Erith And Belvedere

A Memory of Erith.

I lived in Upper Belvedere from the time I was born until I married 1n 1954. I used to catch the 99 bus from the Eardly Arms pub, on a Saturday morning. to the Ritz cinema in the high street Erith. There was no Odeon then. The only other cinema was a mile or two away at the Pom Pom called the Rialto. The bus fare was 2 pence, 2 pence for the pictures and 2 pence for the journey home The Ritz stood on the corner of the high street. A large cinema, with no upper circle seats A dimly lit screen and muffled sound system. Erith was full of good shops offering a first class service, notably Mitchells of Erith and Woolworths. Later the Ritz was demolished and the Odeon opposite the Prince of wales pub was built. I loved this little cinema, so warm and cosy. It is now a bingo hall. Sadly, Erith was vandalised in the fifties by the developers and this little town with so much character was transformed into a concrete mess. It was further vandalised by some of the people who lived there who hated its newfound ugliness. The idiotic subway and the claustrophobic shopping mews. The Electricity show rooms were quite grand when first built and were constantly hired for weddings receptions and business. The last time I saw it, it was unrecognisable.
What a great pity. This little town could have been a show piece standing as it does on the river Thames. Imagine little shops along the front where in the summer people could have sat outside, to rest and eat and drink, with excellent views across the river. What did they put there?. A large ugly indoor swimming pool standing next to the old Running Horses pub.
I went to Bedonwell and Brook Street school and this was during the war years. I left Brook street School in 1943. I don't think Erith suffered as much bombing as Belvedere The first bomb fell in Glenview and demolished two houses. One night after a very heavy air raid a stick of bombs, undoubtly meant for the Woolwich Arsenal. fell in Woolwich Road wiping out houses, bringing down power lines and destroying The dairy. The Geisha, The corner grocers shop in Nuxley road. Scotts the sweetshop , the Busy Bee Boot shop and the butchers I believe the white tiled wall of the butchers shop can still be seen.
A time bomb was recovered in Nelson woods and lay fenced off with red flags and I with three other boys went to the spot to investigate. We walked on it and pulled out a damp white powder and played there for about 30 minutes Next day it went off kiliing two of the bomb disposal men working on it. When I visited my son in nearby Thamesmead I returned to that part of the wood . Although the surrounding trees are green. one trees top branches are still bare to this day.
The Rialto cinema closed and became a Jehova Witness Hall, later to reopen fully refurbished as a cinema in the late forties now called The Rex. The first film I saw there was Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in Cover Girl . By this time cinemas were fast going out of fashion and it had closed it doors as a cinema for good within Two years