![[Crayford Town Centre logo]](images/crayfordlogo.gif "Crayford Town Centre logo")
- Towns in Bexley
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- More information
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- Contact Details
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- David Eyre,
Regeneration Officer,
Bexley Council,
Environmental and Regeneration Services,
Regeneration Unit,
Erith Boat House,
20 Erith High Street,
Erith,
Kent DA8 1QY
- 020 8294 6749
- david.eyre @bexley.gov.uk
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About Crayford
Crayford lies on the original Roman Road between the A2016/A206 (M25 Junction 1A) and the modern A2. It is an industrial and retail centre with a long and successful manufacturing history.
The Maxim gun, Vickers Gunbus fighter and Vimy bomber were all famous military products of Crayford factories before 1919. Weapons were also produced during World War II and for use in the Korean War of 1950. Many of the semi-detached houses to the northeast of the town centre were originally built for Vickers' workforce.
Today Crayford is probably best known for its thriving retail park and popular dog track. The town centre accommodates an array of different trades, the Methodist church, several social clubs and a busy pub where live music can still be enjoyed. On the ridge above the town centre, the tower of the well-proportioned Twelfth Century stone church of St. Paulinus was one of several floodlit to mark the beginning of the new Millennium.
Several bus routes link the town to Dartford and Bluewater beyond
the Greater London boundary until late in the evening. During shopping hours
an average of 25 buses and 7 trains leave Crayford every hour, alternate trains
linking the town with Erith and Woolwich. For evening entertainment there are
well-used entertainment venues in the town, the Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre, and
the amateur observatory built by astronomers next to Crayford Manor House.
The Crayford Strategy and Action Plan sets out the physical planning framework for the regeneration of the town centre over the next 5-10 years. There is considerable interest in new commercial retail and residential uses within and around the town. The Council Business Regeneration Officer is helping the local businesses with advice and developing support projects. The value of developing a Crayford Business Partnership and the creation of a Business Improvement District to provide additional support is being researched. The Crayford Community and Business Forum, representing all sections of the local community and businesses on local issues affecting Crayford, is consulted and involved in redevelopment proposals and community projects.
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