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Abbots Walk
In 1930 the first of the new roads, Abbotts Walk, was
marked out. Other new roads followed in rapid succession, although the Urban
District Council's planning scheme and building byelaws prevented the sudden
influx of speculative builders experienced in some
neighbouring areas. During the 1930's an average of 495 new houses per annum
were built, rising to over 800 per annum in the last two years before the war. The original new
inhabitants of Bostall were by v/ay of being pioneers. The new houses preceded
any amenities such as shops or schools and in most cases preceded the actual
roads themselves. The rows of houses spread across the open fields, the
building materials being delivered by a system of narrow gauge railways, white
the concrete roads were made afterwards. The original residents of Abbotts Walk
spent their first winter by candlelight until the electricity mains were
connected.
St. Hillary’s
Estate by Messrs Absolom
in 1930s. No electricity when houses were built. Distinctive bungalows on
cabbage fields.
V2 attack 18
February 1945 6 killed, 17 seriously injured, 87 slightly hurt.
V2 10th
November 1944 disintegrated above Erith.
Its break-up did not do.any good for those on the ground, because the warhead
exploded in the centre of the road-way of King Harold's Way. The blast demolished
twenty homes, killing two people and injuring 24. Peter Gilham, aged 13, whose
home was in King Harold's Way, was at school in Northumberland Heath at the
time. He saw the flames and smoke of the explosion in the direction of his home
but was not too worried because he knew that his parents were out. When he
returned home for lunch, Peter found the house in a reasonable state, being
about half a mile from the point of impact. In a neighbour's garden were
firemen working to lift out the engine of the V2 from the soil into which it
had imbedded itself. a woman had been killed while taking a bath and another
person was killed in the street.
Brampton Road
St.Andrew. Began as a wooden hut in 1935. New
building in 1957. Became the mother church of a new parish in 1984.
Brampton Road
Brickfield. J. Amos 1847 and J.H.Sankey and Sons 1907-1918
Clam Field
Anti aircraft gun site
Dixon’s Farm
Fields and orchards of Dixon's farm disappeared under the
extensive development of Messrs. Feakes and Richards, although many of the original orchard fruit trees still
survive in the gardens of the houses
East Wickham
East Wickham.
‘Wikam’ in 1240, ‘Wykham’ 1254, ‘Estwycham’ 1284 ‘Est Wycham’ 1292,’ East Wickham’
c.1762, probably ‘homestead associated with a vicus’, i.e. an earlier Romano-British
settlement', from Old English ‘wic-hdm’. -East' to distinguish this place from
West Wickham, which lies some 10 miles south-west and has the same origin: both
names are likely to belong to the earliest stratum of Saxon names. Its
situation is significant, lying as it does just north of the old Roman road
from London to Dover and some 3 miles from the probable site of the Roman town
of Noviomagus. Much of the area owned by
the Surrey based Leigh family. In the 20th
development in Welling meant that what was left of the old hamlet of East Wickham became
a relic feature eclipsed by twentieth century development.
Roman road followed the
parish boundary,
St. Thomas More RC began in a temporary building, in 1936,
which continued in use as the church hall after the new church replaced it in 1951
East
Wickham House, for nearly 200 years the home of a family named Jones, some of whom
are commemorated in the old church.
Elmhurst
Another council development commemorates the name of the
large house previously situated there. The house survived to become an
auxiliary fire station during the Second World
War, suffering bomb damage before its final demolition to become a site
originally occupied by temporary prefabricated housing
Goldie Leigh Drive?
Cottage at edge of woods
was lodge for big house,
Avenue of trees behind it,
Goldie Leigh Hospital: Site
of Old Park House. Built 1902. Part of Sir George Leigh's manor of East
Wickham. For handicapped children. Transferred from Metropolitan Asylums Board
to London County Council.
Hartley Road
Home of Raymond friend of
Lenin
King Harold's Way
Parachute mine in 4.1941.
Damaged 1,072 properties
Library After six years of service from the mobile library, Bostall was
provided with a permanent library service in 1939, when Erith Borough Council
purchased a bungalow in King Harold’s Way for conversion to a branch library.
St.Hilary Estate – distinctive bungalows on cabbage
fields between here and Abbot’s Walk. Preceded any
amenities such as shops. The building materials
were delivered by a narrow gauge railway.
V2 attack 18th
February 1945. The Gilham family were seated around the dining table when the
huge explosion blew doors open and sent tiles flying off
the roof. Everyone dived under the table. A terrific whoosh sound like a train
entering a tunnel rose in the sky and faded away 7.44 pm
Longleigh Lane
Horse trough
Pantiles
Odd corners, such as the council estate here remained
to be built on until after World War II
Methodist
church was
opened in 1955
West Heath Road
The area of Erith adjacent to the Heath remained rural in
character until 1930, the only houses being a few villas in Woolwich Road and
West Heath Road. The years between the wars saw a spate of new development by
which the built-up area of Greater London expanded rapidly into surrounding
districts, and in 1930 the building of the "new
estates" in the Bostall area was begun. New houses appeared in West Heath
and Brampton Roads
West Heath recreation ground portion of Gray family property, which survived. Opened by the
Minister of Health, Sir Kingsley Wood, on July 2nd 1937. Temporary housing for bombed out families
from the war occupied it for several years, where a
collection of adapted Nissen huts was known as Nissen Way
Woolwich Road
The Gray family's extensive property fronting Woolwich
Road was built on by Messrs. Thoburn, although the splendid line of trees along its frontage was preserved
St.Joseph’s. Antedating the churches by 30 years, St. Joseph's Convent was
established in Woolwich Road in 1904. Its attendant Secondary School for girls
grew steadily in number of pupils, and the large modern wing was added in 1956.
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