Barking Abbey was founded in 666, which makes Barking one of the oldest settlements in the London area. The ruins of the abbey still sit beside St Margaret's church, where Captain James Cook married in 1762. Modern Barking is one of the fastest-changing towns in east London, with thousands of new homes at Barking Riverside and families from Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Lithuanian and Romanian backgrounds, among many others. Minibus hire Barking customers book is mostly weddings and family events, school and community trips, and runs to London City Airport, which is one of the closest airports to anywhere in London.
Barking sits at the western end of Barking and Dagenham borough, with East Ham and Ilford to the west and north, and the River Roding and the A13 along its edges. From our base in SE1, it's about forty to fifty minutes outside the rush hour, via the Rotherhithe or Blackwall tunnel and the A13.
Minibus hire Barking for weddings and family events
Barking's churches, mosques, temples and register office all host weddings, and receptions are often at banqueting halls in Barking, Ilford and East Ham, or at venues further out in Essex. Many of these weddings are large, with guests from across London and abroad.
The minibus can collect from family homes, run to the ceremony, carry on to the reception and bring everyone back afterwards. For big weddings, we can run the loop more than once or put more than one vehicle on. Nikah ceremonies, walimas, mehndis and church weddings all follow different timings, and we'll plan to yours.
Minibus hire Barking families book for christenings, naming ceremonies and big birthdays works the same way.
London City Airport down the A13
London City Airport is about fifteen to twenty-five minutes from Barking outside the rush hour, via the A13 and the A1020 or the A406 and the North Woolwich Road. Business travellers flying to European cities, and families on short holidays, book us for the run. Stansted is about forty minutes, Southend about forty-five, and Heathrow and Gatwick an hour or more.
For families flying from Stansted or Heathrow to see relatives, a minibus with space for the cases and the gifts makes the run easier than the train. Give us the flight number for arrivals and we'll time the pickup to the landing.
Barking Park and Eastbury Manor House
Barking Park, a short walk from the town centre, has a boating lake, a splash park, sports pitches and a long avenue of trees, and it's one of the best parks in the area for a school outing or a family party. Eastbury Manor House, a Tudor manor house in the middle of a 1930s estate, opens to visitors and school groups, and its history ties in with the Gunpowder Plot.
The abbey ruins and St Margaret's church are a short walk from the town centre, and local history groups visit them. For school trips, the driver drops at the entrance and comes back at the agreed time.
Barking Riverside and the river
Barking Riverside, on the Thames to the south of the town, is one of the largest new developments in London, with thousands of homes, a new Overground station and a Thames Clippers pier. Families who have moved there book us for weddings, birthdays and airport runs, and the riverside walks and parks suit a school or community outing.
The river itself is a draw too. The Clippers run from Barking Riverside to Woolwich and central London, and groups combine a river trip with a minibus back.
School trips and coast days
Barking has a lot of primary and secondary schools, and they book us for museum visits, swimming, sports fixtures and residential trips. The South Kensington museums are about an hour away outside the rush hour, and the Olympic Park about twenty minutes.
Mosques, churches, community centres and senior clubs book day trips to the coast, gardens and attractions. Southend seafront is about fifty minutes along the A13 and the A127, and the Kent coast about an hour and a half.
The A13, the flyover and the town centre
The A13 runs along the south of Barking and is the main route into London and out to Essex. It's fast outside the rush hour and slow during it, with queues building at the A406 junction and at Movers Lane. The town centre around East Street and the market is pedestrianised, and the roads around it are a tight one-way system. For pickups in the centre, we'll agree a point on a side road or by the station. Barking station is a busy interchange for the District, Hammersmith and City, Overground and c2c lines, and its forecourt is tight. For early flights, we'll allow a margin for the A13.
For minibus hire in Barking, call 020 7183 0567.