Erith has undergone huge change in the last hundred years. Barely anything remains of the Victorian High Street.

The town was done a great disservice by the building of a new shopping centre in 1968 and the more recent Bronze Age Way, a dual carriageway, was almost as destructive.

However, with a decline in industry and the opening up of the riverside, good use has been made of the site for housing. This view of Riverside Gardens looks south east towards the High Street.
The gardens opened in 1937 and were enlarged in 1982.