Crayfordness to Woolwich

We returned to the lower Thames for a mid-winter estuary walk past the industrial towns and marshes downstream of Woolwich where the Thames walk began in September. The photograph (right) shows the route. At the bottom of the photograph you can just see Tower Bridge. After one bend to the left (north) the river begins to flow around the Rotherhithe peninsula where the Surrey Docks used to be. You can just see Greenland Dock which is one of the few remaining expanses of water in this prominentry. The next prominentry on the north bank is the Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf), followed by a third very pronounced prominentary - The Greenwich peninsula where the Dome is. Beyond that the river straightens out for a while and you can see the Thames Barrier as a sort of dotted line across the river. On the left of the river on the north bank you can see the Royal Docks. At the end of this straight section of river is Woolwich. Our walk this week covered the section beyond Woolwich where the river flows around a broad prominentry on the south bank where the towns of Thamesmead, Erith and Slade Green are located. The size of this peninsula helps explain why this walk (at 11 miles) was the longest we have done so far.

We began at Slade Green where a short walk from the station brought us out onto the Crayford marshes and past Howbury Moat where Odo the Bishop of Bayeaux used to live. The walls date from the 12th century, but the site is a full two or three hundred years older than that. The last occupied house within the walls was of 17th century build and was lived in until 1935.

Dartford Creek or the River Darent

Alfie, Ray and Alan (aka Maggot) on the Dartford Creek dyke

We walked alongside the Dartford Creek until it flowed into the Thames near Crayfordness

The Dartford Creek/Thames confluence with the Dartford-Thurrock bridge in the background

Erith viewed from Crayford Ness

The raised Thames path gave a good view over the Crayford and Dartford Marshes where quite a few "Marsh ponies" were grazing

Maggot and Alistair on the escalators into Erith Shopping Centre where we found a surprisingly good cafe. The Wikipedia entry on Erith's redevelopment is quirky. "Demolition of the old town started in 1966 when the mayor of Bexey (sic) smashed Headley Mitchell's shop window, and continued in phases until by 1980, all that remained of the old town was Queens Church, The Crosskeys pub and Christchurch" I don't think its completely accurate.

Erith pier is London's longest pier and was 444 ft long when first constructed in 1842.

Alfie on Erith Pier

Alistair approaches the end of Erith Pier

The Columbia River passes Erith Pier having discharged its cargo of American sugar beat at the Tate and Lyle factory in Silvertown

Erith riverside industries

...and also wooden jetties and regeneration style housing

Cormorant and landfill site in distance on the north bank of the Thames at Coldharbour

Sista and Pikey tags - Erith riverside

skewiff and denuded estuarine sign

Seabird colony

Over bridges, under jetties the enclosed industrial rollercoaster Thames path

Does anybody know what these strange contraptions are?

This power station fuelled by sewage has been generating 5MW of power since 1998.

Golf driving range with Sir Joseph Bazalgette's sewage pumping plant in the background. Crossness is the place where South London's sewage was released untreated into the Thames at high tide.

From left to right Maggot, Alistair, Alfie, Ray and Raja