As one of the many suburbs of London, Romford can sometimes get overlooked as little more than yet another outreach of the massive metropolis that only seems to be growing yearly. This is par for the course, though, because of Romford's proximity to Greater London. After all, the county of Essex has benefited for centuries from its proximity to London and it is only fitting that London gets at least a little credit here and there even if it comes at the expense of a few areas that were once a part of historical Essex. At any rate, Romford is unique in that it actually has quite a rich and singular history that isn't dependent on the behemoth of Brittania.
Make no mistake: These days Romford is a large, swirling, exciting place that is one of London's most popular areas. Shopping districts, night clubs, upscale eateries, and any manner of enjoyment is visible from every corner of Romford and nearly every tourist will walk down the Romford streets and marvel at the commercial aspect of one of the largest cities in the world. It wasn't always this way though. Romford actually started, as its name indicates, as little more than a ford that allowed people to cross the River Rom. It was in these days that Romford began to grow and, though the looming town of London was growing much faster and more steadily, Romford stuck to its own business and was a rather lovely agricultural town and many mills were employed in Romford in order to grind corn. The respective growths of the quaint farming town and the massive city-to-be must have been striking and, through the 1400s to the 1700s, Romford began to steep itself in the steadily growing leather trade. Leather was of course big business during those tumultuous centuries and Romford saw its prominence increase in spades throughout the era.
It was around the end of this time, though, that the Industrial Revolution began to become a bug planted in the minds of those with foresight. Shipping was already quite the trade and London was naturally one of the epicenters. Romford's proximity to London caused many businessmen to try to arrange to have a canal that connected Romford to the glorious Thames. This would have allowed steady transport and delivery between the two cities. This proposed canal never was completed though both towns continued to grow toward each other. By the early 1800s, though, the Revolution was on and railways began to pop up all over England and the rest of the world. The Railway was an easy connection for the two cities and the growing never stopped. Naturally, the big fish will eat the smaller fish and this is akin to what happened between the two cities. Though Romford is still a city in the county of Essex, it is also a suburb of the massive metropolis of London. Fortunately, those who know Romford's history can smile and rest easy with the knowledge that Romford is still an entity all its own.
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