Historically, Barking was a fishing settlement, as celebrated by Loraine Leeson’s public sculpture The Catch, located on the Fanshawe Avenue roundabout. The sculpture features two fishing nets, swept up the waves, containing a shawl of fish. The Valence House Museum presents information on the fishing history of the area.

In 1762 Captain James Cook married in Barking, and notable residents past and present include Chelsea FC and England footballer John Terry, actor Ross Kemp and prison-reformer Elizabeth Fry. William the Conqueror stayed at Barking Abbey between 1066 and 1067, while the Tower of London was being constructed.