Riverside - south of the river and east of the Tower. Erith Anchor Bay
Riverside east of the Tower and south of the river. Erith
Industrial marshland with new roads including the edge of the community of Slade Green
Post to the east Dartford Marshes
Post to the south Slade Green
Post to the west Erith
Post to the north Great Coldharbour
Anchor Bay
This area was previously saltings.
Anchor Bay Dock. This is an open dock 15m wide, cut back into the river bank and which in the 19th served as the main barge dock for Erith Iron Works and Erith Brick Works. Used by Easton and Anderson and then by Herbert Clarke barge owners. It was connected to pits by tramways for the export of bricks. It was and renewed in concrete after the Second World War.
Erith Iron Works. This was established in 1864 in Anchor Bay. Easton and Amos had had a works in Southwark since the 1830s making steam engines, pumps and similar machinery. In 1864 William Anderson joined the company and planned a new works at Erith. They made pumping machinery of all kinds, centrifugal pumps, cranes, boilers, and paper and sugar machinery. The new works was considered to be a model of what an engineering works should be. By 1866 the company was owned by members of the Easton and Amos families along with Anderson and were engineers, ship builders, iron workers and founders. The company then became Easton and Anderson. Among their designs and installations were, in 1871 three large sugar factories in Egypt, In 1874 Ogi Paper Mill in Japan and later mountings for Russian guns. They designed and built many waterworks including, in 1879, one for Antwerp and in 1888 they built lifts for the Chignecto ship railway at New Brunswick. The works closed in 1903.
Herbert Clarke Ltd. This company later used the Erith Iron Works site. They were barge owners and lightermen dealing with the coal trade.
Mayer Parry Recycling Yard. This company was on the site used by the Erith Iron Works. They dealt in scrap.
Anchor Bay Wharf. This is a treatment facility with river access. It is the site for a haulage fleet of 60 vehicles. On site there is work on storage of hazardous waste, crushing, screening and processing of aggregates and dismantling and deconstruction of electrical transformers. Pier of Larsson piling, originally built 1870
Standard Wharf. Originally built 1908. Cross braced timber jetty 75m long and 3.75m wide. Some rails intact. Built as a tramway for bricks from a works to the south. Also called Norris’ Wharf and most recently owned by Bardon Aggregates.
Bilton Road
Trading and light industry units
Long Reach Road
One road on an estate built on the fields of Wallhouse Farm and earlier gravel workings.
Manor Road
The road is relatively new – even in the 1970s the eastern end does not appear on maps.
DVLA Car Pound
National Construction College. This is the Kent centre for construction training
European Metal Recycling. Erith depot, scrap yard, large firm with international links dating from the 1940s.
MMF Ltd., Chimney building firm founded in Smethwick in 1965.
Erith Sewage Works. Site of 1898 pumping station for which G.Chatterton was the Engineer. It was a single storey brick shed with a pedimented central doorway and at the north end was a maintenance workshop. It was originally powered by 4 Crossley gas engines running on producer gas made on site. It was designed to raise sewage to a higher level sewer for access to the West Kent Main Sewer. An Ingersoll Rand was compressor installed to replace the engines in 1930. It was demolished in 1992.
Ray Lamb Way
The road is said to be owned by the Russell Stonham Estate and to have been built to prevent lorries going through the Slade Green Estate. It was built by Bellway Homes
Lower Farm
Richmer Road
Private gated road with industrial and trading users.
Slade Green Road
St Augustine Church. Built in 1900.
St. Augustine’s church hall
Vicarage
Slade Green Junior and Infant School. This was originally Slade Green National School established in 1868. This was set up by local landowners, Stoneham. From 1925 the School came under the Parish of Slade Green, but in 1938 it was passed to Kent County Council. The name was changed to Slade Green County Primary School in 1953 and in 1955 a new Infant school was built and opened by Norman Dodds MP, but the old buildings remained in use until the completion of a new Junior School in 1964. In 1965 the school as were transferred to the London Borough of Bexley. Plans
Howbury Centre. This opened in 2014. It was previously in the old school buildings. There is a large hall, outside multi-use games area, a café, a smaller hall, and other rooms
Slade Green Library – this is now at the rear of the Howbury Centre and is a ‘community library’ – i.e. has no staff and relies on local people to run it for free.
The Saltings
There are the remains of a prehistoric forest emerging from the mud.
Erith Yacht Club. Erith Yacht Club was formed in 1900. The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club had its headquarters at Erith and when it moved to Port Victoria local members formed the Erith Yacht Club. They also replaced an earlier Erith Yacht Club. Ladies were admitted to membership for five shillings per annum but were not allowed to enter the clubhouse. By 1904 membership had grown to over 250 and the there were over a hundred boats including large steam yachts and over twenty sailing boats. In the 1920s they were joined by officers from the Royal Artillery garrison. By 1929 the building of new wharves restricted available mooring space and the club moved to Anchor Bay a Thames barge Garson used as headquarters and other vessels followed. In 1977 the club bought their site from Stonham Estates. There is now apparently a shore side club house
Wallhouse Road
This road once went into the marshes and the river. A small section exists in Slade Green with modern housing.
Wheatley Terrace Road
A dead end, the name reminds us of the former estate owners.
Sources
Anchor Bay. Web site
Bexley Civic Society. Walk
Bygone Kent
Erith. Official Handbook.
Erith. Official guide
Erith Yacht Club. Web site
Grace’s Guide. Web site
Hamilton. The Industries of Crayford
London Borough of Bexley. Web site
Spurgeon. Discover Erith and Crayford
South East London Industrial Archaeology
Industrial marshland with new roads including the edge of the community of Slade Green
Post to the east Dartford Marshes
Post to the south Slade Green
Post to the west Erith
Post to the north Great Coldharbour
Anchor Bay
This area was previously saltings.
Anchor Bay Dock. This is an open dock 15m wide, cut back into the river bank and which in the 19th served as the main barge dock for Erith Iron Works and Erith Brick Works. Used by Easton and Anderson and then by Herbert Clarke barge owners. It was connected to pits by tramways for the export of bricks. It was and renewed in concrete after the Second World War.
Erith Iron Works. This was established in 1864 in Anchor Bay. Easton and Amos had had a works in Southwark since the 1830s making steam engines, pumps and similar machinery. In 1864 William Anderson joined the company and planned a new works at Erith. They made pumping machinery of all kinds, centrifugal pumps, cranes, boilers, and paper and sugar machinery. The new works was considered to be a model of what an engineering works should be. By 1866 the company was owned by members of the Easton and Amos families along with Anderson and were engineers, ship builders, iron workers and founders. The company then became Easton and Anderson. Among their designs and installations were, in 1871 three large sugar factories in Egypt, In 1874 Ogi Paper Mill in Japan and later mountings for Russian guns. They designed and built many waterworks including, in 1879, one for Antwerp and in 1888 they built lifts for the Chignecto ship railway at New Brunswick. The works closed in 1903.
Herbert Clarke Ltd. This company later used the Erith Iron Works site. They were barge owners and lightermen dealing with the coal trade.
Mayer Parry Recycling Yard. This company was on the site used by the Erith Iron Works. They dealt in scrap.
Anchor Bay Wharf. This is a treatment facility with river access. It is the site for a haulage fleet of 60 vehicles. On site there is work on storage of hazardous waste, crushing, screening and processing of aggregates and dismantling and deconstruction of electrical transformers. Pier of Larsson piling, originally built 1870
Standard Wharf. Originally built 1908. Cross braced timber jetty 75m long and 3.75m wide. Some rails intact. Built as a tramway for bricks from a works to the south. Also called Norris’ Wharf and most recently owned by Bardon Aggregates.
Bilton Road
Trading and light industry units
Long Reach Road
One road on an estate built on the fields of Wallhouse Farm and earlier gravel workings.
Manor Road
The road is relatively new – even in the 1970s the eastern end does not appear on maps.
DVLA Car Pound
National Construction College. This is the Kent centre for construction training
European Metal Recycling. Erith depot, scrap yard, large firm with international links dating from the 1940s.
MMF Ltd., Chimney building firm founded in Smethwick in 1965.
Erith Sewage Works. Site of 1898 pumping station for which G.Chatterton was the Engineer. It was a single storey brick shed with a pedimented central doorway and at the north end was a maintenance workshop. It was originally powered by 4 Crossley gas engines running on producer gas made on site. It was designed to raise sewage to a higher level sewer for access to the West Kent Main Sewer. An Ingersoll Rand was compressor installed to replace the engines in 1930. It was demolished in 1992.
Ray Lamb Way
The road is said to be owned by the Russell Stonham Estate and to have been built to prevent lorries going through the Slade Green Estate. It was built by Bellway Homes
Lower Farm
Richmer Road
Private gated road with industrial and trading users.
Slade Green Road
St Augustine Church. Built in 1900.
St. Augustine’s church hall
Vicarage
Slade Green Junior and Infant School. This was originally Slade Green National School established in 1868. This was set up by local landowners, Stoneham. From 1925 the School came under the Parish of Slade Green, but in 1938 it was passed to Kent County Council. The name was changed to Slade Green County Primary School in 1953 and in 1955 a new Infant school was built and opened by Norman Dodds MP, but the old buildings remained in use until the completion of a new Junior School in 1964. In 1965 the school as were transferred to the London Borough of Bexley. Plans
Howbury Centre. This opened in 2014. It was previously in the old school buildings. There is a large hall, outside multi-use games area, a café, a smaller hall, and other rooms
Slade Green Library – this is now at the rear of the Howbury Centre and is a ‘community library’ – i.e. has no staff and relies on local people to run it for free.
The Saltings
There are the remains of a prehistoric forest emerging from the mud.
Erith Yacht Club. Erith Yacht Club was formed in 1900. The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club had its headquarters at Erith and when it moved to Port Victoria local members formed the Erith Yacht Club. They also replaced an earlier Erith Yacht Club. Ladies were admitted to membership for five shillings per annum but were not allowed to enter the clubhouse. By 1904 membership had grown to over 250 and the there were over a hundred boats including large steam yachts and over twenty sailing boats. In the 1920s they were joined by officers from the Royal Artillery garrison. By 1929 the building of new wharves restricted available mooring space and the club moved to Anchor Bay a Thames barge Garson used as headquarters and other vessels followed. In 1977 the club bought their site from Stonham Estates. There is now apparently a shore side club house
Wallhouse Road
This road once went into the marshes and the river. A small section exists in Slade Green with modern housing.
Wheatley Terrace Road
A dead end, the name reminds us of the former estate owners.
Sources
Anchor Bay. Web site
Bexley Civic Society. Walk
Bygone Kent
Erith. Official Handbook.
Erith. Official guide
Erith Yacht Club. Web site
Grace’s Guide. Web site
Hamilton. The Industries of Crayford
London Borough of Bexley. Web site
Spurgeon. Discover Erith and Crayford
South East London Industrial Archaeology
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