History of Havering area which grew from lagoon-side settlement to major market town

Romford's history traces from a medieval lagoon-side market settlement to a major retail town on London's edge. The name Romford appears in 1177 as Romfort, meaning a wide ford on the River Rom. The river may have formed a lagoon at Market Place, and the chapel of St Andrew, later replaced by St Edward the Confessor Church in 1410, was the town's first building. By the 13th century, Romford hosted markets on Wednesdays and Mondays, with a 1600s addition of a Tuesday hog market and a late-19th/early-20th century Saturday market. The cattle market closed in 1958. The railway's arrival in 1839 spurred rapid growth, pushing the population from 5,317 to nearly 14,000 in two decades and then over 40,000 in the inter-war period. The late 1960s and early 1970s brought redevelopment, including Laurie Hall's demolition, C&A stores, and the ring road around Gallows Corner. Romford today remains a retail hub on London's outskirts, blending market heritage with modern commerce.