Upminster is a place in the London Borough of Havering. The name means literally "high church" and has its earliest recorded use in 1086.

It had been a small village until the early 1900s when, with the coming of the railway, the area developed rapidly into an archetypal garden suburb for city workers.

The area is bounded to the west by the River Ingrebourne which forms the boundary with Hornchurch, to the north by the Southend Arterial Road, to the east by the M25 motorway and North Ockendon and to the south by the borough's boundary with Thurrock.

Today it consists mainly of Victorian and Edwardian housing with several parks and open spaces, a golf course, pitch 'n' putt course, tennis clubs and a bowling green. More modern post-war residential development has gone on in nearby Cranham, however because of the introduction of the Greenbelt laws it forms the easternmost edge of London's urban sprawl.

Upminster is famous locally for Upminster Windmill, a smock windmill and one of the few remaining windmills in Greater London. Locally, the windmill is an icon for the town although the town is known more widely for being the eastern terminus of the District Line.

In 1972 the Coopers' Company and Coborn School relocated from Bow to Upminster.

Upminster is also home to Roomes Stores, a large independent family-run department store which occupies several buildings on the principal street, Station Road. Many retailers in town are independent or family run and there are fewer chain stores than on the average high street. With the increasing popularity of the "out-of-town" shopping mall during the 1990s there was a marked decline in local spending in Upminster, however this situation has since reversed somewhat by a regeneration programme and change of use of some outlets.

Upminster is also the home of the Travel Club of Upminster, one of Britain's oldest tour operators founded in 1936 by Harry Chandler.

The town has a good selection of restaurants but has little in the way of nightlife. Upminster station is a local transport hub and provides London Underground and fast rail services to Central London. Upminster Bridge tube station is half way between Upminster and nearby Hornchurch.

Nearest places:

• Cranham, London, England, a suburb, and postally part of Upminster.
• North Ockendon, London, England, also postally part of Upminster.
• Hornchurch, London, England, within walking distance over Upminster Bridge.

Nearest stations:

• Upminster station (rail and tube)
• Upminster Bridge tube station

Station Road with Roomes Stores in background

Hall Lane is a leafy main road through the north of Upminster

Typical residential street in Upminster