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Hornchurch - Local facilities on London's doorstep

Just 15 miles from London's Charing Cross, Hornchurch falls within the East London Borough of Havering. Its name, meaning "church with horn-like gables" was first recorded in the thirteenth century, probably referring to St Andrew's, near the town centre.

The area expanded rapidly in the early 1900s with the building of the railway, and again in the 1930s with the arrival of the electrified District Line. During both world wars, a local airfield was an important RAF station - this land has since been reused for a housing development and Hornchurch Country Park.

A range of properties

Property in Hornchurch ranges from Edwardian and Victorian cottages to substantial family homes with big gardens to between-the-wars semis and modern four-bed townhouses.

If you're after a one-bedroom flat, there are some attractive developments close to transport links, ex-council flats with two bedrooms offering good value, or striking two-bed apartments near the centre of town suiting bigger budgets.

Good local amenities

Hornchurch also boasts a growing number of bars and restaurants, along with shopping areas around the Station Lane, North Street and High Street areas. For committed shopaholics, Romford and Bluewater and Lakeside out-of-town shopping centres are not far away.

The town is also home to the contemporary, 500-seater Queen's Theatre on Billet Lane, originally opened in 1953. Meanwhile Harrow Lodge Sports Centre provides local leisure and recreational facilities.

The River Ingrebourne runs through Hornchurch Country Park, which has marshes, ponds, woods and an abundance of bird and wildlife.

Getting around

While there are no stations in central Hornchurch, there are four locally. Upminster Bridge tube station falls just within the town's eastern boundary, Hornchurch tube station is half a mile south of the High Street, Elm Park tube around a mile and a half to the south west. All three are on the District line.

Emerson Park station is about half a mile to the north. Upminster is the nearest mainline train station, and Hornchurch is also served by a number of bus routes run by Transport for London.

Families will find a good selection of primary and secondary schools, with excellent track records in GCSE success, as well as sixth form colleges.

So give Hornchurch serious thought if you are after a great quality of life in a place with a local, villagey feel and good amenities - and all just a short commute from London.