Early Pictures of Bexley Road, Erith

From: "John King" <JKing77189@aol.com>

 Before the trams came
Click on picture [BRE2] for an enlarged version
 
 The trams have arrived!
Click on picture [BRE] for an enlarged version

I was looking at your photograph of Bexley Road, Erith [BRE] when I remembered a photo I had seen on the Bexley Borough Local History site. It is of the same place, from almost the same viewpoint in pre-tram days, [before 1905].

Trolleybuses on route 698 travelled along this road. On the system map the location of pictures BRE and BRE1 are two thirds of the way from Northumberland Heath and Erith. Northumberland Heath was the end of Erith Council tramways, but they got through running to use Bexleys tracks to Bexleyheath. [Erith's other terminal was Abbey Wood which never had through running to Woolwich].

The section of track [Erith - North Heath] was all single track with passing places and was one of the reasons for early replacement by trolleybuses. I don't know about signals, it would I think be more likely to be by a baton or key which was handed to the driver coming the other way after leaving the single track [or hung on a traction standard to be picked up].

Beyond the trees to the left of the picture was a cliff which led to another road which went downhill in the other direction. It met with Bexley Road at Erith. It was along this other road which the 99 LGOC route ran to Erith. It was started in 1916 and still runs the same route with the same number.

Bexley Road became part of the 698 trolleybus route, it was only then that you could travel all the way to Woolwich without changing at Abbey Wood.

Below is another picture of Bexley Road at Northumberland Heath.

 Northumberland Heath
Click on picture [BRE3] for an enlarged version