Hotel in Barking, London

Essex’s Barking is the main town in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham, distinctively east London and nine miles out of town on the north bank of the River Thames.

Like the rest of east London, it’s an area that was built on industry around the river – Barking itself was a major centre for boat-building and fishing – and when these industries collapsed in the latter half of last century, the whole district suffered some pretty serious social problems.

Indeed, some of the wards around Dagenham and Barking Town Centre are statistically amongst the country’s most deprived, but a knock-on effect from the huge influx of Olympic money into nearby Stratford, the centre of the 2012 Games, as well as a new Riverside Community are slowly improving the area.

It’s a big town so amenities are good: there’s plenty shopping available in Barking and nearby Romford, and the transport links are fantastic, just ten minutes into central London.

You’re close to the ExCeL Centre (Docklands, http://www.hotel-assist.com/hotels-excel-london.html) for major business conferences and big events, and Canary Wharf – as well as a futuristic business centre – has a lot of chic restaurants and luxury shopping.

Barking is 15 minutes by car from the ExCeL Exhibition Centre and 20 minutes from Tower Bridge and London City.

Barking Station (Zone 4) is served by the District and Hammersmith & City Underground lines as well as overground rail services.

Barking: Tube (underground)

Barking: Rail (overground)