1. Clayhall/The Glade bus stop

Before getting on the bus, take a look at Hurstleigh Gardens Open Space. It’s a local green space often referred to as Cocked Hat Plantation, because its triangular shape resembled a cocked hat (a triangular, three-cornered hat popular in the 18thC). The space features remnants of ancient woodland and there is a flood alleviation project to protect nearby homes. The wood around the open space contains mature oaks as well as hawthorn and elm trees. It was once part of a much larger area of green space linked with Claybury Park and remains important for local wildlife, supporting several species of birds including carrion crows and house sparrows.

2. Eastern Avenue bus stop

Walk round to see Ilford War Memorial Gardens and Hall. These are also on bus route 66. The land was purchased in the early 1920s from the proceeds of a public appeal launched at the end of WWI to provide a fitting memorial for the Ilford men who had been killed in that conflict. Most of the funds raised were to be used to build a Children’s Ward for the Ilford Emergency Hospital as well as a Memorial garden, a monument and a memorial hall, to record the names of the war dead and serve as the entrance to the Children’s Ward. The gardens also serve as a memorial to the 538 local servicemen and women and 552 civilians who were killed during WWII.

3. Redbridge Central Library bus stop

This is a popular place for about 10 different bus routes so it’s not easy to find new places to visit. Round the corner from the Kenneth More Theatre is a large mural entitled Survival by street artist Ben Eine. It was commissioned by Redbridge Council, as part of a new cultural quarter in Ilford and to breathe life into Ilford town centre. Known for his unique fonts, Ben Eine has used his ‘circus’ design to write the word ‘Survival’ which overlooks the theatre.

On the 167, I stopped at SPACE, the gallery space in Redbridge, which is only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays so of course it wasn’t open this Thursday, either. But it’s worth looking at the outside of the building itself, as an impressive Grade II listed building that was formerly a public library set within Redbridge Town Hall. The iconic circular tower with its neon red SPACE sign is a significant local landmark that’s impossible to miss.

A 5 minute walk from here is Pioneers Point with the dramatic sculpture of Pioneers Gate. According to the artist who created it, Nils Folke Anderson, the ‘reciprocally linked rectangular steel frames which nest and intersect each other’ create a form that spirals, ‘inspiring a sense of change and development’. The frames tower above their surroundings, being over 7m high and are certainly a distinctive landmark in this part of Ilford.

4. Dudley Road bus stop

Next to Clementwood Church in Ilford Lane is a mural of a mammoth that’s made entirely from used plastic bottle lids. This life-sized mammoth is called Marley and is the result of a collaboration between local school children and a sustainability artist. They collected thousands of used bottle tops, which were used to create the mural. Steppe mammoths, larger than woolly mammoths, roamed this area around 200,000 years ago. The location of this mural is a fitting tribute to the best-preserved skull and tusks ever to be found in Britain, which were discovered just off Ilford Lane by workers in the area. 

Round the corner from here is Uphall Rec Ground. There’s nothing special about the open space but it has a really lovely feel to it, surrounded as it is with different trees and shrubs. It definitely helps that the trees are benefitting from the time of year (spring) and the sky is blue.

5. Park Avenue bus stop

One of the entrances to Barking Park is here – another one was found on bus 62. It’s the oldest park in the borough, having been opened in 1898. Its most significant feature is a 910-metre long boating lake. Rowing boats were introduced first, and then on 1 April 1953, motor boats and a Mississippi style paddle steamer called Phoenix II made their debut. The paddle steamer continued to operate on the lake until 1967. Though the steamer no longer graces the water, the lake remains a picturesque centrepiece, perfect for a leisurely stroll along its banks.

6. Longbridge Road bus stop

The main thing to see at this stop is a sculpture called The Catch. It’s a gateway public artwork and stands at 10m, its structure is of steel with rolled aluminium and fiberglass. The theme reflects two key elements of Barking’s history – its historical fishing industry and the area’s Saxon heritage. The sculpture depicts fishing nets and fish, commemorating Barking’s long-gone fishing fleet.

Walk a few minutes and you’ll reach Barking Market, where on a Thursday it’s in full swing. Plenty of produce of all descriptions are on display, attracting local residents and visitors alike. The market rights were first established in the late 12th century, with records from 1175–1179. It was owned by Barking Abbey until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the queen herself funded the building of a market house (the “Leet House”) near St Margaret’s Church. (see below). Later still, ownership passed to private trustees and functioned primarily as a site for trading agricultural goods.

7. Barking Town Centre bus stop

Barking Town Hall is an impressive building, designed in the Neo-Georgian style and was inspired by Stockholm City Hall. As well as its symmetrical frontage, there is a tall clock tower surmounted by a cupola.

Having seen the town hall, it’s time for the pièce de résistance of the whole route. Despite having seen it before on route 62, it has to be worth revisiting the whole area around Abbey Green. You first come face to face with Curfew Tower, the only remnant of Barking Abbey that met its fate, like so many others, under Henry VIII’s dissolution of all monasteries.  It has been described as having been “one of the most important nunneries in the country”. Originally established in the 7thC, from the late 10thC the abbey had a large endowment and sizeable income but suffered severely after 1377, when the River Thames flooded around huge areas of the abbey’s land, which was unable to be reclaimed. However, at the time of the dissolution in 1539, it was still the third-wealthiest women’s nunnery in England.

In 1551 King Edward VI granted the abbey site and demesne land to the 9th Baron Clinton (later 1st Earl of Lincoln). Some time after that, the site was used as a quarry and a farm. Today, only the Curfew Tower and the abbey’s footprints and footings remain. The Curfew Tower, also known as the Fire Bell Gate, was one of the abbey’s three gateways. The original tower was built in 1370, however the current tower was built around 1460.

Within the same complex is St Margaret’s Church, a Grade I listed building that dates back to 1215. The church describes itself as being the living continuation of Barking Abbey, sharing a joint history for centuries. As with many churches these days, the doors aren’t always open so it would be definitely worth while finding out when it’s possible to look inside. According to the website, the interior looks sumptuous and fascinating, with such a wealth of history. One of the most famous entries in the Parish Registers is the marriage of Captain James Cook to Elizabeth Batts on 21st December 1762.

The bell tower was constructed in the late 15thC and houses a ring of eight bells ranging from 1871 to 1911. The tower is used for traditional full-circle bell ringing and is described as a significant local landmark. It’s possible to climb to the top of the tower to discover the beautiful views of London and beyond, during special open days – keep an eye out for these because I’m sure it would be a treat worth waiting for.

Still more to see round here. There’s the Three Lamps which has latterly also become a protest heritage spot. The Three Lamps were originally the place where people gathered to demand their rights, from trade unionists to female workers and suffragettes. They have been preserved because their protest heritage has been valued by later generations. So now they are celebrated by young people today, who echo the right to protest and to call out for progress.

The 1,000 gas workers at the Beckton gas works protested to reduce their hours from 12 a day to eight. The unions also supported the 1889 women Jute workers’ strike in Barking. Campaigners in the 20th century included the women machinists on strike at Ford Dagenham works in 1968 who eventually won their 20-year campaign by the 1980s for equal pay.

Even more recently, a mosaic has been installed on the base of the lamps, co-designed by local school children commemorating the history of protest movements in Barking. The mosaic features artwork commemorating the fight for women’s rights, sexual, and racial equality and climate change.

As if this hasn’t been one of the most interesting stops on any route, it’s now time to take a walk round to the Women’s Museum. The museum commissions and produces contemporary art made by women, trans and non-binary artists, celebrating local heritage of those whose stories have historically been at the margins. Currently (May 2026) there is an exhibition by artist Ruth Ewan Always Something There to Remind me, inspired by the Ford Factory Sewing Machinists’ Strikes of 1968 and 1984 –85.

Also here is Tracing Posterity by artist Abel Holsborough, connecting the 80 year old legacy of the Dagenham Co-operative Film Society with contemporary community film making. The work weaves together faces and gestures across time, treating the borough itself as a living character. This is seen through peep holes in a tent that’s situated within the museum. An interesting concept …

On the way back to the bus stop, you’ll go past the now-closed Broadway Theatre, with its statue of Job Henry Charles Drain VC outside. He was a British soldier during WWI. On 26 August 1914 at Le Cateau, France, a captain of the same battery was trying to recapture two guns, Driver Drain and another driver (Frederick Luke) volunteered to help and gave great assistance in the eventual saving of one of the guns. At the time they were under heavy artillery and infantry fire from the enemy who were only 90 m away. Being native born in Barking, it seems right that his statue should grace the street for all to see and admire.

If you’ve still got any energy left, take a quick detour back to Abbey Green to see the Circle of Stones. These are part of a 2010 landscape scheme that acts as a partly fictional,, sculptural, and spatial representation of the area’s rich history. The stones represent the historic,, spiritual, and structural, significance, of the former nunnery at Barking Abbey.

This was a great ending to the route, since most of the rest of it wasn’t anything amazing. If you haven’t been to Barking, it’s certainly worth putting it on your list of must-see places in London. There is so much to see within a very short distance of each place. It’s pretty humbling to walk around the area that was once the cloisters of Barking Abbey and to realise that it was Henry VIII who dissolved the nunnery so many centuries ago. But it’s also pleasing to see the sculpture of a hero who won the VC in WWI as well as stand in the place where so many protests have taken place over the years. Definitely a major highlight and all in all, this route is not to be forgotten.

Toilets that are open to the public and free of charge:

• McDonald’s near Eastern Avenue bus stop
• Redbridge Central Library
• Women’s Museum