A commuter town grapples with its identity as residents disagree on whether they reside in London or Essex.
Dilan Kurt explores areas close to London and Essex. He visits places now technically in London that used to be officially part of Essex. Dilan asks people where they think they are and which side of the border do residents favor?
He already visited Hornchurch and Dagenham. People there did not fully agree, and no place had everyone say the same thing.
Lots of places were once really in Essex, but London boroughs took them over in the 1960s. Yet, Essex still shows in their addresses, so local people often think they still live in Essex.
Sixteen people in Hornchurch thought it was Essex, while nine people thought it was not Essex. Dilan agreed, “Nobody really knows.” Dagenham was closer, though, where nine of fifteen people called it East London and many said it was both.
Dilan Kurt then went to Barking to get votes. The area had a clearer idea about what it was, where one man felt Barking was totally Essex, though he was the minority voice. Ten of fourteen people saw Barking as East London.
One man said Barking was Essex because of the address, but he was outvoted by others. Most think it is East London, although some people still see Barking as firmly in Essex.