Thamesmead
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thamesmead | |
|
  |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Bexley |
| Greenwich | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE28, SE2 |
| Post town | ERITH |
| Postcode district | DA18 |
| Dial code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | Erith and Thamesmead |
| London Assembly | Bexley and Bromley |
| Greenwich and Lewisham | |
| European Parliament | London |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Thamesmead is a "new town" in London built on the southern bank of the River Thames, 9.4 miles (15.1 km) east of Charing Cross. One of the estates in Thamesmead is Broadwater Green. It is located in the London Borough of Bexley, and the London Borough of Greenwich.
Much of the housing was initially built by the Greater London Council (GLC) for rent to families moving from Central London areas where slum clearance was under way. When the GLC was abolished in 1986, its housing assets and the remaining undeveloped land was vested in a non-profit organisation Thamesmead Town Limited (TTL). TTL was private company with an unusual form of governance. Its nine executive directors were made up of local residents whose continuation on the Board was subject to re-election on a periodic basis.
In 2000, TTL was wound down and two new organisations were created. In broad terms, Gallions Housing Association took over the ownership and management of the housing assets whilst Tilfen, later Tilfen Land, took over the remaining undeveloped land.
Most of the land Thamesmead was built on previously formed part of the old Royal Arsenal that extended over 'Plumstead Marshes' and 'Erith Marshes'. The area had been inundated in the North Sea Flood of 1953, so the original design placed living accommodation at first floor level or above, used overhead walkways and left the ground level of buildings as garage space. The older parts of Thamesmead are a mix of medium-rise and 12-storey blocks system-built in concrete, the newer more traditional and in brick.
Housing is still under construction here both by Gallions Housing Association (for rent and part rent/part buy) and private developers (for outright sale). Water remains an important feature of the parks and open spaces. Homes there are still relatively affordable by London standards, partly reflecting continuing travel difficulties and partly the stigma arising from its origins as a council-inspired overspill area. It is also under the flight path of airliners approaching London City Airport which detracts a little from the tranquil parkland character envisioned by its architects and planners.
District heating and cable radio broadcasting were pioneered there. The District Heating System was decommissioned around the turn of the millennium with those properties connected to it having wet radiator systems installed by the landlord.
The Tavy Bridge area, now being redeveloped by Gallions in partnership with Wates Construction, (whose plans include homes with dwelling space at ground floor level, making them susceptible to any future flooding), was used as a setting for parts of the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange and also the Channel 4 film Beautiful Thing. Thamesmead shopping centre is rather twee and contrived: finished in brick, its design marked the end of an era when architects toyed with the notion that English people could be persuaded to enjoy living in overtly concrete, system-built structures. Some overhead pedestrian walkways have been demolished for reasons of public safety and some ground floor garages have been infilled, as incidents of crime deterred their use as parking space.
The local football team is Thamesmead Town F.C., and a diverse music scene is typified by The Bargains..
The new prison of Belmarsh and the audacious, decorative and inventive sewage processing works at Crossness, built in the Victorian era, are on the western and eastern edges of Thamesmead respectively. The southern boundary is the covered South London Outfall Sewer, which has been landscaped as an elevated footpath called the Ridgeway.
There is a wide variety of active community groups and a short-range commercial radio station - 106.8 Time FM - that grew from the original cable (subsequently FM) service "Radio Thamesmead".
Nearest places:
Nearest railway stations:
[edit] References
'Ideal Homes: suburbia in focus - Thamesmead' [1] 'Description from the Hidden London website' [2]
