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= TQ586748

Greenhithe is a village in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe 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 of chalk and lime which were needed for agricultural purposes. This led in turn to the development of the cement industry at nearby Swanscombe, 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 the M25 motorway, the new High Speed 1 Ebbsfleet International and the Bluewater 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, and Greenhithe 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]