Thamesmead

Settlement in Kent

England

Thamesmead

Substation Sunset This major electrical substation is located in Renwick Road Creekmouth near Dagenham. — Substation Sunset Credit: Glyn Baker

Thamesmead is a town located in the London Borough of Bexley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich in Kent, England. It is situated on the south bank of the River Thames, approximately 10 miles east of central London. The town was developed in the 1960s as a purpose-built community to alleviate overcrowding in inner-city areas.

Thamesmead is known for its distinctive architectural style, with a mix of low-rise and high-rise buildings surrounded by spacious green spaces and waterways. The town is divided into four main areas: Thamesmead South, Thamesmead Central, Thamesmead North, and Thamesmead West. Each area features a range of housing options, including council estates, private homes, and social housing.

The town offers a variety of amenities and facilities for its residents, including several schools, healthcare centers, shopping centers, and recreational spaces. It is well-connected to central London and other parts of Kent through various transport links, including bus services and railway stations.

Thamesmead has a diverse population, with a mix of ethnicities and cultures. The town has a strong sense of community, with several community organizations and projects aimed at improving the quality of life for its residents.

While Thamesmead has faced some challenges over the years, including issues of crime and deprivation, efforts have been made to regenerate and improve the area. Several redevelopment projects have been undertaken to enhance the town's infrastructure and provide more opportunities for its residents.

Overall, Thamesmead is a vibrant and evolving community that offers a range of housing options, amenities, and transport links, making it an attractive place to live within close proximity to central London.

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Thamesmead Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.504353/0.118854 or Grid Reference TQ4780. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Substation Sunset

This major electrical substation is located in Renwick Road Creekmouth near Dagenham.

Glyn Baker

Creekmouth Substation

This is just a small section of the electrical substation at Creekmouth

Glyn Baker

A Creekmouth Jetty

This is a jetty at the eastern end of Creekmouth looking across the Thames towards Thamesmead

Glyn Baker

Thames & Navigation Marker

A navigation marker on the Thames between Creekmouth and Dagenham Dock. The picture was taken looking downstream so it is Dagenham Dock and Ford’s in the background.

Glyn Baker

N-Power Depot

This is a derelict ancillary building to the old Barking Power Station, long since demolished. The area is still owned by N-Power and this is their "Open Air Storage Depot" or so the sign nearby declares. Tied to the railings is a planning application for the old power station site. Included are 10800 homes, 65,000 sq metres of retail space, and all the infrastructure (schools, medical, facilities etc etc) to service them, in fact a new town in the Thames Gateway. Also included in the application are provision for a City Farm and an ecology centre.

Glyn Baker

Paper Recycling in Creekmouth

This is a photo of one of SITA’s paper recycling depots. SITA is the country’s largest waste management company. The group as a whole recycle some 1.4 million tonnes of waste per year. This plant handles some of the 350,000 tonnes of paper and card the company recycles each year. In the background can be seen the Barking Creek flood defence barrier.

Glyn Baker

Tripcock Light

This photo shows the Tripcock Light and a fingerpost on the Thames Path Cycleway

Glyn Baker

Thamesmere

Looking across Thamesmere Lake towards the Thamesmere Leisure Centre. Rather prosaically the Environment Agency pumping station on the lake refers to the location as "Lake 4".

Glyn Baker

Park in Thamesmead

This is a canalised stream through a recreation ground in Thamesmead. The photograph was taken looking north.

Glyn Baker

Dagenham Dock

Dagenham Dock in all its glory. Sand and gravel seem to be the potential cargo.

Glyn Baker

Water Works

A relatively new addition to the Thames Water sewage works at Halfway Reach.

Glyn Baker

Cross Ness Treatment Tanks

Sewage treatment tanks at the Cross Ness sewage works near Halfway Reach.

Glyn Baker

Southmere, Thamesmead

Southmere (variously spelt as one word or two) is the lake at the heart of the huge Thamesmead housing development (started in the 1970's and still expanding).

Stephen Craven

Crossness STW

The main bank of filters at Crossness sewage treatment works

Stephen Craven

golf driving range

The golf driving range, situated at the end of Fairway Drive (where else?) in Thamesmead

Stephen Craven

Cathedral of sewage

The large, ornate brick building at Crossness is the original pumphouse where four large steam-powered beam engines lifted half London's sewage into the Thames. Now it is treated at the extensive adjacent works but one of the old steam engines has been restored by volunteers.

Stephen Craven

Barking Barrier

This is the downstream side of the barrier, which was built over a period of four years, being completed in 1983. It is about 60 metres high, and was needed to be this size to allow shipping to reach the Town Quay in Barking further upstream. The barrier crosses the Barking Creek reach of the River Roding, at its confluence with the River Thames.

Nigel Cox