Home-buyers of London have shifted their attention towards outer towns like Romford, mainly due to the property prices that still move slowly compared to those of central areas. This is just another chapter of this town, whose economy has seen several transformations during its history, from agriculture to light industry, and finally to retail and commerce at the end of the 20th century.

People moving to Romford now will be welcomed with a wide range of property, plenty of shops, buzzing nightlife, and easy access to the City - everything a young professional needs when looking for a place to live on the outskirts of London.

1. What Makes Romford Unique?
2. Things To See In Romford
3. Nightlife In Romford
4. Sport In Romford
5. Food In Romford
6. Shopping In Romford
7. Culture and Entertainment In Romford
8. Cost of Living In Romford
9. Transportation In Romford
10. Explore The UK From Romford

Photo credit: Chiew Loo via Flickr

1. What Makes Romford Unique?

Investments

Romford is one of London's 30 Housing Zones, an innovation proposed by Major Sadiq Khan. This plan has led to more than £35 million of investment from the Greater London Authority, with more than 3,300 new homes as a result.

Location

Romford has an ideal location for a commuter town: with the reach of Essex's countryside while close to central London. It allows young professionals to travel to the City for work easily without ruling out the possibility of starting a family in a suburban area.

Affordable

Despite a recent flux of investments, Romford is still a relatively cheap place to live within Greater London, especially for first-time buyers. They must act quickly, however, as property prices in Romford may increase at a faster rate in the near future.

Photo credit: Visit Essex

2. Things To See In Romford

• Raphael Park: a beautiful lakeside area just off the Main Road. With its lovely views and plenty of wildlife, it's a great place for a picnic with your family.
• Old MacDonald’s Farm: a perfect destination to spend a whole day with your kids, where they can see reindeer, pet huge tortoises, and have amusement rides.
• Bedfords Park: one of Romford's many parks, Bedfords is located just north of the town centre. This lovely 200-acre site consists of many woodland walking trails, where you may encounter red deers along the way.

3. Nightlife In Romford

Romford has one of the most developed night scenes in Greater London. Its nightlife is rather diverse as you can pick one from many interesting options, from a micropub to a traditional countryside venue.

Located in Harold Wood neighbourhood, The Shepherd & Dog is among the most popular gastropubs of Romford. This stylish and modern place was even featured on the TV series "The Only Way is Essex''. When the weather is warm, and the sun is shining, it's a great idea to enjoy al fresco drinks and tasty food nicely presented in The Shepherd & Dog.

The Orange Tree is another great gastropub in Romford. It's in the countryside with a tranquil forest setting, a perfect place for some excellent cocktails and ales. Remember to time your visit as The Orange Tree usually hosts some special events every week, such as the exquisite Sunday roast and the pub quiz night on Tuesdays.

Photo credit: Imperium 38 via Twitter

The Rabbits on Stapleford Road is one of the great country pubs north of Romford. It offers breathtaking views of nearby Essex hills from its large beer gardens. Spending time in the outdoor bar when the weather is good is also an enjoyable experience. The owner calls it a classic British pub and backs up this claim by serving plenty of fine wines and real ales in a cosy and welcoming setting.

For those looking for a good pub right in the town centre, head to The Bull in the busy Liberty Shopping Centre. It's a modern, laid-back hangout that provides a decent selection of drinks, reasonably priced food (given its location), and several TVs showing live sports.

Another choice is The Goose, which sits on South Street near Romford Station. Even though it's just a no-frills pub, the place can become pretty lively at weekends, while on Monday nights, it hosts a popular pub quiz. The place offers drinks at reasonable prices and has a large beer garden as well.

Project Romford on South Street is considered the hottest name in town by many clubbers. It's just gone through a £200,000 refit, which brought new decor, lighting, VIP areas, and a remodelled DJ booth in the stage area. This new, stylish setting is where many top-class DJs have performed. Project Romford opens until the early hours on many days a week.

Previously known as Fiction, ATIK is still a more familiar name with many people of Romford. It's the biggest nightclub in the town, hosting a lot of rooms, lasers, and bars. This enormous nightclub has a late-night refreshment license, permitting it open until the early hours.

While it's not technically within the boundaries of Romford, Upminster TapRoom is a micropub you must visit while living in the area. Located on Sunnyside Gardens in nearby Upminster, which is connected to Romford via the short Romford–Upminster line, this pub serves an extensive range of wines, gins, and perfectly kept ales. The unique thing about this micropub is the strict no-music, no lager, and no-phones policies.

Photo credit: Romford Greyhound Stadium

4. Sport In Romford

Make your way to the Romford Greyhound Stadium, and you will understand why this is the most popular sport choice of the people of Romford. This 1,700-capacity stadium is one of the two dog racing tracks left in the capital and also one of the few in the country. It's an entertaining and exciting way to spend an evening with the family or your friends.

There are 6 race meetings every week, whose bets can be placed with trackside bookmarkers or at the Tote. The stadium also hosts several major racing events each year, including the Cesarewitch, Romford Puppy Cup, Coronation Cup, Golden Sprint, the Essex Vase, and the Champion Stakes.

There is a local non-league football club, Romford FC, who play in the Isthmian League. While this tiny club has never entered the more professional Football League, it still enjoys a loyal and enthusiastic local fanbase.

Romford is also home to an ice hockey team (The London Raiders) and rugby union club (Romford and Gidea Park), with the latter being the first in the UK to establish a ladies rugby team.

The ongoing investments in Romford leads to the opening of a premier ice skating and leisure facility, Sapphire Ice & Leisure. It’s owned by BBC presenter Colin Jackson and actor and TV personality Ray Quinn. This brand-new venue brings a fantastic collection of activities to residents of Romford.

The first thing you will run into is the full-sized ice rink, which is also the home ground of the Everyone Active Raiders ice hockey team. Alongside this ice rink, the facility houses some dance studios, two cafes, two swimming pools, and a state-of-the-art gym.

Photo credit: RealShepherdDog via Twitter

5. Food In Romford

The food scene of Romford is packed with numerous tasty options from several cultures. No matter what you are craving right now, Chinese food, authentic Italian cuisine, an American burger, or just some Turkish kebabs, Romford have you covered.

Known for its patties, Smokin’ Griddle is the best place to get a burger made with the American style. Located on Heath Park Road, this outlet uses only locally sourced and treated beef to make sure it's beautifully tender. The burgers of Smokin’ Griddle are more expensive than what you usually pay in regular burger joints, but it's really worth it. They are big, delicious, and have many kinds of interesting toppings.

Kervan Kitchen is another popular dining option in Romford. The service of this Turkish restaurant is always superb, while its kebabs or baklava deserves all kinds of compliments you can think of. If you love a combination of whopping portions and big flavours, check out this top-class venue immediately.

The second place to satisfy your appetite for Turkish cuisine in Romford is Veyso’s Restaurant. Located on Clockhouse Lane, this eatery has just been refurbished and extended, so you should not worry about getting a table like previously. Compared to Kervan Kitchen, Veyso's offers more reasonably priced food while everything is no less delicious or fresh.

Mangal Meze on South Street should be the final place to wrap up your exploration of Turkish food within Romford. The biggest advantage of this place, where freshly grilled meat is served all day, is it's just a few steps away from the town centre.

Photo credit: The Liberty Shopping Centre

6. Shopping In Romford

People living in Romford can get all the retail therapy they need from one of the town's three shopping centres: The Liberty, The Mercury, and the Brewery.

The Liberty is the biggest and the busiest shopping destination in town. It was built in 1968 before going through a 4-year redevelopment project in 2005. Located right in the heart of the town, The Liberty is home to several brands like Primark, H&M, and Topshop, resulting in an annual footfall of 23 million, or 425,000 people per week.

Linked to The Liberty through an underpass is The Mercury, or formerly known as The Liberty 2. This indoor shopping centre is separated from the Liberty by the Romford ring road, providing shoppers of Romford another option for their shopping needs. Despite their adjacent locations and physical connections, these centres are independently owned and operated separately from each other.

The Mercury is known for its iconic glass dome, which you can see in many local artworks and illustrations. There are several local independents and affordable options in addition to general names like Peacocks, GAME, and McDonald's.

Another destination in Romford's town centre is The Brewery, which includes many leisure options like a bowling alley, a cinema, an arcade unit, and some restaurants. The venue also features TK Maxx, Romford's only Vue cinema, and some fast-food options such as Nando's.

Romford Market is the town's traditional marketplace and also its original retail option. The market began its existence as a sheep market way back in 1247. Now with 270 stalls, Romford Market allows you to find and buy pretty much anything on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. This extensive list includes fabrics, pet accessories, children’ toys, cut flowers, and perfumes.

Photo credit: The Havering Daily

7. Culture and Entertainment In Romford

The entertainment scene of Romford has hosted several high-profile acts, thanks to its small yet top-class venue, the Brookside Theatre. Located on Eastern Road, it has a capacity of only 160 seats but still punches above its weight and provides many celebrity shows, comedy stars, live music, and full-scale theatre productions.

Havering Museum, the primary museum of the Borough of Havering, is also in Romford. The main displays of this volunteer-run museum are focused on artefacts and studies about five towns that make up Havering.

8. Cost of Living In Romford

Given London's standard, this town is among its relatively affordable places.

• Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course: £70
• Domestic Beer (0.5-litre draught): £3.5
• Transportation Monthly Pass: £130.43
• Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment: £130.77
• Cinema, International Release: £9

Source: Numbeo

Photo credit: Sunil060902 via Wikimedia

9. Transportation In Romford

Train

The town is served by Romford station, which sits on the Great Eastern Main Line. Located in Zone 6, it has services from TfL, London Overground, and Abellio Greater Anglia, providing connections to Upminster, Stratford, and Liverpool Street station in central London. Routes going beyond the capital include Chelmsford, Colchester, Shenfield, and more.

Bus

As a hub of TfL's London Buses network, Romford has services to Dagenham, Leytonstone, Stratford, and Canning Town. There are also some night services to Paddington, Harold Hill, and Stratford.

Road

The town is well-connected with plenty of major roads. The A1251 runs around Romford's perimeter, while the A12 is just a few minutes away, giving easy connections to East Anglia. This trunk road is also connected with the M25 or the London Orbital Motorway, so you can get around the capital easily.

10. Explore The UK From Romford

Hainault Forests

Photo credit: Kevin Grieve via Unsplash

This is a country park stretching over several parts of Greater London and Essex. This ancient woodland was once used as a royal hunting site before the 14 century, and it is now one of the surviving parts of the Forest of Essex.

Visitors can see the wood bursting into its many colours in the autumn or the canopy of hornbeam and oak in spring. There are several pedestrian and permissive bridleway entrances, even though horse riders and cyclists should keep to the surfaced paths.

Brentwood

This Essex suburban town lies just outside the M25 ring road - a perfect living place even for people working in the City of London and Canary Wharf. Despite its close proximity to the capital, Brentwood is still surrounded by woodland and open countryside. Weald and Thorndon country parks are great places for you and your kids alike, as they can take a walk on trails inspired by the works of Julia Donaldson - a prolific children's author.

Grays

Situated on the bank of the River Thames, Grays is just 25 miles away from London. This multicultural community is an attractive day-trip spot for many Londoners, partly thanks to Lakeside, one of the largest shopping centres in Europe. Grays is also home to Chafford Gorges, a nature reserve where you can take a walk among wildlife.