For many decades Erith has been the site of the Erith Oil Works, originally British Oil & Cake Mills ( BOCM ) and now owned by ADM, which processes various seeds into vegetable oils

The world amateur premiere was performed at the Erith Playhouse in Erith, Kent, in June 1977, and was attended by members of the London production team.

Erith was one of these villages, and has a Saxon name, thought to have been derived from a word meaning ` muddy harbour ' or ` gravelly landing place '.

The early settlement was based around this church, meaning that the centre of Erith was once west of its current location.

In 1315, a Royal Charter was granted for a market to be held in Erith every Thursday.

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 in the town.

At that time, and until the 19th Century, Erith was a popular anchorage.

In 1965, under the London Government Act 1963, the Erith Municipal Borough was abolished and its area transferred to Greater London to form part of the present-day London Borough of Bexley.

From 1881 Erith was home to a large cable works founded by William Callender.

During the First World War Erith was an extremely important area for the manufacture of guns and ammunition, largely due to the presence of the large Vickers works in the Fraser Road area.

A new swimming pool was recently built adjoining the sports centre and the David Ives Stadium, which is home to Bexley Athletic Club and Erith Town F. C.

The Erith Symphony Orchestra ceased to exist in 1972 and it was almost 30 years before another orchestra was heard in the town, when the Dartford-based, Orchestra of the Thames Gateway gave a concert there in 2004 and in subsequent years.

It was then cut in two by the building of the A2016 a 4 lane dual carriageway by-pass of the Woolwich to Erith section of the A206 though on leaving Woolwich only got as far as the industrial part of lower Belvedere ( the extension to Erith was opened in 1999 ).

Erith was a port on the River Thames until the 17th century ; the opening of the sewage works at nearby Crossness in the late 19th century turned it into an industrial town.

The London Borough of Bexley was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963 from the Municipal Boroughs of Bexley and Erith ; Crayford Urban District: and part of Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District.

After the 2005 General Election, Erith and Thamesmead is represented by a Labour Party MP while the remaining two seats were held by the Conservative Party ; although on 29 January 2008 the Conservative Party whip was withdrawn from Old Bexley and Sidcup's MP Derek Conway following alleged misuse of funds, leaving him as an Independent MP.

Thamesmead, the " new town " built on what was the Erith Marshes, extends into the Borough: both Thamesmead North and South are located here.

The scheme involved major pumping stations at Deptford ( 1864 ) and at Crossness ( 1865 ) on the Erith marshes, both on the south side of the Thames, and at Abbey Mills ( in the River Lea valley, 1868 ) and on the Chelsea Embankment ( close to Grosvenor Bridge ; 1875 ), north of the river.

Easton's firm, inherited by his son James ( 1796 – 1871 ), grew during the nineteenth century to become one of the more important engineering manufacturers in the United Kingdom, with a large works at Erith, Kent.

The armored cables were manufactured in southeast London at a factory in Erith, Kent, owned by Submarine Cables Ltd. ( owned jointly by Siemens Brothers & Company, Ltd, and The Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Company, Ltd ).

The 428 contracted by Transport for London runs between Erith and Bluewater Shopping Centre.

The earliest reference to the area is in a Latin charter of 695 recording a grant by the Bishop of the East Saxons of certain lands at Erith.

In 1961, plans were put forward by local planners to redevelop Erith into a modern, sleek shopping and working environment.

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

Community interests are represented by Erith Town Forum.

In the eastern part of Erith ( in North End ward ) community interests are also represented by Slade Green Community Forum.

Bexley Council run a library at Binsey Walk near Southmere Lake, and sailing and canoeing are run at Southmere Lake in Thamesmead South by Southmere Boating Centre ( with Greenwich Yacht Club ) and sailing only by the YMCA in association with Erith Yacht Club.

Welling is also served by a night bus route, the London Buses route N89, which starts at Erith, running via Slade Green, Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Welling and Lewisham, towards Trafalgar Square.

* Christ Church-in Erith, built in the 19th Century, has a distinctive tower built by James Piers St Aubyn *( interior )

The London Borough of Bexley has three fire stations controlled by the London Fire Brigade within its boundary ; those at Erith, Sidcup and Bexley.

Anthony William Brise ( 28 March 1952 in Erith, Kent – 29 November 1975 in Arkley, London ) was a British racing driver from England.

* Francis William Archer ( Lab ): Erith and Crayford 1973 – 1977

Until the early 19th century, Bexley Heath comprised an area of scrub-land with few buildings, although Bexley Heath windmill stood at the corner of what is today Erith Road and Mayplace Road.

Bexleyheath has drawn a lot of custom to match the expansion in retail space from residents of towns in the borough, particularly from Erith and Thamesmead which have expanded in size with development along the River Thames.

Chislehurst is one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk, linking to places such as Crystal Palace, Erith, the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead.

On its way from Erith to Old Bexley, the " London LOOP " walk follows the River Cray across the Crayford Marshes and through the town centre.

The park is one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk, linking to places such as Chislehurst, Erith, the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead.

Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames.

Erith is geographically an outer lying area of London, although it is can be seen as having many of the characteristics of the Inner city, namely most residences consisting largely of flats and council blocks, with fewer houses, and shops and other commercial properties interspersed between.

Their work at the former site of Erith School in Belmont Road revealed the presence of prehistoric settlement, and of a substantial settlement or farmstead dating from the first century.

After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Erith passed into the possession of Bishop Odo and is mentioned in the Domesday Survey.

In 1797 Edward Hasted described Erith as ' consisting of one small street of houses, which leads to the water side ', and mentions two annual fairs, on Ascension Day and Michaelmas Day.

The Local Government Act 1894 brought into existence Erith Urban District, which became the Municipal Borough of Erith in 1938.

In 1849, Erith enjoyed a short time as a riverside resort.

Engineering became a prominent industry around Erith, with armaments and cable production being the main supplies.