Riverside Gardens (Bexley)
Brief Description
Erith's Riverside Gardens lie on a rectangular site alongside the river promenade that has fine views to the opposite bank of the Thames and towards the Thames Estuary. The gardens opened in the 1940s on what had been the riverside site of Cannon & Gaze flour mills, much of which was destroyed in a fire in 1937. The original gardens had a formal layout. They were later enlarged as a result of a transfer of a parcel of land in 1967 by coal merchants William Cory & Son. This was eventually added to Riverside Gardens in 1982/3 when flood defences were built. The gardens are laid out with lawns, trees and shrub beds, with an area of raised beds with flowers and shrubs around a flagpole.
Practical Information
- Site location:
- High Street, Erith
- Postcode:
- DA8 1QY
- What 3 Words:
- tolls.sulk.goats
- Type of site:
- Public Gardens
- Borough:
- Bexley
- Open to public?
- Yes
- Opening times:
- unrestricted
- Special conditions:
- Facilities:
- Events:
- annual Erith River Festival
- Public transport:
- Rail: Erith. Bus: 229, 469. (buses 99, 428 and B12 stop at nearby bus terminal)
- Research updated:
- 01/04/2015
- Last minor changes:
- 14/07/2022
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.bexley.gov.uk
Full Site Description
Riverside Gardens are close to the site of Henry VIII's naval dockyard where his famous warship Henri Grace a Dieu was fitted out in 1515. The dockyard may have been the reason why the town centre moved from its original location around the parish church of St John the Baptist (q.v.) to the riverside. As a result Erith developed as a small port, where ships could discharge some of their cargo before going upstream, and provided convenient anchorage for sailing barges until recent times. In the 1840s Erith briefly became a resort with a steamer landing, hotel and pleasure grounds. Sailing barge races used to start and finish at Erith in the 1860s and from 1872 - 98 the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club was based here. By the beginning of the C20th Erith drew crowds to its popular annual regatta and the annual Riverside Festival today celebrates this history.
The main period of rapid change in the town took place after the North Kent Railway extended its line and opened a station at Erith in 1849. This led to both residential and industrial development, particularly after the large Wheatley Estate was sold in 1874. Between 1841 and 1901 the population grew from 2,082 to 25,296. A wide variety of industries and manufacturers established themselves here, including armaments such as the Vickers Factory, coal merchants, flour mills and engineering works. Erith Urban District Council was formed in 1894 from the earlier Erith Local Board of Health, and public services were expanded, with a public swimming pool built across the road from where Riverside Gardens are today, public library as well as educational and health services.
Riverside Gardens opened in the 1940s, laid out on the former site of riverside flour mills of Cannon & Gaze, which had suffered a fire in 1937. They were later enlarged following the gift of an additional parcel of land made in 1967 by William Cory & Son, prosperous coal merchants, who live on in the name of the riverside walkway: William Cory Promenade. The transfer deed stated that Bexley Council were acquiring the land 'for permanent objects not involving a resale or other disposition', and it was eventually added to Riverside Gardens in 1983 when flood defences were being built. The gardens were re-landscaped and are laid out with lawns, trees and shrub beds, with a paved area of raised beds with flowers and shrubs around a flagpole. A postcard of c1950 shows the gardens laid out formally in a series of rectangular compartments, as does the OS map of 1963, which indicates the position of a flagstaff.
When the gardens were threatened by redevelopment as part o the Erith Western Gateway regeneration scheme, an active local group, Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith (FORGE) was formed in 2011 to safeguard the future of the gardens. FORGE undertakes maintenance and planting of part of the flowerbeds around the Flagpole area of the gardens, as well as putting on the annual Erith Riverside Festival. This festival was run for 20 years by the Erith Riverside Festival Committee but it is now organised by the Erith Rotary Club who took over a few years ago when the Erith Riverside Festival Committee were no longer able to meet the high costs imposed by the local Council. FORGE, together with Thames 21, also carry out two 'Clean Up' days each year when local volunteers remove debris and litter from the Thames foreshore. The Gardens are on the extended Thames Cycle and Walking Path and also on the Green Chain Walk.
Sources consulted:
LB Bexley Local History Notes, Erith, 2013; http://edithsstreets.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/railway-from-london-bridge-to-gravesend_28.html;
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ515781 (551468,178192)
- Size in hectares:
- 1.16
- Site ownership:
- LB Bexley
- Site management:
- Parks Service. (part of the flowerbeds are managed by Friends of Riverside Gardens Erith (FORGE)
- Date(s):
- 1937?
- Designer(s):
- Listed structures:
- None
- On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:
No- Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:
No- Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:
No
Local Authority Data
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
- On Local List:
- No
- In Conservation Area:
- Yes
- Conservation Area name:
- Erith Riverside
- Tree Preservation Order:
- No
- Nature Conservation Area:
- No
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- Other LA designation:
- Urban Open Space
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.