Belvedere is a town in south east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, within the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Boro ...

. It lies close to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, with Erith to the east, Bexleyheath to the south, and

Abbey Wood Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross. Toponymy The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...

and

Thamesmead Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly con ...

to the west. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Belvedere was in the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

History

The area which is today known as Belvedere was for centuries part of Lessness Heath, the eastern parts of a narrow high ridge which stretches from the area of

Lesnes Abbey Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England. It is a scheduled monument, and the abbey's ruins are listed at Grade II by Historic England. The adjacent Lesnes Abbey W ...

to Erith. The northern stretch is industrial and environmental and was common meadow. In 1847 this largely uncultivated, wooded estate, almost undivided was given by operation of the will of last Lord Saye and Sele to his cousin Sir

Culling Eardley Sir Culling Eardley Eardley, 3rd Baronet (''né'' Smith; 21 April 1805 – 21 May 1863) was a British Christian campaigner for religious freedom and for the Protestant cause, one of the founders of the Evangelical Alliance. Early life Born in Lon ...

, who built properties in Belvedere until his death in 1863. Eardley constructed a large wooden tower (see

Belvedere (structure) A belvedere or belvidere (from Italian for "beautiful view") is an architectural structure sited to take advantage of a fine or scenic view. The term has been used both for rooms in the upper part of a building or structures on the roof, or a ...

) on the

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

to gain views over his estate to the river Thames, giving the area its name from the Italian "beautiful view". The name can also be applied today, as the ridge of the area, and parts of its southern uplands, have commanding views towards

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...

and Central London. Eardley was persuaded to allow the construction on his property, of a

Dissenters A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, an ...

' chapel, which was built so that the original wooden belvedere became its tower. In order that the public were able to attend this

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

, he constructed paths to it across Lessness Heath. Eardley had finished in 1861, after nearly 8 years of building, his chapel, now All Saints' Church, after the earlier chapel with belvedere burned down on the same site. At the same time Eardley constructed Villa Houses and reinforced the heath path to become Erith Road. Belvedere village soon grew up along the path which became Bexley Road (from March 1939 known as Nuxley road after the small heath located 1 km south) as Eardley gradually sold off the land. Belvedere Explosion of 1864 At about 6.40 am on Saturday the first of October 1864 there was a massive explosion which totally destroyed two commercial gunpowder factories, situated in isolation on the Belvedere side of

Erith Marshes Erith Marshes is an area of grazing marsh beside the south bank of River Thames in London, England. It is located next to the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works and is owned by Thames Water. It is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conser ...

, along with their store magazines and a couple of barges that were being loaded with barrels of gunpowder at the time. The explosion was heard over a 50 miles radius, and the shock wave was so intense that people in central London were convinced that there had been an earthquake. One report at the time said that as rescuers hurried to the site they found a massive crater and absolutely no signs of any buildings were left “it was if the place had been swept clean by a broom”. Surprisingly there were only around twenty casualties, as though the explosion was huge, the remote location prevented greater loss of life. ;1900 to date Belvedere was in

and formed part of the

Municipal Borough of Erith Erith was a local government district in north west Kent from 1876 to 1965 around the town of Erith. It also included the generally suburban areas of Northumberland Heath, Belvedere, and parts of Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Crayford and the SE2 L ...

before 1965 and development took place before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, with significant reconstruction after

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Despite this, Upper Belvedere and The Village still retains much of its Victorian and Edwardian charm and character. Between 1898 and 1961 Callender's Cable Works, at the Erith Works, Belvedere, was patron to

Callender's Cableworks Band Callender's Cableworks Band (active 1898–1961) was an amateur brass band made up of members employed by and under the patronage of Erith Works at the Callender Cable & Construction Co. Ltd, later British Insulated Callender's Cables, in Belved ...

, an amateur brass band made up of employees of the company. The band was a prolific broadcaster on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

in the 1920s and 1930s.Callender's Band performance programme or handout leaflet, 16 Dec 1932
/ref> Flood of 1953 The North Sea Flood of 1953 hit the area of Belvedere Marshes badly, leaving the 1700 gypsies who lived there with nothing. One person died in the flooding and hundreds had their homes damaged. Queen Elizabeth II came to visit the communities of Erith and Belvedere, who were without electricity for weeks, to pay her respects. Controversy Over Name There has been a lot of controversy with local residents over recent years about the correct name of the "village" area of Belvedere incorporating the triangle of Nuxley Road, Albert Road, and Woolwich Road. Council road signs call it Belvedere Village, maps and the post office list the area as Belvedere, but some locals call it Nuxley Village after the road. Many residents informally call the area "The Village". The origins of Nuxley Village is believed to come from estate agents upselling the area.

Subdistricts

Within the ward are: *Erith Marshes/

Crossness Nature Reserve Crossness Nature Reserve is a 25.5 hectare local nature reserve in Crossness in the London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,2 ...

Bostall Heath and Woods Bostall Heath and Woods is an area of 159.1 hectares of woodland with areas of heathland located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich ward of Abbey Wood and adjacent to Lesnes Abbey Woods. The area to the south of the A206 (Bostall Hill) is Bo ...

, and West Heath.

Landmarks

''Upper Belvedere'' has a fine church and some fine Victorian and Edwardian brick villas. It has a number of fine pubs, restaurants and retail outlets: ''The Eardley Arms'' and the ''Prince of Wales'' on Woolwich Road, ''The Victoria'' on Victoria Street, ''The Royal Standard'', ''The Village Inn'' (formerly the Queens Head) and ''The Fox'' all on Nuxley road. Upper Belvedere is also home to a large park and a branch library that was in danger of being closed due to central government funding cuts. Fortunately closure threats were averted as a result of the efforts of the local community. A "Splash Park" (opened in 2005, closed in 2016) was a welcome addition to the village, having been developed on the site of the old Victorian paddling pool. The Splash Park retained some of the original paddling pool structures. The Splash Park was closed in 2016 and replaced with a new play area called Belvedere Beach; this opened on 27 July 2017. ''Lower Belvedere'' is smaller than Upper Belvedere, more industrial and closer to Belvedere railway station. It has a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

chapel and a Sikh Temple. To its north it borders

Crossness Crossness is a location in the London Borough of Bexley, close to the southern bank of the River Thames, to the east of Thamesmead, west of Belvedere and north-west of Erith. The place takes its name from Cross Ness, a specific promontory on the ...

, an area near the Thames containing a small industrial park,

Belvedere Incinerator Cory is a recycling and waste management company based in London. Originally founded as William Cory & Son in 1896, the company has operated vessels on the River Thames for more than 125 years, transporting a range of commodities and materials in ...

(a large waste-to-energy plant), and

Crossness Sewage Treatment Works The Crossness Sewage Treatment Works is a sewage treatment plant located at Crossness in the London Borough of Greenwich. It was opened in 1865 and is Europe's second largest sewage treatment works, after its counterpart Beckton Sewage Treatment ...

with its high technology sludge methane incinerator and

Joseph Bazalgette Sir Joseph William Bazalgette CB (; 28 March 181915 March 1891) was a 19th-century English civil engineer. As chief engineer of London's Metropolitan Board of Works, his major achievement was the creation (in response to the Great Stink of 1 ...

's Victorian Crossness Pumping Station. Lower Belvedere is also the location of the Belvedere Community Forum, which runs and meets at Belvedere Community Centre. The Grade II Listed

Bexley College Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, trading as London South East Colleges (LSEC), is a large college of further education and higher education operating in south-east London, England. It is a partner college of six of the twelve sc ...

was designed in 1906 by W Egerton in the Queen Anne style and is on residential Erith Road on the last part of the ridge, in the east of the district on the border of Erith. The Woolwich Road Conservation Area was designated in February 1992, by Bexley Council due to its special Victorian character and high concentration of historical buildings in a small area. The conservation area includes the Eardley Arms public house, Prince of Wales public house, DVLA Driving Test Centre (the original Belvedere Police Station built in the 1880s), Belvedere Recreation Grounds and the large residential villas and semi detached houses along Woolwich Road and Gloucester Road. These houses were for the wealthier Victorian families of the area, possibly for the professional classes or for the managers or owners of the businesses which located in Erith and Woolwich. The former Woolwich Road police station was built in 1881 at a cost of £3386 and designed to blend in with the adjacent houses. Belvedere at that time had a strength of two inspectors, three sergeants, and twenty six constables. It remained an active police station until 1968, when new much larger station was built on the corner of Nuxley Road and Woolwich Road. This remained open until its closure in 2015. In 2018 it was sold for redevelopment for a reported £1.25 million.

Places of worship

* All Saints Belvedere, Nuxley Road * Free Grace Baptist Church, Nuxley Road, Belvedere * Belvedere Congregational Church, Picardy Road * Belvedere Baptist Church * Belvedere Methodist Church * St Augustine, Belvedere * Ichthus Community Church, Belvedere * Belvedere Pentecostal, Mitchell Close * Guru Nanak Darbar, Sikh Temple, Mitchell Close

Demography

As of the 2011 census, 65% of the population was White British, followed by 12% Black African.

Politics

There are three councillors for the Belvedere Ward of

Bexley London Borough Council Bexley London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Bexley in the ceremonial county of Greater London, England. It is one of 32 London borough councils in the county. The council comprises 45 councillors. History Th ...

. these were Daniel Francis (Labour), Sally Hinkley (Labour) and Esther Amaning (Labour). Belvedere lies within the

Erith and Thamesmead Erith and Thamesmead () is a constituency created in 1997 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Abena Oppong-Asare of the Labour Party. History The seat was created for the 1997 general election from parts ...

constituency ( MP

Abena Oppong-Asare Abena Oppong-Asare (born 8 February 1983) is a British Labour Party politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Erith and Thamesmead in the 2019 general election. She and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, both elected in the 2019 general ...

, Labour, ), and is in the London Assembly constituency of Bexley and Bromley, represented by

Peter Fortune Peter Fortune is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician serving as the Member of the London Assembly (AM) for Bexley and Bromley (London Assembly constituency), Bexley and Bromley since 2021. At the time of his election, he ...

(Conservative) .

Education

Sport

Erith and Belvedere Football Club recently moved to

Welling Welling is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. E ...

in a ground-sharing arrangement. Belvedere Football Club and Belvedere Cricket Club play at Memorial Sports Ground, Woolwich Road,

and compete in the

Kent County League The Kent County League is a football competition based in Kent, England. The league has seven senior divisions – a Premier Division, Division One East and West, Division Two East and West and Division Three East and West. It sits below the Sout ...

Division One (West). Bexleyheath and Belvedere Hockey Club are based in

, but play some home matches at Erith School.

Transport

Rail

Belvedere railway station Belvedere railway station is a railway station in South East London between Abbey Wood and Erith. It is measured from . It is served by Southeastern. A level crossing beyond the western end of the platforms was closed before the westerly exte ...

, opened in 1859, is in Lower Belvedere and is served by the

North Kent Line The North Kent Line is a railway line which branches off the South East Main Line at St Johns junction west of Lewisham station in Greater London and runs to Rochester Bridge Junction near Strood, Medway where it links to the Chatham Main Li ...

which runs from

London Cannon Street Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is ...

to Dartford/Gravesend/Gillingham (Kent). Belvedere also benefits from the DLR connection at nearby Woolwich, and will benefit further with the arrival of the long-awaited 'Crossrail' extension in neighbouring Abbey Wood in 2022.

Buses

Belvedere is served by several Transport for London Bus services connecting it with areas including

, Erith, Bexleyheath,

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

and

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...

Green Chain Walk

The

Green Chain Walk The South East London Green Chain, also known as the Green Chain Walk, is a linked system of open spaces between the River Thames and Crystal Palace Park in London, England. In 1977 four London boroughs and the Greater London Council created ...

is largely east–west route along the northern slopes of the ridge, stretching from Plumstead Common to Erith, it provides a shortcut to the

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

- to which it is linked in three locations.

Motoring

Driving test statistics from the DVSA for the year 2013-14 showed that Belvedere test centre had the lowest pass rate in Great Britain. The proposed

Belvedere Crossing The Belvedere Crossing was a proposed River Thames crossing in East and South East London, running between Rainham in the London Borough of Havering and Belvedere in the London Borough of Bexley. Plans for the crossing, as well as the Gallio ...

across the

would be either a bridge or tunnel between Belvedere and Rainham.

Geography

Belvedere borders the

to the north, Erith to the north east and east,

Northumberland Heath Northumberland Heath is an area of South East London, England within the London Borough of Bexley. It is located south of Erith and north of Bexleyheath. History The area was once known as Spike Island after the workhouse that was situated ther ...

to the south east and south, West Heath to the south west,

to the west and

to the north west.

Notable residents

* Billy Cornelius (1898–?), professional football player and manager, born in Belvedere *

Alec Debnam Alexander Frederick Henry Debnam (12 October 1921 – 26 January 2003), known as Alec Debnam, was an English cricketer and member of the Royal Air Force. Debnam was a right-handed batsman who bowled leg-breaks and googlies. Cricket career Aft ...

(1921–2003), cricketer, born in Belvedere *

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...

(1907–1973), Scottish snooker player, lived for some years in Grosvenor Road *

Roy Dwight Royston Edward Dwight (9 January 1933 – 9 April 2002) was an English footballer. He scored the opening goal in the 1959 FA Cup Final for Nottingham Forest. Career Fulham Although a winger, he was renowned for his shooting ability. Dwight sco ...

(1933–2002), footballer (

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

), born in Belvedere * Mike Kelly (born 1954), footballer (

Millwall FC Millwall Football Club () is a professional football club in Bermondsey, South East London, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name ...

), born in Belvedere *

Alan Knott Alan Philip Eric Knott (born 9 April 1946) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI). Knott is widely regarded as one of the most eccentric characters in cricket and as ...

(born 1946), cricketer, born in Belvedere, attended Northumberland Heath Secondary Modern School *

Colin Seeley Colin Jordan Seeley (2 January 1936 – 7 January 2020) was a British motorcycle retailer who later became a motorcycle sidecar racer, motorcycle designer, constructor and retailer of accessories. In 1992 he was involved in running the Norton Rot ...

(1936–2020), champion motorcyclist and motorbike designer, lived in Belvedere and worked on Nuxley Road *

Flaxman Charles John Spurrell Flaxman Charles John Spurrell (8 September 1842 – 25 February 1915) was a British archaeologist, geologist and photographer who worked mainly in Kent and East Anglia. He was also a noted egyptologist, working closely with Flinders Petrie. Fam ...

(1842–1915), archaeologist, geologist and photographer, lived at The Priory, Picardy Road''F. C. J. Spurrell, Kentish Antiquary and Archaeologist'', Nesta D. Caiger *

Anne Swithinbank Anne Swithinbank (born 1957 in Belvedere in Kent) is a trained horticulturist and freelance gardening broadcaster who has written several books on gardening, including ''Gardener's Question Time: All Your Gardening Problems Solved'', ''Gardeners ...

(born 1957), horticulturist and gardening writer, born in Belvedere

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

www.belvedereuk.info
- A comprehensive local history site being developed
Belvedere Football ClubLesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers (LACV)
{{LB Bexley, state=expanded Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Bexley Districts of London on the River Thames Port of London