Perhaps you’ve wondered why the Romford Shopping Hall carries such a distinctive name. Today we’ll explore the story behind this Romford landmark. The Romford Shopping Hall houses 30 family-owned businesses. It also boasts five places to eat. This makes it a vibrant hub in Romford.
The story of the Romford Shopping Hall is tied to the naming of Romford itself. Older residents might passionately debate whether it should be Romford or Rumford. The name above the Romford Shopping Hall was central to this debate. The reason for the name changes is quite simple. However, it changed more frequently than many would realize.
Stanley Lloyd Sunnucks built a shopping hall at East Ham in 1922. He formed a company named East Ham Shopping Hall Ltd. A decade later, the company built another hall in Romford Market Place. When it opened, it was named Romford Shopping Hall. Contemporary photographs and adverts confirm this.
A fanciful story suggests a wartime bomb damaged the letter O. This supposedly turned it into a U. While unlikely, post-war photographs showed the building simply named Shopping Hall. After Sunnucks died in 1953, his son James took control. He changed the name to Rumford Shopping Hall. His sons later persuaded him to revert it. However, complaints led to it being changed back to Rumford again.
Around 1964, the hall was repainted. The name Rumford was repositioned on the canopy fascia. It remained so until the early 21st century. Then it was renamed Romford once more. The building was ultimately demolished around 2011. A new shopping hall was built. It sported the original name Romford.
The debate about Romford versus Rumford continues. Both names have appeared in various records. The earliest record from 1177 refers to Capellam de Romfort. Other spellings include Rumford, Rongeford, and Rumpford. The name is thought to derive from the Saxon word “rūm”. This became “roomy” and the word “ford”. Thus, “wide or roomy ford”. Another view suggests a Roman ford or fort. However, it is not proven that the Roman staging post of Durolitum was actually Romford.
Records varied due to few people being able to read and write. They wrote the name as they heard it. This caused wide spelling variations even into Victorian times. The Essex dialect made it difficult to distinguish between O and U sounds. The River Rom did not get its name until much later. It is a back-contraction from the name of Romford. Originally, the river was Bourne Brook. A 1272 record refers to the Schiteburne in Romford. Other 13th-century records name the river as le Markediche. This means “marker or boundary ditch”.
The Romford Shopping Hall has a history. Someone worked there in 1960 for Learners Curtains and Fabrics. They were fourteen and worked every Saturday, Wednesday, and Friday after school. It was a good and busy place to work.
So, as you explore the Romford Shopping Hall today, remember its layered past. It is more than just a shopping destination. It’s a place where local history lives on. It connects us to the traditions and stories of Romford.