Slade Green - History and Development

History and Development

There is some evidence of human occupation of the area in prehistoric times – work at the site of the Hollywood Way estate by the Museum of London Archaeological service revealed the presence of a prehistoric cookery pit.

What is now Slade Green consisted of two isolated agricultural communities of Slade Green (formerly Slades Green or Slads Green) and Northend, with most land belonging to either the Howbury Manor or Newbery Manor, and was referred to locally as 'Cabbage Island' because of the market gardens that lay between the part of Whitehall Lane that is now Moat Lane and Slade Green Lane (now Slade Green Road).

In 1848 Samuel Lewis's 'A Topographical Dictionary of England' states that Slade Green was a hamlet with 66 people and Northend a hamlet with 191 people. Northend hamlet lay alongside Northend Road and around Colyers Lane and towards the boundary with Erith at Boundary Street, and Slads Green hamlet lay alongside Slade Green Road (Slade Green Lane) near Hazel Road and down to Wallhouse Lane. Development came with the railways and the areas use as a rail depot (originally designed to service 100 steam locomotives) and Slades Green station was opened to serve the depot and community on 1 July 1900 (the name was changed to Slade Green station in 1953), and by 1910 the complete 'railway village' of 158 houses had been built. At around the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, land near the railway station was used to produce hand made bricks.

Originally marshland used for agriculture, the isolated Crayford Marshes that lie between Slade Green and the Rivers Thames and Darenth were an ideal location for a large ammunition works which survived until the 1960s. In 1924 this was the scene of a tragedy, as an explosion at the W.B. Gilbert premises on 19 February caused the death of 13 people. During the Second World War the marshes were used for anti-aircraft batterys. This land has since developed into the Darenth Industrial Estate.

During the Second World War the area was subject to a series of air raids, notably the night of 16 April 1941 when incendiary raids caused many fires and massive explosions were only avoided by extreme bravery of local people which saw 3 British Empire Medals and a George Medal awarded. During the war the community was served by a British Restaurant operated from St. Augustine's Church Hall, which supplied up to 250 lunches six days a week and also provided lunches for school children and local factories.