 December 2007.</ref> The reluctance to proceed with amalgamation was largely explained by lack of perceived support, fear of financial disadvantage caused by increased rates, the detrimental effect of London planning laws on industry, and the desire to retain the independent civic institutions and privileges attached to county borough status.<ref name=brit_west/>

The [[Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London]] reviewed the local government arrangements of the ''Greater London Conurbation'' and in 1965, under the terms of the [[London Government Act 1963]], the county borough, and the [[County Borough of East Ham]], were abolished and their former area was amalgamated with small parts of [[Municipal Borough of Barking|Barking]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich|Woolwich]] to form the [[London Borough of Newham]] in [[Greater London]].

==Geography==
The parish, and coterminous subsequent borough, lay east of the Lea and north of the Thames, with [[Leyton]] to the north and [[East Ham]] to the east. The boundary between West and [[East Ham]] was drawn from the now lost Hamfrith Waste and Hamfrith Wood in the north (then the southernmost parts of [[Epping Forest]] which extended as far south as the Romford Road at that time), along [[Green Street, London|Green Street]] down to the small, similarly lost, natural harbour known as Ham Creek, the mouth of a small watercourse.

The area of the parish and borough included not just central West Ham area, just south of Stratford, with the twin focuses of [[All Saints' Parish Church, West Ham|All Saints']] Parish Church and [[West Ham station]]; but also the sub-districts of [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], [[Canning Town]], [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]], [[Custom House, Newham|Custom House]], [[Silvertown]], [[Forest Gate]] and the western parts of [[Upton Park, London|Upton Park]] which is shared with East Ham.

The areas along the Lea and Thames were historically industrial with the remainder residential, mostly Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-war social housing. Since its urbanisation the area has always been one of the poorest in London.<ref name=ndc>For instance, parts were a New Deal for Communities area in the early 21st century [http://www.ndfc.co.uk/section.php?section=2&parent=7 West Ham and Plaistow New Deal for Communities: All About NDC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504154722/http://www.ndfc.co.uk/section.php?section=2&parent=7 |date=4 May 2009 }}</ref>

===Ethnicity===
In 1971, individuals of non-European origin comprised approximately 16% of the population of West Ham,<ref name="wordpress1">{{cite web|url=https://tlang754703143.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/four-superdiverse-city-wards-stratford-and-new-town-newham.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209103705/https://tlang754703143.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/four-superdiverse-city-wards-stratford-and-new-town-newham.pdf |archive-date=2019-12-09 |url-status=live|title=Changing Landscapes: Four Superdiverse City Wards Stratford and New Town, Newham, (London)|access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref> rising to approximately 30% by the [[1991 United Kingdom census|1991 census]]<ref name="wordpress1"/> and 65.5% in the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]]. In 2011 [[White British]] people comprising 19% of the ward's population with [[Other White]] individuals forming approximately 15% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/west-ham-e05000494|title=Census Data: West Ham|publisher=Office of National Statistics}}</ref>

===Transport===
[[West Ham station]] on Manor Road (formerly called The Memorial Grounds) is served by the [[London Underground]] Jubilee, Hammersmith, and City and District tube lines; the National Rail [[c2c]] services; and from 2010 the [[Docklands Light Railway]]. [[Plaistow tube station|Plaistow]] and Stratford stations are also close by.

==Sport==
The [[football (soccer)|football]] club [[West Ham United F.C.]] is named after the area. Their nicknames, ''the Irons'' and ''the Hammers'' derive from their association with the [[Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company]], whose workers formed [[Thames Ironworks F.C.]] West Ham United F.C. played at the [[Boleyn Ground]] in nearby [[Upton Park, London|Upton Park]] between 1904 and 2016. The [[West Ham Stadium]], a football, [[greyhound racing]] and [[motorcycle speedway|speedway]] stadium, operated between 1928 and 1972, with a capacity of 120,000. The street names of housing developed on the site of the former stadium pay homage to the speedway greats associated with West Ham, including [[Bluey Wilkinson]] and [[Jack Young (speedway rider)|Jack Young]]. The [[West Ham Hammers]] team were involved in the top flight leagues 1929 to 1939, 1946 to 1955 and 1964 to 1971, winning the inaugural British League in 1965.<ref>[http://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/westham.html Speedway information on West Ham] accessed 11 May 2007</ref>

While football is probably the main focus for the community, there is rugby, with Holland Road,  next to [[West Ham station]], home to 3 rugby teams which play in [[Essex Rugby Football Union|Essex RFU]] leagues: Phantoms RFC, [[Kings Cross Steelers]] and East London RFC.

==Notable people==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦---> 
*[[Frank Bailey (firefighter)|Frank Bailey]] (1925–2015), firefighter<ref name="Bailey">{{Cite web|last=Nicholas|first=Michael|date=26 January 2016|title=Frank Bailey obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/26/frank-bailey-obituary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108112641/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jan/26/frank-bailey-obituary|archive-date=8 November 2020|access-date=26 November 2020|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
*[[Leslie Bray]] (1895–1957), cricketer and officer in the [[British Army]] and [[Royal Air Force]]
*[[Sol Campbell]], footballer
*[[Fred Corbett]], footballer
*[[Tony Cottee]], footballer
*[[Paul Parker (footballer)|Paul Parker]], footballer
*[[Alan Curbishley]], footballer and football manager
*[[Richard Harry Dennis]], former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector
*[[George Edwards (naturalist)|George Edwards]] (1694–1773) ornithologist
*[[David Essex]], musician
*[[Elizabeth Fry]], social reformer
*[[Ted Fenton]], footballer and football manager
*[[Len Goulden]], footballer
*[[Leon Greene]], opera singer and actor.
*[[Ernie Gregory]], footballer
*[[Gerard Manley Hopkins]], poet
*[[Chris Hughton]], footballer and football manager
*[[Ronnie Irani]], cricketer
*[[Rob Lee]], footballer
*[[Jack Leslie (English footballer)|Jack Leslie]], footballer
*[[Lennox Lewis]], boxer and former [[Undisputed championship (boxing)|undisputed world heavyweight champion]]
*[[Linda Lewis]], singer, songwriter and musician
*[[Allan Levene]], information technology specialist<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/us_congress_candidate_allan_levene_s_humble_beginnings_in_west_ham_1_1217201 |title=US Congress candidate Allan Levene's humble beginnings in West Ham – News |publisher=Newham Recorder |date=26 February 2012 |access-date=24 January 2014 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202134149/http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/us_congress_candidate_allan_levene_s_humble_beginnings_in_west_ham_1_1217201 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister|Joseph Lister]], antiseptic surgeon<ref>{{cite book| title=Stratford, West Ham & The Royal Docks | author-link = Stephen Pewsey | last=Pewsey| first=Stephen| year=1996| publisher=Sutton Publishing| isbn=0-7509-1417-3| page=34}}</ref>
*[[Margaret Macadam]], artist and illustrator
*[[Glen Murphy]], actor, producer.
*[[Mark Noble]], footballer
*[[Christine Ohuruogu]], athlete
*[[Daisy Parsons]], suffragette and West Ham's first woman Mayor
*[[Martin Peters]], footballer and World Cup winner
*[[Kevin Stead]], footballer
*[[Colin Towns]], composer and keyboardist
*[[Margaret Tyzack]], actress
*[[Bertha Willmott]], entertainer
*[[Reg Varney]], actor
*[[Steve Harris (musician)|Steve Harris]], musician

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{London Districts}}

==Sources==
* Jim Clifford.  ''West Ham and the River Lea: A Social and Environmental History of London's Industrialized Marshland, 1839–1914.''  Vancouver. University of British Columbia Press, 2017.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:West Ham}}
[[Category:West Ham| ]]
[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:History of the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:History of Essex]]