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 Belvedere. It mainly consists of social housing built from the mid-1960s onwards on former marshland on the south bank of the River Thames.
History
There is some evidence of prehistoric human occupation of the area: flints, animal bones and charcoal were found in bore holes around Western and Central Way in 1997 by the Museum of London Archaeological Service (MOLAS).Museum of London Archaeological Service site summaries 1997 , accessed 27 May 2008 In Roman times, the river level was significantly lower, and work by MOLAS in 1997 around Summerton Way revealed evidence of field ditches and pottery and quernstones from Germany dating from around the 3rd or 4th century. After the Roman era, river levels rose again and the area reverted to marshland.Museum of London Archaeological Service site summaries 1997 , accessed 27 May 2008 According to Hasted, some areas of this marshland were drained in 1279 by the monks of Lesnes Abbey.
Between 1812 and 1816, a canal was built by convicts to take materials such as timber from the River Thames to Woolwich Royal Arsenal. Much of this canal has been filled in, but part remains in Thamesmead West and is now called the Broadwater.Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society, notes from Bob Carr October 1992, accessed 27 May 2008 A disused lock gate and swing bridge over the canal still exist beside the River Thames.
Most of the land area of Thamesmead previously formed about of the old Royal Arsenal site that extended over Plumstead Marshes and Erith Marshes.
Original concept Thamesmead as it is now was built at the end of the 1960s. Efforts were made to solve the social problems that had already started to affect earlier estates. These were believed to be the result of people being uprooted from close-knit working-class communities and sent to estates many miles away, where they did not know anybody. The design of the new estates meant that people would feel more isolated than they would have done in the terraced housing that had been typical in working-class areas. The solution proposed was that once the initial residents had moved in, their families would be given priority for new housing when it became available.
Another radical idea of the GLC division architect Robert Rigg was taken from housing complexes in Sweden, where it was believed that lakes and canals reduced vandalism and other crime, mainly among the young. He used water as a calming influence on the residents.
Much of Thamesmead was initially built by the Greater London Council (GLC) for rent to families moving from overcrowded back-to-back Victorian housing (also referred to as slums) in south eastern parts of Inner London. The area had been inundated in the Flood of 1953, so the original design placed living accommodation at first floor level or above, used overhead walkways and left the ground level of buildings as garage space. There is also an elevated 'escape route' from the estate to be used in the event of flooding, which runs along the top of a grassed mound to the north of Lesnes neighbourhood.
The first residence was occupied in 1968, but already there were rain penetration problems. The pre-1974 parts of Thamesmead are a mix of modernist town houses, medium-rise and 12-storey blocks system built in concrete, which have featured in various films due to their 'rough urban look'; the design of the newer buildings is more traditional and in brick.Thamesmead, A Potted History, by Marc Anderson, on Greenwich 2000 website , originally from Thamesmead Gazette July 1995, accessed 27 May 2008
In 1985, the government abolished the GLC. They transferred ownership of Thamesmead to Thamesmead Town Limited (TTL) which was formally established in 1986, following a public vote. Its nine executive directors were local residents; they periodically submitted themselves to re-election. Subsequently six additional paid directors who did not live in the area were appointed.
The design did not accurately predict the lived experience of residents, and many people avoided the elevated pathways linking the houses, choosing instead to walk across open patches of grass included in the landscaping.
21st century 2000s In 2000, TTL was wound down and two new organisations were formed. In broad terms, Gallions Housing Association took over the ownership and management of the housing assets whilst Tilfen, later Tilfen Land, took over the remaining undeveloped land. Tilfen is jointly owned by Gallions and Trust Thamesmead.Thamesmead History on Trust Thamesmead website accessed 27 May 2008 District heating and cable radio broadcasting were pioneered in Thamesmead. The District heating system was decommissioned around 2000; properties connected to it had wet radiator systems installed by the landlord.
The Tavy Bridge area was redeveloped by Gallions in partnership with Wates Group; the plans included homes with dwelling space at ground-floor level, making them susceptible to any future flooding. The Lesnes estate is also planned to be demolished and redeveloped by Bexley Council and the Peabody Trust.
Thamesmead now features a retail park finished in brick anchored around a Morrisons Supermarket; there is also a shopping parade which has mainly service-based outlets such as hairdressers and estate agents. It features a clock tower and a lake. Some of the original overhead pedestrian walkways have been demolished for reasons of public safety and some ground-floor garages have been unfilled, as incidents of crime deterred their use as parking space.
Trust Thamesmead is a registered charity set up to provide community services across Thamesmead. It runs six community centres and a variety of projects promoting social development and work and training projects.'About Us' on Trust Thamesmead website, accessed 27 May 2008
Thamesmead West contains Gallions Ecopark, a pioneering small social/affordable housing development with homes built to high energy efficiency and environmental standards. The estate also includes a small lake and a number of man-made landmarks created from recycled excavated materials that serve as viewing platforms. The biggest of these is the high Gallions Hill, with a spiral path leading to the summit.
Part of Thamesmead West is also sometimes referred to as Gallions Reach Urban Village. This can lead to confusion, as it is on the opposite bank of the River Thames from Gallions Reach DLR station and Gallions Reach shopping park. There is no Docklands Light Railway, London Underground or rail station in Thamesmead West. Many new build properties in Thamesmead West in the early 21st century have been blighted by social problems and mass repossessions.
In November 2007, Bexley Council marked Thamesmead's 40th birthday with a motion proposed by local Councillor David Leaf and seconded by Councillor John Davey.
2010s
New housing came under construction by both Gallions Housing Association (for rent and part rent/part buy) and by private developers (for outright sale). Another new development began construction in 2010. The final phase of the Gallions Reach Urban Village (ecopark) is the creation of Gallions Reach Park, a public open space land, between Gallions Hill and the River Thames. Water remains an important feature of several parks and open spaces.
In 2014, Gallions, Tilfen Land and Trust Thamesmead were taken over by Peabody Trust, a London housing association.Peabody, http://www.peabody.org.uk/news-views/2014/jan/gallions-joins-peabody In 2015, two Housing Zones in Thamesmead were announced by the Mayor of London for the delivery of 2,800 homes. The zones are Abbey Wood and South Thamesmead, between Abbey Wood station and Southmere Lake, and Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Thamesmead.Mayor of London, Peabody said in 2018 that it will deliver 20,000 new homes, increasing the number of residents to around 80,000. Peabody's plans to demolish the 1960s concrete blocks and subsequent regeneration was estimated in 2016 to cost £1.5 billion, and expected to be completed by 2024. As part of phase one, 2,000 new homes and 10,000 square metres of offices, shops and leisure space would be built, as well as a new civic square inspired by European piazzas.
2020s
Thamesmead is the only London postcode which does not have a direct train link, with Abbey Wood station being the closest. While a railway extension from Barking Riverside was mooted for several years, Transport for London secured funding in 2020 for a potential Docklands Light Railway extension to Thamesmead on the network's branch to Beckton. A public consultation about the proposed extension was launched in February 2024. The extension forms a major component of the 'Thamesmead Waterfront' redevelopment project, which aims to construct 15,000 new homes on a brownfield site in the area.
Residents of Nigerian descent have nicknamed the area 'Little Lagos', owing to Thamesmead containing one of the United Kingdom's largest British Nigerian communities. However, some Nigerian residents, as well as those of other ethnicities, have protested against what they perceive as the gentrification or 'artwashing' of the area. Additionally, there have been complaints that the new building developments do not match the unique aesthetic of the remaining brutalist buildings from the 1960s. Geography Thamesmead is located 11 miles (18 km) east of central London, being on the same latitude as Westminster. In Thamesmead East, the River Thames makes its most northerly incursion within Greater London near the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works.
Areas
Thamesmead consists of four distinct areas: Thamesmead South and Thamesmead East is in Bexley and is the location of the original development built in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The buildings are almost entirely of concrete, in a Cubist/Brutalist/Modernist style, and include a number of high-rise blocks. It is east of Harrow Manorway (A2041) and south of the A2016. Postcode(s): SE2, DA18 Thamesmead North is in Greenwich and Bexley and is north of the A2016 and east of the A2041. Built from the 1970s onwards, it was initially made up of town houses in grey brick; more recent builds are in red & yellow brick.Appendix 1, section 7 of the Tripcock Point planning report 9Sep2005 (Planning document PDU/0514/03, relating to London Borough of Greenwich Planning Application 03/2618/O) Online rtf version available here , accessed 27 May 2008 Postcode(s): SE2, SE28 Thamesmead Central is in Greenwich and was first developed in the early 1980s in the ring between the A2016 and A2041. It originally consisted of large, sprawling, concrete and red brick, eight- and nine-storey estates overlooking the A2041, and three-storey red-brick town houses. It has spread west of the A2041 and now also includes a number of red and yellow brick homes built from the 1990s onwards. Postcode(s): SE28 Thamesmead West (also known as Broadwater Green) is in Greenwich near Woolwich and Plumstead (Between Whinchat Road, the A2016 & the banks of the river Thames) and was built from the 1990s onwards. It is a significant distance from the original development and consists mainly of medium density residential development with yellow brick fascias, with towers along the riverside. Postcode(s): SE28
Belmarsh Prison, Isis Prison and Thameside Prison are located on the western edge of the area, while the sewage processing works at Crossness, built in the Victorian era, is on eastern edge of Thamesmead. The southern boundary is the covered Southern Outfall Sewer, which has been landscaped as an elevated footpath called the Ridgeway.
Neighbouring areas