Erith

File:Mudflats at Erith - geograph.org.uk - 198214.jpg in the far background]]

Work carried out at the former British Gypsum site in Church Manorway by the Museum of London Archaeological Service shows that the area was covered by a dense forest of oak, yew and alder in the Neolithic Period, which by the Bronze Age had given way in part to sedge fen.[http://www.molas.org.uk/pages/siteSummariesDetailsAll.asp?year=summaries2001 Museum of London summary of archaeological work carried out in 2001] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050515074054/http://www.molas.org.uk/pages/siteSummariesDetailsAll.asp?year=summaries2001 |date=15 May 2005 }} accessed 6 April 2008

The museum's work at the former site of Erith School in Belmont Road revealed traces of prehistoric settlement and a substantial community or farmstead in the first century CE.[http://www.molas.org.uk/pages/siteSummariesDetailsAll.asp?year=summaries1996 Museum of London summary of archaeological work carried out in 1996] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050325224515/http://www.molas.org.uk/pages/siteSummariesDetailsAll.asp?year=summaries1996 |date=25 March 2005}} Accessed 6 April 2008.

After the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, Britain was colonised by Anglo-Saxon invaders from northern Europe. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that they won the Battle of Crecganford (thought to be modern Crayford) in 457 and shortly after claimed the whole of Kent. Their different way of life was reflected in their settlement pattern. The town and country estates of Roman bureaucrats gave way to a network of villages occupied by warriors and farmers. Erith was one such and has a Saxon name, originally Ærre hyðe meaning "old haven".{{Cite web |last=Hasted |first=Edward |title='Parishes: Erith', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp227-263 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102173932/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp227-263 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |access-date=1 January 2016 |website=British History Online |publisher=Canterbury |pages=227–263 |df=dmy-all}}

There was probably a church on the site of the present St John the Baptist's in the Anglo-Saxon period.{{Cite web |date=20 May 1953 |title=Parish Church of St John the Baptist – Bexley – Greater London – England |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-198724-parish-church-of-st-john-the-baptish-bex |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126072846/http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-198724-parish-church-of-st-john-the-baptish-bex |archive-date=26 January 2012 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=British Listed Buildings |df=dmy-all}} The early settlement was based around it, meaning that the centre of Erith was once west of its current location.

File:Western Face of the Church of St John the Baptist, Erith (01).jpg

The earliest written reference to the area is in a Latin charter of 695, recording a grant by the Bishop of the East Saxons of land at Erith. The surrounding area was known as Lesnes or Lessness, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. After the Norman Conquest, Lessness passed into the possession of Bishop Odo.{{Cite web |title=The Bexley Area in the Domesday Book |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/10263/The-Bexley-Area-in-the-Domesday-Book |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701040926/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/10263/The-Bexley-Area-in-the-Domesday-Book |archive-date=1 July 2016 |access-date=11 February 2017 |website=Bexley borough council |df=dmy-all}} In 1315, a Royal Charter was granted for a market to be held in Erith every Thursday, but it was noted in 1776 that the market was long discontinued.[http://www.bexley.gov.uk/localstudies/local_history/guide_pdfs/51_historical_references_to_erith_market.pdf Bexley Local Studies Note 51 – Historical References to Erith Market]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} Accessed 6 June 2008.

Erith owes its existence to the Thames, and was until the 1850s essentially a small riverside port, given prominence by King Henry VIII's decision to open a naval dockyard there, approximately where the Riverside Gardens are now. Henry's famous warship, Henri Grace à Dieu, was fitted out there in 1515.{{Cite web |title=History of Erith | History of Bexley and Districts |url=http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bexley/assets/histories/erith |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715181811/http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bexley/assets/histories/erith |archive-date=15 July 2018 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=Ideal Homes}}

After the death of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1538, Erith "alias Lysnes" was granted to his widow, Elizabeth, by Henry VIII "with all its members and appurtenances, to hold in capite, by knight's service."{{Cite book |last=Hasted |first=Edward |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp227-263 |title=The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent |publisher=W. Bristow |year=1797 |location=Canterbury |pages=227–263 |author-link=Edward Hasted |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102173932/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp227-263 |archive-date=2 January 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}

Erith remained a popular anchorage until the 19th century. Ships often discharged cargo there to reduce their displacement before entering shallows upstream.

In 1797 Edward Hasted described Erith as "one small street of houses, which leads to the water side", and mentions annual fairs at Ascension and Michaelmas.{{Cite web |title=Parishes: Erith - British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62813 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903013445/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62813 |archive-date=3 September 2014 |access-date=7 May 2018 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |df=dmy-all}} In 1831 Erith's population was 1,533. It was composed in 1840 "chiefly of two streets, one leading down to the water side, the other branching off to the left towards the church."{{Cite web |title=RootsWeb.com Home Page |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~shebra/pigots_1840_-_crayford,_erith_&c_.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205235812/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~shebra/pigots_1840_-_crayford%2C_erith_%26c_.htm |archive-date=5 February 2008 |access-date=7 May 2018 |website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com |df=dmy-all}}

File:28 and 30 Erith High Street (II).jpg

By 1849 Erith was enjoying a short spell as a riverside resort. Its pier and nearby hotel gave hospitality for day-trippers arriving on Thames pleasure boats or by rail. An arboretum with extensive pleasure grounds was opened to attract visitors.{{Cite book |last=Blanchard |first=Edward Litt Leman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7htbAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA104 |title=Adams's Pocket Descriptive Guide to the Environs of the Metropolis, etc |date=1850 |publisher=W. J. Adams |page=104}}

The Local Government Act 1894 brought into existence Erith Urban District, which became the Municipal Borough of Erith in 1938. It included Northumberland Heath and Belvedere.

Erith Iron Works was established in 1864 on a riverside site at Anchor Bay, east of Erith's centre, by William Anderson.[http://www.bexley.gov.uk/localstudies/local_history/guide_pdfs/66_sir_william_anderson_1834-1898.pdf Bexley Local Studies Note 66 'Sir William Anderson']{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed 6 June 2008.

On 1 October 1864 a 46½-ton gunpowder explosion blew out the river wall, exposing large areas of South London to flooding at high tide. A crowd of navvies and soldiers directed by a local engineer managed to plug the gap just before high water.{{Cite journal |last=Moore |first=Lewis |year=1865 |title=On the Erith Explosion, and the Repair of the Thames Embankment |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101049914268&view=1up&seq=209&q1=erith |journal=Society of Engineers Transactions for 1864 |location=London |publisher=E & FN Spon |pages=183–199 |access-date=16 November 2020}}

From 1881 an area north-west of Erith's centre was the site of a cable works founded by William Callender. This became British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC) and eventually Pirelli, which announced its partial closure in 2003. The remainder became Prysmian.

File:Erith Library (I).jpg in Walnut Tree Road by William Egerton, opened on 7 April 1906.]]

File:Erith Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1278414.jpg, completed in 1932]]

Erith's first library, designed by local architect William Egerton and funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, opened in 1906.{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Chris |date=21 March 2019 |title=Calls for help to save Erith's Old Library building |work=Bexley Times |url=https://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-old-library-building-in-erith-1-5950293 |access-date=6 March 2020}}

Engineering became an important industry in Erith, with armaments and cables as the main products. Vickers was a major employer, with links to the Royal Arsenal at nearby Woolwich.

File:The De Lucile Fish Mosaic Sculpture.jpg in 2006]]

During the First World War Erith was an important area for the manufacture of guns and ammunition, largely due to the presence of the large Vickers works. In the Second World War, the town suffered heavy bomb damage, mainly because of its riverside position near the Royal Arsenal. The bomb damage and a gradual decline in local trade prompted major redevelopment in the 1960s.

File:Erith, Riverside shopping centre - geograph.org.uk - 717401.jpg

In 1961, Erith began to be redeveloped as a modern shopping and working environment, through the clearing of sub-standard housing by the riverside and alterations to the street layout. Some of the new buildings, such as the social housing tower blocks, have a brutalist form typical of overspill estates built by councils in major cities as an affordable way to clear the slums.[http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbanregeneration/0,8145,392054,00.html Urban regeneration: the essentials] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419083145/http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbanregeneration/0,8145,392054,00.html |date=19 April 2013}} The Guardian

In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, Erith became part of the London Borough of Bexley.

File:The White Hart in Erith.jpg

Demolition of the old town started in 1966 and continued in phases until 1980, leaving only a few reminders of the old town centre. Many of the original Victorian buildings were lost, but some original townscape remains, including the White Hart in the High Street and St John's Church in West Street.

File:Riverside apartments, Erith - geograph.org.uk - 198210.jpg

Since the late 1990s Erith has undergone marked changes, culminating in the Erith Western Thames Gateway project.[http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/erithwesterngateway/index.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007013402/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/erithwesterngateway/index.html|date=7 October 2008}} The regeneration falls within the remit of the Thames Gateway project, with Erith as a focus for Bexley Council, as its only population centre on the River Thames.{{Cite web |date=15 May 2008 |title=London – Places – Why Thames Gateway is good for Bexley |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/03/08/thamesgateway_bexley_opinion_feature.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110011723/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/03/08/thamesgateway_bexley_opinion_feature.shtml |archive-date=10 November 2012 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=BBC |df=dmy-all}} Since 2000 a significant number of new flats have been built on the river by private developers. The Erith Western Gateway will include riverside flats,{{Cite web |title=Erith Western Gateway |url=http://www.thamesgateway.gov.uk/index.html?rm%3Dnews%26article%3D22%26PHPSESSID%3D986aa54265aa061b23cb5883448aae85 |access-date=17 September 2007}}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |fix-attempted=yes}} and is expected to include the regeneration of a large underused area of the town centre, earmarked by Bexley Council for a mixed-use development with up to 6,000 sq. m of new commercial space and over 500 new homes.

In 2020, local campaigners secured National Lottery funding to restore the former library building as new community facilities.{{Cite news |last=Bennett-Ness |first=James |date=27 February 2020 |title=Old Library in Erith with fascinating history to be fully restored thanks to Bexley residents |work=News Shopper |url=https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18266529.old-library-erith-fascinating-history-fully-restored-thanks-bexley-residents/ |access-date=6 March 2020}}

The population of Erith is 62% White British, according to the 2011 census, down from 82% in 2001 and 89% in 1991. The second highest ethnicity is Black African, at 14%.{{Cite web |last=Services |first=Good Stuff IT |title=Erith - UK Census Data 2011 |url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/erith-e05000075 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920225623/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/erith-e05000075 |archive-date=20 September 2016 |access-date=7 May 2018 |website=UK Census Data |df=dmy-all}}

The median house price in Erith ward was £181,000 in 2014, the third lowest of the 628 wards in Greater London, with only neighbouring Belvedere and the Abbey ward of Barking and Dagenham having lower prices.{{Cite web |title=Ward Profiles and Atlas – London Datastore |url=https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/ward-profiles-and-atlas.}}

File:Erith ward.PNG (yellow)]]

Much of Erith is in the Erith ward of the London Borough of Bexley. The local councillors are Joe Ferreira and Nicola Taylor (both Labour).{{Cite web |title=Erith Councillors |url=http://democracy.bexley.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2515 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407052107/http://democracy.bexley.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2515 |archive-date=7 April 2016 |access-date=8 July 2018 |website=London Borough of Bexley}} The eastern part of Erith is in North End ward and the southern part in Colyers ward.

Most of Erith lies within the Erith and Thamesmead constituency. The current Member of Parliament is Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour). The eastern part of Erith is within the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, whose MP is Daniel Francis (Labour).

Erith is in the Bexley and Bromley London Assembly constituency and is represented on the London Assembly by Thomas Turrell (Conservative).

{{for|education in Erith|London Borough of Bexley#Education}}

• Erith Leisure Centre, including swimming facilities, was opened in 2005.{{Cite web |title=London Borough of Bexley - Erith Leisure Centre |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/11854/Erith-Leisure-Centre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227234940/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/11854/Erith-Leisure-Centre |archive-date=27 February 2017 |access-date=2017-02-27 |df=dmy-all}}

• The David Ives Stadium next to the Leisure Centre, often called Erith Stadium, is the home track of Bexley Athletic Club.{{Cite web |title=Training - Bexley Athletic Club |url=http://www.bexleyac.org.uk/?page_id=67 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508055220/http://www.bexleyac.org.uk/?page_id=67 |archive-date=8 May 2018 |access-date=7 May 2018 |website=www.bexleyac.org.uk}}{{Cite web |date=31 March 2005 |title=Erith Stadium |url=http://www.runtrackdir.com/details.asp?track=erith |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=Runtrackdir.com}}

• The Erith Playhouse Theatre is the largest in Bexley.{{Cite web |date=21 January 2012 |title=Erith Playhouse |url=http://www.playhouse.org.uk/news.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729195722/http://www.playhouse.org.uk/news.htm |archive-date=29 July 2012 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=Playhouse.org.uk |df=dmy}}

File:Fishing from Erith Deep Wharf - geograph.org.uk - 1205126.jpg

• Erith has the longest pier in Greater London.

• Erith Rowing Club is located on the Erith waterfront. Erith Yacht Club is based a short distance downstream from Erith on the edge of Crayford Marshes.

• There are two senior football clubs named for Erith, although only Erith Town is based in the town, Erith & Belvedere play at Park View Road in Welling.

The annual Erith Riverside Festival is held in Riverside Gardens alongside the Thames.{{Cite web |title=Erith Riverside Festival |url=http://www.pla.co.uk/Events/Erith-Riverside-Festival}} Erith is the starting point for the London Outer Orbital Path (LOOP) and one starting point for the Green Chain Walk.{{Cite web |title=Explore South East London's Green Chain |url=http://www.greenchain.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000925194427/http://www.greenchain.com/ |archive-date=25 September 2000 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=Greenchain.com}} The Thames Path National Trail,{{Cite web |last=Ramblers |title=Thames Path National Trail | Paths by name | Ramblers, Britain's Walking Charity |url=http://www.ramblers.org.uk/info/paths/thames.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928200621/http://www.ramblers.org.uk/INFO/paths/thames.html |archive-date=28 September 2008 |access-date=24 August 2012 |publisher=Ramblers.org.uk |df=dmy}} which runs to the source of the River Thames at Kemble, begins at nearby Crayford Ness.

• Philip Absolon (b. 1960), Stuckist artist, was born in Erith.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
• Ronnie Aldrich (1916–1993), jazz pianist and band-leader, was born in Erith.{{Cite web |title=Surnames beginning with A |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/3296/Surnames-beginning-with-A |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609204629/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/3296/Surnames-beginning-with-A |archive-date=9 June 2016 |access-date=13 November 2016 |website=bexley.gov.uk |df=dmy-all}}
• Patrick Young Alexander (1867–1943), aeronautical pioneer, born in Belvedere, Erith.{{cite web|url=https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/ap24417/alexander-patrick-young|title=Alexander, Patrick Young|website=Science Museum Group Collection|access-date=19 June 2024}}
• Mark Andrews (1875−1939), organist and composer{{cn|date=August 2024}}
• William Auld (1924–2006), Scottish poet, author and Esperantist, born in Erith{{Cite news |date=15 September 2006 |title=William Auld |work=The Scotsman |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/william-auld-1-1140586 |url-status=live |access-date=25 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126070410/http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/william-auld-1-1140586 |archive-date=26 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
• Sir William Anderson (1834–1898), engineer and philanthropist, lived in Erith from 1864 until 1889 and contributed substantial time and money to the local community.{{Cite web |title=Sir William Anderson, 1834–1898 |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10724 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124154255/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10724 |archive-date=24 November 2016 |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=bexley.gov.uk |df=dmy-all}}
• Tony Brise (1952–1975), motor-racing driver, was born in Erith.{{Cite web |title=Tony Brise |url=http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1393 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124095254/http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1393 |archive-date=24 November 2016 |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=historicracing.com |df=dmy-all}}
• Wendy Cope (b. 1945), poet, was born in Erith.{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=Helen |date=3 December 2011 |title=Wendy Cope interview: "I can't die until I've sorted out the filing cabinets" |work=The New Statesman |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/helen-lewis-hasteley/2011/11/cope-poems-british-poets |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124093254/http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/helen-lewis-hasteley/2011/11/cope-poems-british-poets |archive-date=24 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
• John Downton (1906–1991), artist, poet and philosopher, was born in Erith.{{Cite news |date=19 November 2012 |title=Awards entry catches the eye |work=Kent Online |url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/awards-entry-catches-the-eye-a58571/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124101206/http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/awards-entry-catches-the-eye-a58571/ |archive-date=24 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
• Kevin Horlock (b. 1972), footballer, Northern Ireland international, was born in Erith{{Cite news |date=15 October 2015 |title=Chatham Town unveil former Manchester City midfielder Kevin Horlock, 42, as their new manager |work=Kentish Football |url=http://kentishfootball.co.uk/news/chatham151015 |url-status=live |access-date=25 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305013557/http://kentishfootball.co.uk/news/chatham151015 |archive-date=5 March 2017 |df=dmy-all}}
• Bill Jaques (1888–1925), footballer, was born in Erith.{{Cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records |publisher=soccerdata |year=2004 |isbn=1-899468-63-3 |page=137}}
• James Leasor (1923–2007), journalist and author{{Cite news |last=Adrian |first=Jack |date=22 December 2007 |title=James Leasor: Journalist and thriller writer |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/james-leasor-journalist-and-thriller-writer-766696.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124101420/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/james-leasor-journalist-and-thriller-writer-766696.html |archive-date=24 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
• Dave Martin (b. 1985), footballer, born in Erith{{Cite book |title=The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10 |publisher=Mainstream Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-84596-474-0 |editor-last=Hugman |editor-first=Barry J.}}
• Douglas McWhirter (1886–1966), amateur footballer, part of the gold medal-winning English team at the 1912 Summer Olympics, was born in Erith.{{Cite web |title=Douglas McWhirter bio, stats and results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mc/douglas-mcwhirter-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203151132/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mc/douglas-mcwhirter-1.html |archive-date=3 December 2016 |access-date=25 November 2016 |website=sports-reference.com |df=dmy-all}}
• Percy Hilder Miles (1878–1922), professor, violinist and composer, lived in Erith.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-Z8gtxuC1kC&pg=PA98 |title=Musical Times through Google Books |date=1 February 1896 |volume=37 |page=98 |access-date=7 February 2011}}
• Alan Morton (b. 1950), footballer, was born in Erith.{{Cite web |title=Players: Alan Morton |url=http://www.historicaldons.com/player.php?od=4&id=586 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126064852/http://www.historicaldons.com/player.php?od=4&id=586 |archive-date=26 November 2016 |access-date=25 November 2016 |website=The Historical Don |df=dmy-all}}
• Robert Napper (b. 1966), serial murderer and rapist, was born in Erith{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Mark |date=19 December 2008 |title=Rachel Nickell: Six mistakes in hunt for serial killer |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rachel-nickell-six-mistakes-in-hunt-for-serial-killer-1203683.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126065108/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rachel-nickell-six-mistakes-in-hunt-for-serial-killer-1203683.html |archive-date=26 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
• Anthony Reckenzaun (1850–1893), engineer, worked at the Erith Ironworks and set up evening classes for the workmen.{{Cite web |title=Anthony Reckenzaun - Graces Guide |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Anthony_Reckenzaun |access-date=2020-05-04 |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk}}
• Steve Rutter (b. 1968), footballer, born in Erith{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
• Sam Saunders (b. 1983), footballer (Brentford F.C.), born in Erith{{Cite book |title=Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 |publisher=Headline |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7553-6356-8 |editor-last=Rollin |editor-first=Glenda |edition=43rd |location=London |page=439 |editor-last2=Rollin |editor-first2=Jack}}
• Linda Smith (1958–2006), comedian and writer, came from Erith.{{Cite news |date=1 March 2006 |title=Linda Smith – Obituary |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1511746/Linda-Smith.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114003346/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1511746/Linda-Smith.html |archive-date=14 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}} Smith famously joked that Erith was not twinned with any town but had a suicide pact with Dagenham.
• James Stephanie Sterling (b. 1984), video game journalist, born and grew up in Erith{{Cite web |last=Jim Sterling |date=11 April 2012 |title=Beautifully bleak, a quasi-defense of "dark and gritty" games |url=https://gamefront.online/beautifully-bleak-a-quasi-defense-of-dark-and-gritty-games/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124154314/https://gamefront.online/beautifully-bleak-a-quasi-defense-of-dark-and-gritty-games/ |archive-date=24 November 2016 |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=gamefront.com |df=dmy-all}}
• Denis Thatcher, husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, headed the family owned Atlas Preservatives, based in Erith, until 1965.{{Cite web |title=Surnames beginning with T |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/3378/Surnames-beginning-with-T |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114001941/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/3378/Surnames-beginning-with-T |archive-date=14 November 2016 |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=bexley.gov.uk |df=dmy-all}}Christopher Winn: I Never Knew That about the Thames (London: Ebury Press, 2010).
• Henry Wheatley (1777–1852), keeper of the privy purse for King William IV and Queen Victoria from 1830 to 1846, born and grew up at Lesney House.{{Cite web |title=The Wheatley's Housekeeper's accounts, 1792–1817 |url=http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/10693/The-Wheatleys-housekeepers-accounts-1792-1817 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215003728/http://www.bexley.gov.uk/article/10693/The-Wheatleys-housekeepers-accounts-1792-1817 |archive-date=15 February 2016 |access-date=25 November 2016 |website=bexley.gov.uk |df=dmy-all}}

A rhyme by William Cosmo Monkhouse:

::"There are men in the village of Erith that nobody seeth or heareth,

::and there looms on the marge of the river a barge, that nobody roweth or steereth".[https://archive.org/details/nonsense00monkuoft Nonsense Rhymes], Cosmo Hamilton, R. Brimley Johnson, London, 1900.

File:St John the Baptist, Erith, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 326642.jpg

• Barnehurst Methodist Church
• Christ Church, Victoria Road
• Christadelphian Hall, Lesney Park Road
• Northend Baptist Church, Larner Road
• Northumberland Road Baptist Church, Belmont Road
• Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church, Carlton Road
• Queen Street Baptist Church
• St Augustines Church (Slade Green), Slade Green Road
• St Johns the Baptist Church, West Street
• St Paul's Church, Mill Road

File:Erith station building.JPG

Erith is served by the following bus routes, (all of which are run by TFL):

• 99 to Bexleyheath (via Slade Green & Barnehurst), or to Woolwich (via Upper Belvedere, West Heath & Plumstead)
• 180 to North Greenwich (via Lower Belvedere, Abbey Wood, Plumstead, Woolwich & Charlton)
• 229 to Sidcup (via Northumberland Heath, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Bexley & Albany Park) or to Thamesmead (via Lower Belvedere & Abbey Wood)
• 428 to Bluewater (via Slade Green, Crayford & Dartford)
• 469 to Woolwich Common (via Lower Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, West Heath, Abbey Wood, Plumstead & Woolwich)
• B12 to Joydens Wood (via Northumberland Heath, Bexleyheath & Bexley)
• N89 to Charing Cross (via Slade Green, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Welling, Shooters Hill, Blackheath, Lewisham, Deptford, New Cross, Peckham, Camberwell, Elephant & Castle, Blackfriars & Aldwych) – night service

The nearest station is Erith for Southeastern services towards Dartford, Gillingham, Gravesend, London Cannon Street and London Charing Cross. Slade Green railway station is on the same line and serves the eastern part of the town.

The A2016 road bisecting Erith, is a dual carriageway stretching across the Erith Marshes.

Erith is a post town in the DA postcode area, consisting of the DA8 and DA18 postcode districts. It borders the River Thames to the north, Slade Green to the east and south east, Northumberland Heath to the south and south west and Belvedere to the west and north west.

To the west of Erith town centre is the Erith Quarry development which aims to redevelopment the former quarry site with construction work beginning in 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2021/02/24/erith-quarry-homes-set-for-approval-developer-seeks-to-increase-total-to-850/|title=Erith Quarry homes set for approval: Developer seeks to increase total to 850|work=Murkey Depths|access-date=19 March 2025}} The site currently features a new primary school and local supermarket and plans to contain 850 new homes once fully completed.{{cite web|url=https://studioegretwest.com/places/erith-quarry|title=Erith Quarry|work=Egret West|access-date=19 March 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2023/04/21/erith-quarry-development-sees-new-blocks-rise2/|title=Erith Quarry development sees new blocks rise|work=Murky Depths|access-date=19 March 2025}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Erith}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170919203752/http://erithtown.net/ erithtown.net] – an introduction and guide to Erith, with comprehensive directory
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20061001232033/http://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/erit_plc.htm North West Kent Family History Society – Erith Parish Page]

{{Geographic Location

|title = Neighbouring towns, villages and places.

|Northwest = Belvedere

|North = Coldharbour (across the River Thames)

|Northeast = Rainham (across the River Thames)

|West = Lessness Heath

|Centre = Erith

|East = Darent Industrial Park & Dartford Salt Marshes

|Southwest = Northumberland Heath

|South = North End

|Southeast = Slade Green

}}

{{LB Bexley}}

{{Areas of London}}

{{London Outer Orbital Path | locale=Erith | forward=Old Bexley | back=START | A=1 | B=2}}

{{Navy Board|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Areas of London

Category:Districts of the London Borough of Bexley

Category:Cable manufacture in London

Category:Districts of London on the River Thames

Category:Port of London

Category:Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Bexley

Category:District centres of London