From Romford’s fountain to the Dolphin: The Havering landmarks a generation will never forget.

23rd September 202623rd September 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Havering, History, Landmarks, Romford min read

Remember these? The much-loved Havering landmarks that have disappeared.

There are places that become part of who we are. They might not have been famous across London, they might not have appeared in tourist guides, but for the people who grew up in Havering they were landmarks, meeting places and part of everyday life. And over the years, some of those much-loved places have disappeared.

Perhaps one of the best examples is the fountain in Romford Market.

For generations of residents, the fountain was far more than a piece of town-centre decoration.

It was a meeting point.

In fact, the phrase remembered by generations of Romford residents was simply: “If we get lost, meet me by the fountain.”

Havering’s own Romford Town Centre Masterplan describes the former fountain as a central meeting point for the town before The Liberty was covered.

It became part of the landscape of people’s childhoods.

Parents met there.

Friends arranged to meet there.

Children walked past it on shopping trips.

And then it was gone.

But this year, the fountain returned in a very different form.

The recent Meet Me by the Fountain project recreated the spirit of the lost Liberty Fountain through light, projection and sound as part of a celebration of Romford’s long history. The project deliberately used the fountain as a symbol of the memories people still have of the town.

And that perhaps tells us something.

Even when a physical landmark disappears, the memories attached to it do not necessarily disappear with it.

The Dolphin

Ask many Havering residents of a certain age about the Dolphin Centre and you will soon hear the memories.

The swimming.

The slides.

The wave machine.

The excitement of going there with friends or family.

The Dolphin opened in 1982 and became a major leisure facility in Romford, offering swimming pools, water slides, a wave machine, a gymnasium and squash courts. It was also used for community meetings, social events and exhibitions.

But after only 13 years, the Dolphin closed in 1995.

The building eventually became derelict and was demolished in the 2000s, with redevelopment following.

Today, another generation has its own leisure centre memories, but for those who grew up with the Dolphin, the name still means something.

It was not simply a building.

It was where people spent Saturdays.

The old Romford Ice Rink

Then there is another place that many residents remember with enormous affection: the old Romford Ice Rink.

Before the current Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre opened, generations of residents headed to the old rink.

It was where people learnt to skate, went on dates, took their children and spent evenings with friends.

The old rink was eventually demolished as part of the redevelopment of the area and plans for a new leisure facility.

The modern Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre now provides a replacement facility, but that does not erase the memories of the old rink.

For some residents, the smell, the music, the cold air and the sound of skates on the ice are memories that cannot simply be replaced by a new building.

And then there was the Romford of old

Of course, it is not only individual landmarks that have disappeared.

Parts of the town itself have changed beyond recognition.

Romford’s market has existed since 1247 and has remained at the heart of the town for centuries.

But the surrounding town centre has undergone huge changes.

The old brewery landscape has changed.

Buildings have disappeared.

Shops have come and gone.

Leisure venues have changed.

And familiar meeting places have been replaced.

Havering’s own conservation work recognises that Romford has a collection of historic buildings and spaces which contribute to the town’s character and identity.

That is why the loss of a fountain, a leisure centre or an ice rink can sometimes feel like more than simply losing a building.

It is losing a piece of the landscape in which people’s memories were made.

What do you remember?

Perhaps you remember the fountain.

Perhaps the Dolphin.

Perhaps the old ice rink.

Or perhaps there is another landmark in Hornchurch, Upminster, Rainham, Harold Hill, Collier Row, Elm Park or one of Havering’s other communities that has disappeared but remains firmly in your memory.

The places may have gone.

But the memories haven’t.

And perhaps that is why the return of the Liberty Fountain, even temporarily and through art and projection, meant so much to people.

It reminded residents of something that can easily be forgotten as towns change.

**A landmark isn’t always important because of what it is.

Sometimes it is important because of what happened there.**

The people we met.

The friends we made.

The first dates.

The family days out.

The Saturday shopping trips.

The childhood memories.