Railway from London Bridge to Gravesend Belvedere
Railway between London Bridge and Gravesend
The railway continues eastwards but, after Belvedere Station, begins to turn south eastwards
TQ 49471 79167
Somewhere here there might be the site of an old marshland village, or even of a respectable working class neighbourhood - with a large and transient community of travellers on the marshes. Now it seems every facility Belevere ever had is closing, and there are flats, superstores and a statue of a horse.
Post to the west Yarnton Way
Post to the east Belvedere Marshes
Post to the north Belvedere
Bronze Age Way
This is the Erith -Thamesmead Spine Road opened in 1997 and named Bronze Age Way after archaeological discoveries during its construction. It is the A2016.
Eastern Way
This section of Eastern Way, A2016, from Thamesmead to the roundabout with Picardy Manorway was completed in the mid-1980s.
Gilbert Road
Gilbert Road is named for the last owners of Heron Hill.
St Augustine. A large red brick church built in 1916. This was built to serve the growing part of All Saints' Parish at Lower Belvedere. Originally it was an iron mission church dedicated to St. Augustine opened in 1884. A building fund was opened after a meeting in 1909 but there was locally unemployment and the collection of money was hard. The architect C. Hodgson Fowler, with Temple Moore, altered the plans and the foundation stone was laid in 1915 but the church could not be completed until 1965.
66 Belvedere Workings Men’s Club.
Hailey Road
Hailey Road Business Park
Europa World Wide Services. This is Europa’s Head Office. They began in 1966 with one van going to and fro to Italy, by 1976 they restructured as an international haulier
Lower Road.
Erith and Belvedere Football Club. An Erith FC had existed at the turn of the 20th century, however Erith and Belvedere FC was formed in 1922. They played at Park View Ground. In 1997 the club was forced to leave this ground, after a fire wrecked the main stand and they moved to a ground share arrangement at Park View Road in Welling. The original site is now a super store.
Belvedere Family Centre
Mitchell Close
Belvedere Junior School. The Erith National School was founded in 1850. The Church could not support it adequately and in 1876 it was transferred to the Erith School Board. In 1901 a new Central School was built and the duties of the school board were transferred to Erith Urban District Council, from 1938 Erith Borough Council. In 1944 Erith ceased to be an Education Authority and the School now called West Street County Primary School came under Kent County Council. In 1973 the Infant School moved to Crabtree Manor Way and in 1987 the Junior School moved next door changed its name to Belvedere Junior School. This school is now an ‘academy’ with another local school in a Trust
Picardy Manor Way
Picardy Manorway was built in the late 1980s and replaced a nearby level crossing. At one time the A2016 took this route and turned left along Lower Road and West Street until Bronze Age Way was built
Horse on the roundabout. This is the Belvedere Cob by Andy Scott with associations to the traveller community who lived on the marshes.
Picardy Street
Picardy is an old name locally; it appears in a document of 1569 and conjectures as to its origin include unconvincing. The road was sstraightened in 1962
Co-op shop was replaced with a library. That seems to have gone too, and the Tesco is about to close.
Sheridan Road
Grand Cinema. Built in 1913 and renamed Cosy Talkie Cinema in 1931. This became the Kit Kat Ballroom. Demolished 1961 and a flats built on site. It was on the corner with Picardy Street
Station Road
38 Belvoir Tavern. Closed. Probably built 1865. Rebuilt 1960s.
Belvedere Station. Built in 1859 by the South East and Chatham Railway it lies between Abbey Wood and Erith Stations on South Eastern Trains. It was built on the North Kent line at the time that estates being laid out in the area and has two storey brick building on the up side with wooden hutted platforms buildings and a steel framed passenger footbridge. It was bombed in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1968 and in 1999.
Goods Yard. This closed in 1968.
Level crossing. This closed in 1989 and a bridge built over the tracks.
Railway Electricity Sub Station. This brick building was installed by the Southern Railway upon electrification in 1926. It contained two rotary converters driven by ac power from Deptford Power Station supplying dc power to the conductor rail.
A grass strip alongside the down track was the track-bed of the siding to Belvedere Gas Works.
Yarnton Way
Belvedere Gas Holders. Set up by the South Suburban Gas Company around 1922 as a gasholder station. The two gasholders are from 1923 and of 1931.
Sources
Bygone Kent
Friends of the Earth. London Gasworks
London Borough of Bexley. Web site
Pritchard, Belvedere & Bostall
SABRE. Web site.
Spurgeon. Discover Erith and Crayford
The railway continues eastwards but, after Belvedere Station, begins to turn south eastwards
TQ 49471 79167
Somewhere here there might be the site of an old marshland village, or even of a respectable working class neighbourhood - with a large and transient community of travellers on the marshes. Now it seems every facility Belevere ever had is closing, and there are flats, superstores and a statue of a horse.
Post to the west Yarnton Way
Post to the east Belvedere Marshes
Post to the north Belvedere
Bronze Age Way
This is the Erith -Thamesmead Spine Road opened in 1997 and named Bronze Age Way after archaeological discoveries during its construction. It is the A2016.
Eastern Way
This section of Eastern Way, A2016, from Thamesmead to the roundabout with Picardy Manorway was completed in the mid-1980s.
Gilbert Road
Gilbert Road is named for the last owners of Heron Hill.
St Augustine. A large red brick church built in 1916. This was built to serve the growing part of All Saints' Parish at Lower Belvedere. Originally it was an iron mission church dedicated to St. Augustine opened in 1884. A building fund was opened after a meeting in 1909 but there was locally unemployment and the collection of money was hard. The architect C. Hodgson Fowler, with Temple Moore, altered the plans and the foundation stone was laid in 1915 but the church could not be completed until 1965.
66 Belvedere Workings Men’s Club.
Hailey Road
Hailey Road Business Park
Europa World Wide Services. This is Europa’s Head Office. They began in 1966 with one van going to and fro to Italy, by 1976 they restructured as an international haulier
Lower Road.
Erith and Belvedere Football Club. An Erith FC had existed at the turn of the 20th century, however Erith and Belvedere FC was formed in 1922. They played at Park View Ground. In 1997 the club was forced to leave this ground, after a fire wrecked the main stand and they moved to a ground share arrangement at Park View Road in Welling. The original site is now a super store.
Belvedere Family Centre
Mitchell Close
Belvedere Junior School. The Erith National School was founded in 1850. The Church could not support it adequately and in 1876 it was transferred to the Erith School Board. In 1901 a new Central School was built and the duties of the school board were transferred to Erith Urban District Council, from 1938 Erith Borough Council. In 1944 Erith ceased to be an Education Authority and the School now called West Street County Primary School came under Kent County Council. In 1973 the Infant School moved to Crabtree Manor Way and in 1987 the Junior School moved next door changed its name to Belvedere Junior School. This school is now an ‘academy’ with another local school in a Trust
Picardy Manor Way
Picardy Manorway was built in the late 1980s and replaced a nearby level crossing. At one time the A2016 took this route and turned left along Lower Road and West Street until Bronze Age Way was built
Horse on the roundabout. This is the Belvedere Cob by Andy Scott with associations to the traveller community who lived on the marshes.
Picardy Street
Picardy is an old name locally; it appears in a document of 1569 and conjectures as to its origin include unconvincing. The road was sstraightened in 1962
Co-op shop was replaced with a library. That seems to have gone too, and the Tesco is about to close.
Sheridan Road
Grand Cinema. Built in 1913 and renamed Cosy Talkie Cinema in 1931. This became the Kit Kat Ballroom. Demolished 1961 and a flats built on site. It was on the corner with Picardy Street
Station Road
38 Belvoir Tavern. Closed. Probably built 1865. Rebuilt 1960s.
Belvedere Station. Built in 1859 by the South East and Chatham Railway it lies between Abbey Wood and Erith Stations on South Eastern Trains. It was built on the North Kent line at the time that estates being laid out in the area and has two storey brick building on the up side with wooden hutted platforms buildings and a steel framed passenger footbridge. It was bombed in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1968 and in 1999.
Goods Yard. This closed in 1968.
Level crossing. This closed in 1989 and a bridge built over the tracks.
Railway Electricity Sub Station. This brick building was installed by the Southern Railway upon electrification in 1926. It contained two rotary converters driven by ac power from Deptford Power Station supplying dc power to the conductor rail.
A grass strip alongside the down track was the track-bed of the siding to Belvedere Gas Works.
Yarnton Way
Belvedere Gas Holders. Set up by the South Suburban Gas Company around 1922 as a gasholder station. The two gasholders are from 1923 and of 1931.
Sources
Bygone Kent
Friends of the Earth. London Gasworks
London Borough of Bexley. Web site
Pritchard, Belvedere & Bostall
SABRE. Web site.
Spurgeon. Discover Erith and Crayford
Comments