Did you know that...
The name Belvedere comes from Italian. It means “beautiful vista”. Sir Culling Eardley gave the name to this South East London area. In the 19th century, Sir Culling inherited this wooded estate from his cousin. The area developed into a settlement under his ownership. He built a wooden tower that offered a beautiful view over the estate to the River Thames. The area still has amazing views over Central London and Canary Wharf. Eardley’s tower became the tower of a Dissenter’s chapel. Access roads across Lesness Heath were also built. All Saints’ Church now sits on the site of the former chapel. Houses were built along the heath road that became Bexley Road and later on Nuxley Road. The railway station came in 1859. The Eardley Arms pub is named after Sir Culling.
In 1864, the two gunpowder factories located in Belvedere DA17, the nearby storage facilities, and gunpowder loaded cargo, exploded with such a force that all the buildings were completely wiped out. The explosion was heard over 50 miles. There were 20 casualties and luckily no loss of life. Central London residents mistook the explosion shock wave for an earthquake. Callender’s Cableworks Band was an amateur brass band whose members were employees of the Callender’s Cables factory in the area. The band broadcasted on BBC and was quite famous. This DA17 area was badly damaged by the North Sea Flood in 1953. People were left for weeks without electricity.
Several famous sports personalities were born here. Billy Cornelius, professional footballer, cricketers Alec Debnam and Alan Knott, and footballer Roy Dwight hail from Belvedere DA17. Famous horticulturist Anne Swithinbank was born here as well. Motorcycle racer and retailer Colin Seeley, snooker player Walter Donaldson, and archaeologist Flaxman Charles John Spurrell lived in the area. Bexley College is a Grade II listed building.