The Beam Valley is a 74-hectares country park running from the New Road (A1306) by the Ford Motor Works in the south-east of the borough, north along the River Beam up to the Barking to Basildon railway line next to Eastbrookend Country Park. The land is a mixture of woodlands, grassland, ponds and marsh areas. It also includes a variety of historical features, including tank traps, pillboxes and a section of the Old Romford Canal. There is archaeological evidence that the area has been used since the stone age. Features such as a farmstead were discovered, as well as evidence that cremation burials of some of the farmers and their families took place. An unexpected discovery was a Roman pottery kiln; this has helped to understand how craft manufacturing was managed at the time.

Location map

Barking and Dagenham Country Parks website