Things you didn't know about... Barking

Barking gave birth to a "monster"
In Barking in 1715, one Sarah Smith gave birth to a child that had "the body of a dolphin with great claws tallon'd like hands, and six heads". Mother and baby died, and villagers decided Sarah Smith had been cursed for her "profane living". It is likely that the unfortunate mother had actually given birth to conjoined twins, which were not medically recognised or understood until much later.

Barking's been around longer than you might think
One of the country's earliest Saxon settlements has been identified here. Barking was also the site of one of the first abbeys in Britain.

Barking was once a fishing town
A vast fleet of fishing boats once operated out of Barking, until pollution—and the ability to transport the fish rapidly by rail—saw the fleet move to towns like Yarmouth and Lowestoft in East Anglia.

Barking on wrong end of revolutionary Victorian sewage system
Sir Joseph Bazalgette's huge sewage system for London deposited all London's human waste into the Thames just east of Barking, turning the river in these parts into a stinking stew. Sir Joseph was the great-great-grandfather of Peter Bazalgette, the creator of Big Brother.

A terrible disaster happened here in the autumn of 1878
The Princess Alice, a pleasure boat/paddle steamer, collided with a collier in Galleons Reach while returning from a day trip to the seaside. As many as 650 people lost their lives—the worst ever disaster on a British waterway. Most were killed by the pollution in the water—raw sewage and industrial waste.

Barking Football Club is one of the oldest in Britain
Founded in 1865, Barking FC has yet to enjoy the success of neighbour West Ham United, but it commands a loyal local following.

Aircraft were once made in Barking
Frederick Handley Page created an aircraft factory in Barking Creek. Some of his creations had strange names—particularly Antiseptic and Yellow Peril. His was the first aircraft company in the UK, incorporated in 1909. They went on to produce the Halifax—a stalwart of World War II Bomber Command.

Barking born and bred—on the ball and on song
Footballers John Terry, Trevor Brooking and Bobby Moore all come from here, as does "The Edge", guitarist with U2, and the "Bard of Barking", Billy Bragg.