Property description

THERE WILL BE FIGHTS OVER THIS ONE: TWO BEDROOM HOUSE BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED, TEN MINUTE WALK TO WOOLWICH ARSENAL OVERGROUND AND DLR. MUST BE SEEN TODAY

Most of the land area of Thamesmead previously formed about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of the old Royal Arsenal site that extended over Plumstead Marshes and Erith Marshes. There is some evidence of prehistoric human occupation of the area - flints, animal bone and charcoal were found in bore holes around Western and Central Way in 1997 by the Museum of London Archaeological Service (MOLAS). In Roman times, the river level was significantly lower, and work by MOLAS in 1997 around Summerton Way found 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.[4] According to Hasted, some areas of this marshland were drained by 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. A lock gate and swing bridge (disused) still exists beside the River Thames over the canal.

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 North Sea 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. 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.

When the GLC was abolished in 1986, its housing assets and the remaining undeveloped land was vested in a non-profit organisation Thamesmead Town Limited (TTL). TTL was a private company with an unusual form of governance. Its nine executive directors were local residents; as is normal, they periodically submitted themselves to re-election.


Thamesmead South SE2 split from the SE28 thamesmead,this is the original development In 2000, TTL was wound down and two new organisations were created. 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.

District heating and cable radio broadcasting were pioneered in Thamesmead. The District Heating System was decommissioned around the turn of the millennium, with those properties connected to it having wet radiator systems installed by the landlord.


Pilkington Canal (also called Broadwater Canal) - used to connect to Woolwich Arsenal, now remain as a water feature in the estates
Newly built houses in Thamesmead west from year 2000 onwards Concept Thamesmead 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 working class communities from different areas being uprooted from close knit communities, then sent to remote estates many miles from where they previously lived so they knew nobody. The design of the estates meant people would rarely see their neighbours as they would have done in the 'back to back' Victorian housing they probably lived in before. 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. However this fell foul of race discrimination legislation; as the initial residents were almost certainly white this selection procedure reduced the chances of applicants who weren't white, so when challenged in court by the Commission for Racial Equality it was judged to be illegal.

Other radical ideas were those of the GLC division architect Robert Rigg, including one taken from housing complexes in Sweden, where it was believed that lakes and canals helped to lower levels of crime and vandalism, mainly among the young. This led to the use of water in the estate as a calming influence on the residents.


London Bus 177 Enrouting from Peckham, London to Thamesmead, London[edit] Failures[edit] ShoppingDesign failure was the almost complete lack of shopping facilities and banks, with only a small number of 'corner-shop' sized outlets initially being built in Tavy Bridge. From the start Thamesmead was cut off from Abbey Wood the nearest town, with shopping facilities by a railway line over which a 4 lane bridge was built to overcome in the early 70's. 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). Still, residential building continued, this time on the other side of the A2016, which effectively cut this part of Thamesmead off from any form of rail travel to central London.

In time more facilities developed with a supermarket and retail park near Gallions Reach. Bus services were improved and people living on Thamesmead are now more easily able to reach Abbey Wood Station, which is a main stop on the line.

TransportDespite early proposals for the Jubilee Line Extension to go to Thamesmead, via the Isle of Dogs and the Royal Docks, Thamesmead was not included and after reaching the Greenwich Peninsula, the line then heads north to Stratford, London (via Canning Town and West Ham), despite Stratford also being on the major Central Line tube link into London. The main alleged reason for this decision was that many workers in Canary Wharf lived in Essex and could change from National Rail to the Jubilee Line at Stratford, London and West Ham.

Thamesmead is also cut off from the north of the River Thames and is in the centre of the 15 mile gap between the Blackwall Tunnel and the Dartford Tunnel/QE2 Bridge. Various proposals have been made for a new river crossing, the closest of which was in the late 1980s, when there was a controversial proposal to alter the shape of London's South Circular inner orbital road so it would run through Oxleas Woods. Houses in Plumstead were compulsorily purchased but the plans fell through. Since then, Thamesmead has grown significantly, limiting the number of potential sites for a new river crossing.


View of canary wharf from Thamesmead North during the peak hours Transport Thamesmead's location between the Thames and the South London escarpment limits rail transport and road access points. Thus Thamesmead has no underground or surface rail links. Most residents rely on bus services to reach the nearest rail stations.[citation needed] There is a disused railway trackbed from Plumstead which once served the Royal Arsenal. Buses serving Thamesmead include services B11, 177, 180, 229, 244, 380, 401, 469, 472, 601, 602, 669 and the night bus N1.

Nearest railway stationsAbbey Wood railway station
Plumstead railway station
Belvedere railway station
Woolwich Arsenal railway station

Newly built houses in Thamesmead south in the 1960s[edit] LayoutThamesmead was designed around futuristic ideas, and indeed, looked impressive at first from a distance. It was provided walkways between its blocks of housing and later between sections in North Thamesmead. The walkways quickly became littered and abused. They were not considered safe places to walk. Pathways set out for people to walk on were put in without regard to how people would wish to get about, so some were ignored in favour of more direct routes over grassed areas.

Geography
Thamesmead west on a summer period
Thamesmead Housing Today It has four distict areas:

Thamesmead South 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 Mannor Way (A2041) and south of the A2016.
Thamesmead Central is in Greenwich and was first developed in the early 1980s in the ring between the A206 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.
Thamesmead North is split between Bexley & Greenwich 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.
Thamesmead West 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.
Housing is still under construction both by Gallions Housing Association (for rent and part rent/part buy) and by private developers (for outright sale). Another new development is under construction in 2010. The final phase of the Gallions Reach Urban Village (ecopark) is the creation of Gallions Reach Park (a 14.3 acre, public open space land, between Gallions Hill and the River Thames).

Water remains an important feature of the several parks and open spaces. Homes there are still relatively affordable by London standards, reflecting, in part, the poor transport infrastructure. The area is also under the flight path to and from London City Airport, which is a particular issue in West Thamesmead where the planes are at their lowest.

The Tavy Bridge area is now being redeveloped by Gallions in partnership with Wates Group; the plans include homes with dwelling space at ground floor level, making them susceptible to any future flooding.

Thamesmead now features a retail park finished in brick anchored around a Morrisons Supermarket; there is also a shopping parade which has mainly serviced based outlets such as hairdressers and estate agents. It contains a clock tower and lake, which may seem contrived. 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 runs a variety of projects promoting social development and work and training projects.

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 Gallions Hill (viewpoint hill).

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.

Early 21st century new build properties in Thamesmead West have been blighted by social problems and mass repossessions,attracting national attention.

Belmarsh Prison and Isis Prison are located on 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 South London Outfall Sewer, which has been landscaped as an elevated footpath called the Ridgeway.