There is a constant debate about whether Romford is Essex or London – and one former resident has shared their personal take on the Romford identity question
London’s boundaries have grown over the years, but do the people living in more recently added parts of the capital feel any different? There’s a never-ending debate in parts of East London over whether places like Romford, Upminster, and Hornchurch are now truly part of London or still spiritually part of Essex.
From an official point of view, Romford is part of Greater London, and has been since the 1960s when the county boundaries of London and Essex were reorganised. But while an invisible boundary might have changed overnight, the culture in Romford did not, reports Essex Live. Many residents — myself included — feel that the town remains Essex at heart. I was born in Dagenham in 2001 and spent the first sixteen years of my life in Romford.
Growing up, neither my friends nor my family ever considered themselves East Londoners — Essex was always home. With relatives spread across Ilford, Barking and Chingford, I’ve seen first-hand how that Essex identity endures, even amongst those born well after the boundary changes.
Of course, nobody disputes that these areas now fall within official London boroughs, but a town’s character is shaped by far more than local government boundaries. It is forged through shared memories, long-standing traditions, and the communities that call it home.
Given that Romford has only been part of a London borough for roughly 60 years, there are still residents who recall life when it sat firmly within Essex. Those who came after were raised by that generation — and so the deeply-held belief that Romford is, at its core, an Essex town continues to endure
Growing up, whenever my family ventured abroad or to another part of the UK, we always told people we were from Essex — not London. In fact, during my time living in Romford, my postcode still read ‘Essex’, which only added to the confusion surrounding the whole London debate.
While I appreciate that these towns benefit from TfL connections and other ties to the capital, such links cannot simply reshape an entire community’s identity — and even a Romford MP shares this view. In Parliament, MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, acknowledged that his constituency falls within the London Borough of Havering, yet argued it “makes absolute sense” for his area to be part of the debate on being governed as part of Essex.
To summarise, yes — Romford is technically within Greater London. However, many residents, myself included, grew up firmly believing the town belonged to Essex, or can recall a time when it genuinely did.
I firmly believe that a considerable number of people will continue to resist identifying Romford as part of London for years to come. The memories of its Essex roots remain remarkably fresh in the broader historical context, and, as we all know, tradition and sentiment are never quick to fade.
