The site was once the site of Seven Kings Cottage, with orchards covering most of the land.
Goodmayes first appeared on maps around 1770, adjacent to the Roman Road that connected London with Colchester.
The area was largely open green space and market gardens with a few cottages until the arrival of the railway.
The Becontree Estate, to the south-east, was built after the First World War to rehouse the residents of London’s East End and provide housing for war heroes. It remains one of the world’s largest public housing developments.
