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Goodmayes was largely undeveloped until the end of the 19th century, when large scale suburban development took place as London expanded. However, Goodmayes does appear on maps as early as the 1770s. Barley Lane is believed to be named after Dorothy Barley, the sister of Henry Barley, Dorothy was the last Abbess of nearby Barking Abbey (elected 1527). Most of the area here and in neighbouring Seven Kings was only built up between 1898 and 1910 by the developer A. C. Corbett who used new stations on the Great Eastern Railway to promote the new suburbs. Goodmayes station was built in 1901. Since then, little has changed in the area and the lines of Edwardian terraced housing continue to dominate the area with relatively few more recent additions.

Former extensive railway sidings near Goodmayes Station were closed in the 1970s and later redeveloped for retail purposes. A large Tesco store and a branch of Wickes now occupy the site.

Actor Cardew Robinson was born in Goodmayes on 14 August 1917. He is best remembered for character and cameo roles, the best known being the fakir in 'Carry-On Up the Khyber'. He died at Roehampton in 1992.

Actor Sir Ian Holm was born at Goodmayes Hospital on 12 September 1931, to Scottish parents, Jean Wilson Holm and James Harvey Cuthbert. His mother was a nurse and his father was a psychiatrist and superintendent of the West Ham Corporation Mental Hospital as Goodmayes Hospital was then known. Cuthbert was one of the pioneers of electric shock therapy for treating mental illness. Ian Holm was created a CBE in 1989 and was knighted in 1998.

Goodmayes was part of the Chadwell ward of the ancient parish of Barking, Essex. In 1888 the Chadwell and Great Ilford wards of Barking became a new parish of Ilford. This became Ilford Urban District in 1894 and was the Municipal Borough of Ilford from 1926 to 1965. The London Borough of Redbridge was formed in 1965 from Ilford and other areas.

Goodmayes Park, an area of open space containing a lake, basketball and tennis courts, is located here. It once contained a bandstand and a boathouse but these are no longer available. Another local park is named Barley Lane Park.