ERITH

'Erith' (pronounced ) is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, south east London on the River Thames, United Kingdom. Erith's town centre has been successively modernised since 1961.

Contents

History

Sport and leisure

People

Representation

Education

Transport and locale

Nearest places

Rail

Nearest railway stations

Buses

External links

References

History

Following the collapse of Roman rule at the beginning of the 5th century, Britain was colonised by invaders from northern Europe called the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that they won the Battle of Crayford in 457, slaying many men in the process, and shortly after claimed the whole of Kent. Their different way of life was reflected in their pattern of settlement. The town and country estates of the Roman bureaucrats gave way to a network of villages, occupied by warriors and farmers. Erith was one of these
villages, and has a Saxon name, thought to have been derived from a word meaning `muddy harbour' or `gravelly landing place'. There was probably a church on the site of the present St John the Baptist back in Roman times and almost definitely a Saxon building. The early
settlement was based around this church meaning that the centre of Erith would have been slightly to the west of where it now is.
The earliest reference to the area is in a Latin charter of 695 recording a grant by the Bishop of the East Saxons of certain lands at Erith. In early times the area may also have been known as Lesnes or Lessness. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 Erith passed into the
possession of Bishop Odo and is mentioned in the Domesday Survey.
Erith owes its existence to the Thames and was, until the 1850s essentially a small riverside port, originally given prominence by Henry VIII's decision to open a naval dockyard in the town. At that time, and until the 19th century, Erith was a popular anchorage. Ships often discharged some cargo here before proceeding through the shallows upstream.
During the First World War Erith was an extremely important area for the manufacture of guns and ammunition largely due to the presence of the large Vickers works in the Fraser Road area.
In the Second World War, Erith found itself in the thick of the conflict being directly on the German bombing routes from Europe to London and also because of the nearby armament factories.
[Bexley Local Studies Note No. 11] [1]
In 1961, plans were put forward by local planners to redevelop Erith into a modern, sleek shopping and working environment. This involved clearing the substandard housing by the riverside and the old street layout in order to incorporate more cars.
Demolition of the old town started in 1966 when the mayor of Bexey smashed Headley Mitchells shop window, and continued in phases until by 1980, all that remained of the old town was Queens Church, The Crosskeys pub and Christchurch.
From the river front there are two point block towers opened in the early seventies, the new playhouse theatre (begun in 1973) and two rather drab shopping centres (1969 and 1973). Recently, these shopping centres have been redeveloped to provide new social housing and better quality shops to go hand in hand with the W.M.Morrisons supermarket to the east of town in an attempt to make Erith a nicer place to visit.
In 1975/76 everything to the south of Pier Road was swept away for more modern housing and a new dual carriageway, which still stands today.
In 1996, the two sites of Erith School, the East and West buildings, merged onto one site on Avenue Road. In 2005, the school was awarded Specialist Schools status by the Government, recognising its excellence in PE, Maths and ICT. A new sixth form block opened in 2007. Its Community Sports Centre is used during the evenings and weekends by a variety of teams.

Sport and leisure

A new swimming pool has recently been built at the same location as its sports centre and the David Ives Stadium [2], which is home to Bexley Athletic Club [3] and Erith Town F.C. ('The Dockers'), who play in the Kent League. (Note Erith and Belvedere Football Club play in Welling). Erith Rugby Club play at Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground.
The Erith Playhouse Theatre is the largest in London Borough of Bexley and there is a museum about the history of the area.
Erith is home to the longest pier in London, on the River Thames. It has been recently adapted from commercial to leisure use, and is popular with anglers. The annual Erith Riverside Festival has been held for a number of years in Riverside Gardens alongside the Thames. Erith Yacht Club is very active in both competititve and social sailing and is located on the edge of Crayford Marshes in the direction of Slade Green and Erith Rowing Club is a successful and friendly club located on the waterfront on Erith High Street.
Erith is the starting point for the LOOP (London Outer Orbital Path) and one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk. [4] The start of the Thames Path National Trail [5] which runs to the source of the River Thames at Kemble is at nearby Crayford Ness.
The initial broadcasts of pirate radio station West and North Kent Radio (WNKR) took place at Norvic House, Larner Road, Erith during the bank holiday weekend in August1987, on a frequency of 91.8FM. The station transmits music shows on the short and medium waves, with some internet streaming options offered since 2000.

People

★ A traditional (anonymous) rhyme has it that:
::"There are men in the village of Erith that nobody seeth or heareth,
::and there looms on the marge of the river a barge, that nobody roweth or steereth".

★ The late Linda Smith, comic and writer, came from Erith. She joked it wasn't twinned with any town but did have a suicide pact with Dagenham.

★ Wendy Cope, poet

★ Edward Butler, inventorBexley Local Studies Note 76 'Two Local Inventors' accessed 27 Jun 2007.

★ Sir William Anderson, engineer and philanthropistBexley Local Studies Note 66 'Sir William Anderson' accessed 27 Jun 2007

★ James Nankoo, Accountant

Representation

The largest part of Erith is in the Erith ward of the London Borough of Bexley. The local councillors are Chris Ball and Margaret O'Neill (both Labour), and Bernard Clewes (Conservative). The eastern part of Erith is in North End ward and the southern part in Colyers ward.
Most of Erith lies within the Erith and Thamesmead constituency. The current M.P. is John Austin (Labour). The eastern part of Erith is within the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency. The M.P. is David Evennett (Conservative).
Erith is in the Bexley and Bromley London Assembly constituency and is represented on the London Assembly by Bob Neill (Conservative).
Community interests are represented by Erith Town Forum. In the eastern part of Erith (in North End ward) community interests are represented by Slade Green Community Forum. [6]

Education

:''For education in see the main London Borough of Bexley article''

Transport and locale

Erith is in Travelcard Zone 6.

Nearest places

★ Belvedere

★ Northumberland Heath

★ Rainham

★ Slade Green

Rail

The nearest railway stations in the area are Erith railway station. Trains from this station runs to London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street via Woolwich and Greenwich to the west. To the east the trains go to Dartford and a limited service to Crayford or Gravesend and Gillingham.

Nearest railway stations

★ Erith railway station - North Kent line

★ Slade Green railway station - North Kent line

★ Belvedere railway station - North Kent line

★ Barnehurst railway station - Bexleyheath line

Buses

★ 99 - Erith Town Centre and Woolwich Shopping Centre

★ 229 - Thamesmead Town Centre and Sidcup Queen Marys Hospital

★ 428 - Erith Town Centre and Bluewater Shopping Centre

★ 469 - Bexleyheath Shopping Centre and Woolwich Common Queen Elizabeth Hospital

★ B12 - Erith Town Centre and Bexleyheath Shopping Centre

★ N89 - Erith Town Centre and Trafalgar Square

External links

★ Bexley Local Studies Note 11 'Erith' - gives a good outline history of the area

★ North West Kent Family History Society - Erith Parish Page

★ Erith Museum

★ Erith Playhouse Theatre

★ Profile of Erith-born Colin Webb

★ John Downton Trust

★ Erith Town Football Club

★ Erith Rugby Club

★ Erith Yacht Club

★ Erith Rowing Club

★ The Thames Estuary Partnership's fishing page gives details of what fish can be caught from Erith Pier.

References