Eltham, London
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eltham ['ɛltəm] is a place in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is a suburban development situated 8.6 miles (13.8 km) east south-east of Charing Cross.
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[edit] History
It originally developed along part of the road from London to Maidstone and lies three miles (4.8 km) almost due south of Woolwich (Mottingham, to the south, was originally part of the parish - explaining why Eltham College is not actually in Eltham anymore).
Eltham was a civil parish of Kent until 1889 when it became part of the County of London and from 1899 formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich. The metropolitan borough was abolished in 1965 and Eltham then became part of the present-day London Borough of Greenwich.
[edit] Early development
Eltham lies on a high, sandy plateau which gave it a strategic significance. That, and the fact of its position on the main route to the English Channel ports in Kent, led to the creation of the moated Plantagenet Eltham Palace, still its most notable landmark.
The nearby manor of Well Hall was home to Sir John Pulteney, four times Lord Mayor of London, and later to wealthy Catholic William Roper and his wife Margaret (daughter of Sir Thomas More, known to Catholics as Saint Thomas Moore, Chancellor to King Henry VIII). In 1733 Sir Gregory Page bought this estate for £19,000 and demolished Roper House, building Page House - later known as Well Hall House - on the site. Until its demolition in 1931, Well Hall House variously served as a home to watchmaker John Arnold, and later to socialist Hubert Bland and author E. Nesbit. The site is now a public park: Well Hall Pleasaunce. An attractive 16th century former barn, known as The Tudor Barn, is now a prominent public house. The Pleasaunce has an active Friends group which organises events and a website giving details of the park's attractions Friends of Well Hall Pleasaunce. There are twice-monthly ranger walksand the website gives details of latest news. Map.
Also of note is Avery Hill Park and its former mansion, accessed from Bexley Road and at various points along the three miles of other streets that surround the park. Today the mansion is part of the University of Greenwich, which has a significant presence on two sites in the area. Avery Hill was the home of Colonel North, who made his fortune working in the Chilean nitrate industry. A hothouse is still open to the public and contains temperate and tropical plants. There are also remnants of the formal gardens in the public park.
[edit] Development after 1900
The village streets adjacent to the Palace, and the surrounding land, remained rural until Archibald Cameron Corbett bought the Eltham Park Estate and developed it with well-built suburban housing between 1900 and 1914. The Bexley Heath Railway (see below) had opened what came to be known as the Bexleyheath Line in 1895. Suburban development of the district really began when the Government through Her Majesty's Office of Works built the Progress Estate and large estates of temporary hutments in 1915, to house the vastly increased numbers of wartime workers in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. In the early years this was called, rather pretentiously, Well Hall Garden City, but it compares well with later groups of municipal housing in south London - which is surprising given the fact that it was constructed rapidly between February and December 1915 and its sub-division by the South Circular Road and, until about 1988, by the even busier A2 Trunk Road.
After World War I the building of housing estates continued unabated. By the beginning of World War II, three large estates were in existence: the Page Estate (1923), Middle Park (1931-36), and Horn Park (begun 1936, completed 1950s). The latter two were built on Eltham Palace's former hunting parks. Coldharbour Estate was built in 1947. In the 1990s the defence of Oxleas Wood to the east of the town became a focus for a pan-European campaign to resist high capacity urban roads. Significantly the European Court of Justice found the UK government at fault for not adequately assessing the environmental impact of the planned road, that would have joined Beckton to Falconwood and perhaps - if objectors' fears are to be believed - been a first stage of a wider orbital road through Catford (a revival of a Greater London Council-backed Ringway Two). In 2005 proposals to replace both the Andrew Carnegie-funded library on Eltham High Street and the newer public swimming pool were announced by the London Borough of Greenwich Council, the local authority.
[edit] Transport
Eltham, along with most other suburbs in south east London, is not served by the London underground. Commuters rely on two rail lines to central London, and the road network. Unfortunately, Eltham High street, the commercial centre situated on its elevated plateau, was not on an obvious route for the railway, so it is distant (and uphill) from both lines. Bus connections are adequate between these locations.
Eltham Green is one of the only places in south London served by National Express coaches, generally those serving Ramsgate, Deal or Dover on the Kent Coast.
[edit] Rail
[edit] The Bexleyheath Line
Originally opened on 1 May 1895 by a private company, it was taken over by the South Eastern Railway after suffering bankruptcy. There were originally two stations in Eltham - Eltham (Well Hall) (originally simply "Well Hall"); and Eltham Park ("Shooters Hill" originally) opened 1 July 1908 [1].
On 11 June 1972, a London-bound train came off the track at Well Hall, killing 6 and injuring 126. Both stations in Eltham were closed in 1985 when major work was carried out on the A2 dual carriageway. The new Eltham station opened in Glenlea Road the same year, combining bus and rail links in one complex, high above the A2. The new station is constructed in concrete, and the position of the platforms above the ticket office (with long ramps and stairs, denying a view of approaching trains), combined with its modernist feel, has led to negative comparisons with the two stations it replaced. picture
[edit] The Dartford Loop
This line, about 1km south of Eltham High St, was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 1 September 1866. It is commonly known by locals as the 'Sidcup line to Dartford' (Sidcup is a suburb situated south-east of Eltham). There are two stations on this line that best serve the population living to the south of Eltham: Mottingham (given the name "Eltham" until the Bexleyheath line opened), and New Eltham (formerly "Pope Street"). Both date from the early 20th century and have been significantly upgraded.
Given the lack of Tube access, the two suburban rail lines work at, or above, their capacity during peak-hour commuting to central London. Both before and after rail privatisation, dissatisfaction with the punctuality and crowding of the service has been a constant feature of life in this sector of the city.
[edit] Roads
Eltham High Street lies on the A210, the original A20 London to Maidstone road. But the A20 has now been diverted southwards, passing through Mottingham, and it is a dual carriageway that connects to the M20 motorway in Kent. Similarly, to the north, the dual carriageway A2 has replaced the Rochester Road section, which was always very congested (the old road had dangerous readings of lead pollution, close to schools, before the advent of lead-free petrol).
The upgrading of these two arterial routes in and out of London means that Eltham is handily positioned between the A20 and A2. Driving on either of these roads into London soon results in congestion, although the A2 does connect through to the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames, and thus into East London, all on dual carriageway. Driving eastwards allows access to the Dartford Tunnel, and the Kent countryside, in as little as 20 minutes in off-peak hours.
Crossing the two from north to the south is the A205 South Circular road, a busy arterial route.
The back streets of Eltham are moderately free of traffic noise and congestion, and many have been traffic-calmed by the local Council. Provision for cyclists is modest, while there are some interesting footpaths along ancient rights of way, for example in Oxleas Wood and Avery Hill Park.
[edit] Buses
Scheduled coaches, marketed as part of the National Express network, link Eltham Green to Pimlico and Victoria in central London and to several destinations on the Kent coast via Bluewater a retail-based development on a grand scale situated in Dartford borough and Canterbury.
The 321 bus contracted by TfL runs between New Cross Gate and Foots Cray, being the eastern end of a longer traditional radial service, route 21. However, the station and high street are well served by buses to other suburban destinations, including the 286 to Greenwich and Sidcup, the 161 to North Greenwich tube station, Mottingham and Chislehurst, the 132 to Blackfen and Bexleyheath, 162 to Bromley and some less direct "hoppa"-style bus services.
[edit] Culture and identity
Eltham appears to be similar to many of the surrounding suburbs of south East London, and its racial mix (national average) is similar to other London boroughs between inner London and the outer London boroughs. It has much more green space and Green Belt land to its East and south east. Thus it is both 'suburban' and 'urban', and it forms part of the inner-London Borough of Greenwich. It has an unusually high quotient of green space, with large areas of woodland to the north and east, including the historic woodland of Shooters Hill and Oxleas Wood, the Woodlands Farm community holding, Eltham Parks north and south and extensive parkland heading into Avery Hill park.
Its historical fame as 'royal' Eltham has not really endured - many pre and post-war housing estates were bland redevelopments, and visually unappealing (the Progress Estate is an exception). The town centre has lost several of its anchor stores and its one remaining Cinema since the 1980s, and some attractive back streets were replaced by a supermarket and a car park at that time. It does support a loyal core of shoppers, diners, and drinkers, but the nightlife is modest. House prices in this part of London, even during the booms of the 1980s and late 1990s, were significantly below the averages for other sectors of London,[citation needed] reflecting its disconnection from London's 'global' image and the finance capital of the City. Immigrants to London tend to head to other sectors - Eltham's relatively national-average racial and ethnic makeup is similar to other areas situated a similar distance from the centre in North West or West London, like Harrow or Ealing. Eltham still has large areas of Council housing. In the world of the tabloid newspapers, its name undeservedly became linked with racism after the Stephen Lawrence murder in 1993; however, there have been many similar murders in many areas of the country since and more objective commentators recognise the branding is of the 'tabloid journalism cuttings library' variety. Outside the estates, Eltham residents occupy a housing stock of mixed age, particularly towards Eltham Park and the multiple streets with 'Glen' in their names, and there are some fine buildings scattered around the area. At least two roads, North Park and Court Road, contain million pound homes, and some of the older Victorian buildings have been subdivided into apartments. The school system, and the commercial hub, are really a reflection of Eltham's population and recent history - a functional centre, but increasingly under threat from out-of-town shopping and increased vehicle ownership.
[edit] Famous residents
- Socialist Hubert Bland lived in Well Hall House, Eltham from 1899 to 1922.
- Billy Bonds MBE - Former Charlton Athletic, West Ham United Footballer, and former Millwall F.C. manager.
- Singer Kate Bush was born in nearby Bexleyheath, and bought an imposing house on Court Road, Eltham in the 1980s. She sold it in 2002, when it was reported that she had moved to the London Docklands. 2005 Guardian and Mirror articles, however, suggest she lives on an island in the Thames near Theale, Berkshire, and recently bought a house and 17 acres in Devon.
- Millionaire, war veteran and philanthropist Sir Stephen Courtauld M.C. and his wife, Lady Virginia, lived at Eltham Palace from the mid 1930s to 1944.
- Boy George, singer and performer, grew up in Eltham.
- Denis Winston Healey (Baron Healey) lived in the Eltham "Hutments."
- Comedian and Hollywood film star Bob Hope KBE was born in Eltham in 1903 (blue plaque at 44, Craigton Road, SE9). In 1982 the Eltham Little Theatre was renamed The Bob Hope Theatre in his honour, following his donations that saved the theatre from closure. He also visited the theatre in 1980.
- Comedian and Comic Actor Frankie Howerd was educated at Shooters Hill Grammar School in Eltham. He also lived in the "Hutments". The Wetherspoons conversion of the Eltham branch of Barclays Bank to a pub called The Banker's Draft resulted in the pub being themed around Frankie Howerd. Many pictures and artefacts from his life adorn the walls.
- Commodore Sir William James (naval commander) (1720-1783) settled in Eltham at Park Farm Place in 1759 and is commemorated by Severndroog Castle on nearby Shooter's Hill.
- Naturalist and writer Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) (blue plaque at 59, Footscray Road, SE9).
- Actor and Hollywood film star Jude Law lived in Eltham and began his career at The Bob Hope Theatre.
- Cabinet minister and leader of London County Council Herbert Morrison (1888-1965) lived at 55 Archery Road, SE9 between 1929 and 1960.
- Author Edith Nesbit wrote "The Railway Children" in Eltham, and also lived in Well Hall House
- Gavin Peacock, Former Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers Footballer, and currently football pundit for the BBC.
- Several members of the renowned anarcho-punk band Conflict originated in Eltham.
- Louise Redknapp, singer, grew up in Eltham
- Kieran Richardson, Professional Footballer with Manchester United, attended Riverston Independent School in Eltham.
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Natural areas
- Oxleas Wood
- Jack Woods
- Eltham Park
- Avery Hill Park
- Royal Blackheath Golf Club
[edit] External links
- Eltham Park station, now gone
- Bexleyheath line, history
- This is Eltham website, with some pics
- Eltham Palace
- Eltham College, a public school situated in Mottingham
