West Ham is a town located in the London Borough of West Ham, South East England. It has an estimated population of 277,000 people and covers an area of 9.5 square miles (24 km2). The first record of human activity in what would become West Ham dates back to around 1000 BC when Mesolithic hunter gatherers settled near where Boleyn Park now stands. In 1825 work began on constructing canals linking Beckton Pumping Station further upstream with Pudding Mill Stream running through present day Upton Park so sewage could be drained into them instead of flowing untreated into Thames River; this project was completed two years later and made possible large scale industrialisation taking place within the borough including manufacture of textiles using water power from Beckton pumping station operated by British Waterways Corporation until 1986 when it became partof National Grid plc., [15]) As well as housing developments like Victoria Dockside Estate erected for workers employed at these factories, new roads were constructed connecting them including Commercial Road (now called Whitechapel High Street), Marsh Lane (now called Aldwych)and Essex Avenue(later renamed Alderney Way).[16]), making access easier for commuters travelling to central London. With more jobs coming online thanks to industry expansion over time, residential areas gradually grew up around these workplaces too catering for families lookingfor affordable accommodation closeby while