The very Western part of Barking Road is beyond recognition. Or, shall I say the bit by Canning Town station is. Tall buildings have burgeoned after the Olympics and the pattern seem to be pursued South towards Silvertown. Nice little touches here and there of famous locals that embody the spirit of the East-End in a very flashy fashion. As you walk under the A13 and start your journey of the Barking Road Eastbound all that sense of celebration and new has disappeared, you enter the real thing.
Barking Road still has it I guess compare to Romford Road. Lots of shops, a very cosmopolitan environment and lots of people in the streets. Barking Road is not only a commodity, it is also a community. Lots of contrasts between old and new, poverty and betting shops, ancient landmarks and new projects. There is a vibe, there is friction, there is life. New plots become available, new grounds are being constructed such as the Boleyn Grounds where stood not long ago West Ham football Club.
Poverty and loneliness seem more apparent though because of its vibrance, they usually good and in hand. You enter and leave various sections of the new Eats-End but there is a nice flow to it as if Barking Road was an umbilical cord. The end of the road feels a bit more lonely, more vacant. As you cross the Northern Circular you enter Barking and the constructive landscape doesn't seem to stop where ever you look.
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