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Primary schools located in Eltham include: Alderwood, Christ Church (Shooters Hill Rd), Deansfield, Eltham C of E, Gordon, Henwick, Holy Family, Kidbrooke Park, St Mary's, St Thomas More and Wingfield.
Secondary schools located in Eltham include Eltham Green Specialist Sports College, Crown Woods School, Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls and St Thomas More.
[edit] Transport
Eltham, along with most other suburbs in south east London, is not served by the London underground. Commuters rely on two rail lines to central London, and the road network. Trains through Eltham terminate at London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street or London Victoria in a westerly direction, and Crayford, Dartford, Slade Green, Gravesend, Gillingham or Rochester in an easterly direction. Given the lack of Tube access, the two suburban rail lines work at, or above, their capacity during peak-hour commuting to central London. Fast trains take as little as 20 minutes to get to London Charing Cross.
Bexleyheath Line
Originally opened on 1 May 1895 by a private company, the Bexleyheath Line was taken over by the South Eastern Railway after suffering bankruptcy. There were originally two stations in Eltham: Eltham 'Well Hall' and Eltham Park station. The line and both stations opened on 1 July 1908.[6] On 11 June 1972, a London-bound train came off the track at Well Hall, killing 6 and injuring 126. Both stations in Eltham were closed in 1985 when major work was carried out on the A2 dual carriageway. The new Eltham station opened in Glenlea Road the same year, combining bus and rail links in one complex, high above the A2. The new station has a modernist feel. [7]
Dartford Loop
The Dartford Loop line, about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south of Eltham High Street, was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 1 September 1866. It is commonly known by locals as the 'Dartford line via Sidcup'. There are two stations on this line that serve the population living to the south of Eltham: Mottingham station, originally named 'Eltham Station' until 'Eltham Well Hall' opened, and New Eltham station. Neither station is as large as Eltham station, but both have been heavily upgraded since opening.
Eltham High Street lies on the A210, the original A20 London to Maidstone road. But the A20 has now been diverted southwards, passing through Mottingham, and it is a dual carriageway that connects to the M20 motorway in Kent. Similarly, to the north, the dual carriageway A2 has replaced the Rochester Road section, which was always very congested (the old road had dangerous readings of lead pollution, close to schools, before the advent of lead-free petrol).
The upgrading of these two arterial routes in and out of London means that Eltham is handily positioned between the A20 and A2. Driving on either of these roads into London soon results in congestion, although the A2 does connect through to the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames, and thus into East london, all on dual carriageway. Driving eastwards allows access to the Dartford Tunnel, and the Kent countryside, in as little as 20 minutes in off-peak hours.
Crossing the two from north to the south is the A205 South Circular road, a busy arterial route.
The back streets of Eltham have been largely traffic-calmed by the local Council as a token measure, but the efforts have been unsuccessful with white-van-men and commuters continuing to use residential streets as "rat runs" and the council turning a blind eye to this. Provision for cyclists is modest, while there are some interesting footpaths along ancient rights of way, for example in Oxleas Wood and Avery Hill Park.
Scheduled coaches, marketed as part of the National Express network, link Eltham Green to Pimlico and Victoria in central London and to several destinations on the Kent coast via Bluewater (a retail-based development on a grand scale situated in Dartford borough) and Canterbury. Eltham Green is one of the only places in south London served by National Express coaches.
Eltham is served by 15 Transport for London bus routes. Most pass through Eltham High Street, the only exceptions being the 122 and 178.
Buses that terminate in Eltham:
Buses that pass through Eltham en route to destination:
[edit] Famous residents
- John Arnold - Internationally renowned watchmaker, lived in Well Hall House.
- Hubert Bland - Socialist and co-founder the Fabian Society. Lived in Well Hall House from 1899 to 1922.
- Billy Bonds - MBE a former Charlton Athletic, West Ham United Footballer, and former Millwall F.C. manager.
- Kate Bush - Singer and musician, bought an imposing house on Court Road, Eltham in the 1980s.
- Sir Stephen Courtauld M.C. - Millionaire, war veteran and philanthropist. Lived at Eltham Palace from the mid 1930s to 1944.
- John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall.
- Boy George - Singer, born and raised in Eltham.
- Baron Denis Winston Healey - Politician and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, lived in the Eltham Hutments.
- Bob Hope KBE - Actor and Hollywood film star, was born in Eltham in 1903 (blue plaque at 44, Craigton Road, SE9). In 1982 the Eltham Little Theatre was renamed The Bob Hope Theatre in his honour, following his donations that saved the theatre from closure. He also visited the theatre in 1980.
- Jack Hope - film and television producer, elder brother of Bob Hope.
- Frankie Howerd - Comedian and Comic Actor, educated at Shooters Hill Grammar School in Eltham. He also lived in the "Hutments". The Wetherspoons conversion of the Eltham branch of Barclays Bank to a pub called The Banker's Draft resulted in the pub being themed around Frankie Howerd. Many pictures and artefacts from his life adorn the walls.
- Commodore Sir William James (1720-1783) - Naval commander, settled in Eltham at Park Farm Place in 1759 and is commemorated by Severndroog Castle on nearby Shooter's Hill.
- Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) - Naturalist and writer. (Blue plaque at 59, Footscray Road, SE9).
- Jude Law - Actor and Hollywood film star, lived in Eltham and began his career at The Bob Hope Theatre.
- Delroy Lindo - Actor - Heist, Ransom, The Cider House Rules, Gone in Sixty Seconds
- Herbert Morrison (1888-1965) - Cabinet minister and leader of London County Council, lived at 55 Archery Road, SE9 between 1929 and 1960.
- Edith Nesbit - Author, writer of "The Railway Children"
- Gavin Peacock - Former Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers Footballer, and currently football pundit for the BBC.
- Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster.
- Louise Redknapp - Singer, grew up in Eltham
- Steve Peregrin Took - musician.
- Alan White - Ex-drummer of British Rock Band Oasis, was born in Eltham.
- Bridget of York - seventh daughter of Edward IV.
- Several members of the renowned anarcho-punk band Conflict originated in Eltham.
[edit] External links
(Source: Wikipedia) |
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