Barking Park was established in 1896 and was officially opened on 9 April 1898 by Councillor C. L. Beard JP, Chairman of Barking Town Urban District Council.
The park’s most significant feature is a 910 metre long boating lake on the north side of the park. Other facilities include tennis and basketball courts, two bowling greens (indoor and outdoor), a children’s playground, a waterpark, football pitches and a flower garden. A lido was built in 1931 but this was closed permanently in 1988.
Barking Park Light Railway, a miniature passenger railway in the park, opened in the early 1950s. The railway closed between 2005 and 2008 during a change of ownership.
