We have visited Barkingside and examined everything there is to know about this East London suburb, find out all about it in our below area guide.
If you would like to jump to any section feel free to use the below links.
Table of Contents
- About Barkingside
- Barkingside Area Guide – Transport Links
- Barkingside Area Guide – Demographics
- Barkingside Area Guide – Crime
- Barkingside Area Guide – House Prices
- Things to do
- Is Barkingside a nice place to live?
About Barkingside
Barkingside is a suburban area of Ilford but a town in its own right. It falls inside the London Borough of Redbridge.
It is situated 10.6 miles north east of Charing Cross.
In terms of borders, it has Chadwell Heath to the north, Gants Hill to the south, Fullwell to the east, and Hainault to the west.
In terms of trivia it is is chiefly known for the children’s charity Barnardo’s, which was founded there in 1866.
It is also the birthplace of music legend David Bowie.
Barkingside Area Guide – Transport Links
First things first, Barkingside is on the much vaunted Central Line, falling in zone four on the TFL network.
Whilst that all sounds rosy it is important to note that it is part of the Newbury Park loop.
What that means is that only around 40% of East bound central line trains pass through Barkingside.
In reality this can mean at times up to 10 minutes wait for a tube. It will take around 27 minutes to get to Liverpool Street once boarded.
Other than the central line, your options are limited to a so so bus network and road access to the A12 via Gants Hill.
Barkingside Area Guide – Demographics
According to the 2021 census, the population of Barkingside is 15,325.
The ethnic breakdown of Barkingside is as follows:
White British: 49.9%
Indian: 18.6%
Pakistani: 13.3%
Other White: 4.6%
Bangladeshi: 4.5%
Black African: 2.6%
Other Asian: 1.7%
Mixed White/Black African: 1.1%
Mixed White/Asian: 1.1%
Other Black: 0.6%
Mixed Other: 0.5%
The most common occupations in Barkingside are professional, associate professional and technical occupations.
25.1% of residents work in these occupations.
Other common occupations include administrative and secretarial occupations (18.5%), skilled trades occupations (5.3%) and caring, leisure and service occupations (6.8%).
The median household income in Barkingside is £53,560, which is 3% lower than the UK average.
Barkingside Area Guide – Crime
The Barkingside crime rate (crime per 1000 residents) is 81.5.
This represents a decrease of 7.55% compared to previous year.
When compared to nearby areas such as Ilford where the crime rate 104 offences, Barkingside is noticeably lower.
The Barkingside crime rate is also substantially lower than the London average of 95.
Naturally crime still happens in the area so we are not suggesting anyone should be blasé.
The most common crimes reported in Barkingside are;
Burglary (36%)
Theft (28%)
Violence and sexual offences (16%)
Vehicle crime (11%)
Criminal damage (9%)
But it is noteworthy for an area just down the road from Ilford, Waltham Forest and Newham, crime seems to be managed well.
Barkingside Area Guide – House Prices
With access to the central line the property prices are always going to reflect thatm
According to Rightmove, properties in Barkingside had an overall average price of £519,608 over the last year.
This is compared to Ilford where the average was £476,000.
The majority of sales in Barkingside during the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £558,522.
Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £586,515, with flats fetching £287,731.
In terms of trends, prices over the last year were 5% up from 2022 and 15% up on the 2020 peak of £452,038.
Things to do
Barkingside isn’t the biggest of places, so sources of entertainment are slightly limited.
As with many of our other area guides, if you were to live here you’d likely travel to surrounding areas.
But in terms of Barkingside, here are some things to consider;
Fairlop Waters Park
Situated just a short walk from Barkingside High Street is a lovely park.
Fairlop waters has a lake where you can go sailing, paddleboarding, and play on inflatable obstacles.
It also has an outdoor dining area.
The park is extremely well maintained and is a nice place to visit all year round. During the summer months they have all kinds of activities on and around the lake.
Buzz Bingo
We did say it was slim pickings in Barkingside!
With that said however those who are into Bingo and slots will be pleased to know there is a Buzz Bingo just off the high street.
The venue offers entertainment until late, 7 days a week.
Is Barkingside a nice place to live?
On the whole from our visit to the area we found it to be pleasant with friendly locals.
The high-street isn’t a retail hub such as Stratford or Ilford but at the same time it had a lot to offer.
Residential streets had a leafy feel with few overwhelming tower blocks which can make areas cramped.
As mentioned in our travel section, access to the central line is a plus, even if it is a slow chug into the city.
Overall with well managed crime, a welcoming feel and decent travel links we would recommend Barkingside as a place to live.
