Greenhithe

Greenhithe is a village in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is located east of Dartford and west of Gravesend.

Area

In the past, Greenhithe's waterfront on the estuary of the river Thames was used to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and lime. This led in turn to the development of the cement industry at nearby Swanscombe. Greenhithe itself enjoyed a brief period of popularity during Victorian times as a tourist resort, with the building of Greenhithe Pier (now lost) in 1842. Its manor house has been fully restored and the village is accessible to the M25 motorway, High Speed 1's Ebbsfleet International station and, particularly relevant to its local economy, Bluewater shopping centre.

History

The social history of Greenhithe is bound up in terms of its rectory revenues and manors until the 20th century with its ecclesiastical parish, which is Swanscombe. It owes a great deal to its situation by the river Thames and expansion to the nearby Watling Street (the London-Dover Road) and it being a suitable landing place for ships. In Roman times known as ''Gretenrsce'' lease edit. and by 1363 ''Grenehuth'', it appears in a ''History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'' by Edward Hasted, compiled early as such major works date, in this case to 1778:

Naval training and ship maintenance

In the middle of the 19th century, the need was recognised for pre-sea training for potential officers in the Royal and Merchant Navies. This led a group of London shipowners to found the Thames Nautical Training College in 1862. The Admiralty was approached for a ship and allocated the "two-decker" . At the time the Royal Navy was starting to replace its fleet of 'wooden walls' with iron-clad vessels and there was a surplus of such wooden vessels, which included the 1473-ton, 50-gun ''Worcester''. She had various berths before finally moving in 1871 to what became a base forever associated with the ''Worcester'' – the village of Greenhithe, where successive ships remained until the 1970s. Also, HMS ''Erebus'' and HMS ''Terror'' were launched from Greenhithe in 1845, as part of the famous Franklin's lost expedition.

The clipper ''Cutty Sark'' was given to the college in 1938, and was used as a 'boating station' moored off the Greenhithe estate. However, during the war years, the college was evacuated to nearby Foots Cray Place. The ''Worcester'' was used as a training base by the Royal Navy but by 1945 the second ''Worcester'' was in a very poor condition, had lost most of her masts and was only kept afloat by a large salvage pump. Happily, after the war, a replacement ship was found in the form of the ''Exmouth'', which was renamed and became the third and last ''Worcester''. She was an unusual vessel, since she was built in 1904 of steel and iron especially for nautical training and had many advantages over the converted hulks previously used.

As a result of the acquisition of the fine new ship, the role of the ''Cutty Sark'' diminished and, with the approval of the original donor, Mrs Dowman, she was given to the nation through the National Maritime Museum. After restoration, she was moved to a permanent dry-dock at Greenwich.

The college closed in 1968 and the last ''Worcester'' was broken up a few years later. The village of Greenhithe has many ''Worcester'' memories such as the sign at the waterside pub, and the streets named after ''Worcester'' personalities.

Ingress Abbey

The ''Ingress'' Estate was a seat ( manor) in the hamlet of Greenhithe. In 1363 the manor was endowed upon the Prioress and Abbey of the Dominican Sisters in Dartford by Edward III (1307–1377) until the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII of England.

In 1820, the Ingress Estate was purchased by barrister James Harman. He gave his architect, Charles Moreing, £120,000 to build the Abbey. The current Tudor-gothic-style mansion, Ingress Abbey, was constructed in 1833. Stone from the medieval London Bridge, replaced in the 1830s, is said to have been used in the construction.

Now the Cameroon singer Irene Mayor lives in The Abbey and wants to be known as the "Queen of Ingress Park"

Economy

Greenhithe's economy no longer depends on river trade, this having been replaced by the M25 motorway, the new High Speed 1 Ebbsfleet International station and the Bluewater complex. The whole area is being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway regeneration. Its proponent councils and government sponsors thus aim to attract more affluence and income generation, particularly through the interaction with the enormous shopping complex. This is reflected in increased property valuations, and slightly higher spending than in 20th century overspill estates which tended to line the estuary.

Its high street is less significant a destination than Bluewater, which is supplemented by a supermarket in the village. Greenhithe railway station aside, there is little in the area apart from housing. The Thames Gateway project has seen expansion of residential neighbourhoods of the village such as Ingress Park and Waterstone Park, as well as of industrial and business estates that almost completely surround the former large hamlet.

Transport

Rail

Greenhithe station connects the village with National Rail services to Luton via Woolwich Arsenal and London St Pancras, London Victoria via Bexleyheath, London Charing Cross via Sidcup, Gravesend and Rainham.

Buses

Greenhithe is served by London Buses route 492, Arriva Kent Thameside routes A, B, 306, 480, 481, 484 & 490 and Ensignbus route X80. These connect it with Bexleyheath, Bluewater, Crayford, Dartford, Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Lakeside, Northfleet and Sidcup.

Nearby areas

*Stone
*Swanscombe
*Bean
*Northfleet
*Dartford
*Darenth
* Southfleet
*Longfield
* South Darenth
*Gravesend
* Sutton at Hone
* Wilmington
*Hartley
*Crayford
*Horton Kirby

References

External links

Visit Swanscombe
Swanscombe & Greenhithe Town Guide


includes notes on Ingress Abbey and HMS Worcester

Swanscombe and Greenhithe UDC history
by Christoph Bull former Reference and Information Librarian at Dartford Central Library



History of Ingress Abbey
commissioned by the current owner

Ingress Abbey Photo Album

Ingress Park Forum
Free forum for the people living in Ingress Park to take part in discussions.

The Ingressor
Greenhithe Community site and portal with history, local links, forum and galleries

{{Authority control

Villages in Kent
Borough of Dartford
Thames Gateway
Port of London
Populated places on the River Thames