10 Day Count Down – Barking
Tick tock, you’ve guessed it! It’s only 10 days until we will be exploring the riverside and Indian connections of Barking! Stories of the river and the connections between old and new meet during this walk, from the lives of fishing families revealed at St.Margaret’s Church, to their modern day river community which is bringing new life to the water.
Read more, see the route map and book your place here: 18th Sept Barking and Dagenham
Silk River is a journey of surprises from Kew to Southend, with speakers, music, performances and lots of walking!
The whole UK walking programme can be viewed here: UK Walks
There are still a few places left on the India Walks, for more info go here: India Walks
Special thanks go to Creative Barking and Dagenham, their staff and partners for the planning and facilitation of today’s walk.
Creative Barking and Dagenham have worked with the following organisations for Silk River:
- Studio 3 Arts
- Friends of Greatfields Park
- St Margarets Church
- Rivergate Centre
- Barking Riverside Limited
- Nigel Sagar, London Borough Barking and Dagenham
- Barking Enterprise Centres
- Sue Bramley Centre
- Many people sharing their stories and experiences of the river
Dagenham is famous for the relocation of the Ford Motor factory in 1931 creating 40,000 jobs locally and becoming an industrial hub on the river. In 1866 Barking became the site for what grew into the UK’s large jute mill. The mill couldn’t compete with the cheaper labour that was found in West Bengal and shut in 1886.
Creative Barking and Dagenham (CBD) is a project for people living, working and socialising in Barking and Dagenham. CBD enable local people to create, commission and curate outstanding arts and creative activities in their areas, and to promote the borough as a place where exciting art – of all forms – is made and shown.
The creation of the Barking and Dagenham scroll uncovered many rich stories, old and new; from the past lives of fishing families, revealed in the carvings and stain glass windows at St. Margaret’s Church, to our modern-day river community who are bringing new life to the water through projects that explore the environment and how we interact with it.
The team at CBD have created a unique festival called Thamesfest which, for Silk River, will feature a colourful art walk through Barking and Dagenham marking the 70th anniversary of Indian Independence. Inspired by stories of the river and the local connections between old and new, the trail will come alive showcasing giant silk scrolls designed by local artists
