- Greenhithe
infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Greenhithe
civil_parish=Swanscombe and Greenhithe
static_
static_image_caption= Ingress Abbey, Greenhithe seen from the riverside HMS Worcester memorial.
latitude= 51.4504
longitude= 0.2823
population =4,700 (2005) [cite web | title = 2005 Ward Level Population Estimates | publisher = Kent County Council | url = http://www.kent.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/E503169D-C06B-498F-BD0A-678EE22B4D37/6841/sae108.pdf |month=September | year=2006| accessdate = 2007-08-20 |format=PDF]
shire_district= Dartford
shire_county =Kent
region= South East England
constituency_westminster= Dartford
post_town= Greenhithe
postcode_district=DA9
postcode_area=DA
dial_code= 01322
os_grid_reference= TQ586748Greenhithe is a
village in Dartford District ofKent ,England . It forms part of thecivil parish ofSwanscombe and Greenhithe . Although part of Greenhithe is in the neighbouring parish of Stone(including the Asda superstore and Bluewater shopping centre).Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for
transhipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were ofchalk and lime which were needed for agricultural purposes. This led in turn to the development of thecement industry at nearbySwanscombe , although Greenhithe itself had a brief time during Victorian times as a tourist resort: Greenhithe Pier was built in 1842. It does not survive.History
Until recently, Greenhithe was little more than a hamlet; within its boundaries was "Ingress Abbey", an ancient religious institution among those dissolved by
Henry VIII . The buildings later became a Merchant Navy College, of which the training ship "HMS Worcester" was part.Its position on the river is now of less importance. The whole area is being redeveloped as part of the
Thames Gateway regeneration: its proximity to theM25 motorway , the newHigh Speed 1 Ebbsfleet International and theBluewater complex has altered that. It is anticipated that Greenhithe will attract more affluent and upwardly mobile residents because of the proximity to the enormous shopping complex. This is reflected in increased property valuations, and an increasingly "gentrified" feel to the immediate area. However, many current residents deride Greenhithe for its lack of amenities- Bluewater, the supermarket, andGreenhithe railway station aside, there is little in the area apart from housing and it is hoped that the Thames Gateway project will address this (large housing developments -particularly "Ingress Park", Waterstone Park - and industrial estates almost completely surround the former hamlet).Gallery
References
External links
* [http://www.greenhithe.co.uk/history/default.htm Greenhithe history] includes notes on Ingress Abbey and HMS Worcester
* [http://www.rpcnewhomes.co.uk/ingress-park.html Ingress Park]
* [http://www.greenhithe.org.nz/portal Greenhithe in New Zealand]
* [http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddmnkjj8_2jkmx6484 History of Ingress Abbey] commissioned by the current owner
* [http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/W1bWORX/IngressAbbey Ingress Abbey Photo Album]
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