The Knowhere Guide

Best and Worst in Barkingside, Greater London*

Barkingside, Greater London Triumphs and Tragedies

Favourite Building

• The disticntive library where I went to toddler group! and attended right up to my 'o' level homework stage. The swimming pool a meeting place and school swimming galas and sunbathing outside in the summer!
• The Police station is a very nice building, but I've been in here 8 hours now and am getting a tad bored, so if any officer of the law is reading this, can you please let me go now, I'm very sorry and I promise I'll never rob a bank again.
• My favorite building in Barkingside is the little cottage wedged into two shops at the Fullwell Cross end of the high street, even though in 26 years I never seen anyone come or go from there, maybe the police should check it out because I fear the residents died in about 1971. Also the sight where a mouthy sweaty got a good hiding for taking the michael when the germans beat our boy's in 1990 world cup.
• The Chequers The State Cinema
• Barkingside Station - lovely victorian building - take a close look
• the old cottages in tanners lane
• __It HAS to be the Library.Or the bingo hall (formerly the "State" cinema)
• The old cinema, now a Bingo Hall. I remember going there when i was younger!

Demolish It Now Building

• MacDonalds - a message to the boys,(yes you are boy's) who like to hang around outside, trying to dress like a some crap American rap artist, spitting on the floor, asking people for fags and thinking your gangsters, let me tell you now you are very pathetic and look stupid and if you were older then 13, I would personally kick you sad bottoms back to Tiptree where no doubt you reside. KNOCK DOWN MACDONALDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Ye Olde Investigator Tescos
• Swimming Pool - horrid 60's building with no charm
• barkingside police station
• _The swimming pool,but maybe the bingo hall.

The Best Things

• Sadly the best things about Barkingside are long gone, (and it was once a great place great people etc) Thanks Alan Sugar, and Mr Blair I'm sure there's room for another 10,000 refugees,
• MARINO's CAFE, the DIXIE WAREHOUSE, the Members Bar at The OLD PARKONIANS (best venue hire rates in the area for a hall taking 200 people) East of the CENTRAL LINE railway embankment you are in countryside There are still good schools in the area (and some crap ones)
• If it happens, the arrival of London City Racecourse where Fairlop Waters is now situated.
• The Chequers Rossi Bros-the best ice cream in the world The friendly, colourful, chirpy characters you meet! Its Barkingside and "home"
• Residential - hardly any trouble in high street
• its safe, its fairly clean, people are generally cheerful, it close to life and not to far from the country side.
• The "Old Parkonians" members bar, "Geezers" the barbers.
• Er, um, well we have a McDonalds. No seriously its a nice town it has a swimming pool, not many towns this size have one, also it has a tube station on the Central line although it maybe be better to get off at Fairlop as this is nearer to the High Street. A good bus system means that you can virtually go to any of the surrounding areas i.e. Ilford, Romford, Walthamstow, Hainault etc.

The Worst Things

• The 'gangster' type people at night. Barkingside isn't as safe as it once was.
• Any time trying to drive through from one end to the other. Unfortunately, everyone ahead of you is on their way to Boots for an eye test, just after pasing their driving test! You can sit for 5 minutes whilst they try to park their car, only to find it doesnt fit the gap!! Never mind, they just go & park it at at crossing point, as it is great extra training for dogs being trained for blind people!!
• Macdonalds is a rubbish tip and a yob meeting place.
• Mc DONALD's DALTON's BAR at FAIRLOP WATERS ( duck as you walk in the door ona Saturday Night) Drugs Ignorant People Parking
• Ye Olde Investigator The Charity Shops (thank you Mr Sugar)
• Parking i s a complete nightmare
• Cost of houses and council tax. Redbridge Council is usless
• The BMW`s illegally parked, the litter ,people eating at bus stops
• THe High Street is now very congested. There are traffioc lights at the end where the Police Station is, and also half-way along where Fremantle Road intersects. These cause long jams, especially on a Saturday. There are parking Bays each side, with Pay and Display machines. THese and also the illegal yellow line parking make for a very congested situation. THere are lots of charity shops now, and also Building Societies and Banks. Not many small shops now. (June 1998)
• The young school kids who think they are hard and patrol the area looking for fights, even the older generations are hard east end types. Don't get me wrong it isn't a violent town it just looks it at night. Oh yeah and a new Tescos has just been built which is taking all the trade from the little High Street shops and a lot of them are closing down now.

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Credits

Last updated: 2006-10-20