Place Name
Originally plain Bedfords Road it runs to the south of Bedfords Park. There have been several reasons put forward as to why the area, of which this road takes its name could be in the plural, rather than simple Bedford Park. John Field in Place Names of Greater London, and David Mills in London Place Names say that it is named after the family of Robert de Bedford mentioned in 1285. Others, including Havering Borough Council suggest that it is probably named after John Bedford, a local landowner in 1362, the era of the Peasants’ Revolt. Possibly it was a combination of the two. The area was recorded as Erles alias Bedfordes sometime around 1480, the first part being a reference to the Earls of Sussex who originally owned the land. A third suggestion comes from a number of other sources that say Belfonts was an earlier name for Bedfords, and suggest the name refers to its ample supply of spring water. Romford Council, Havering’s forerunner, purchased the 215-acre Bedfords Park in 1933 and opened it as a public park.
