Editing Erith (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Erith Library (I).jpg|right|thumb|The Old Library, a [[listed building|Grade II listed building]] in Walnut Tree Road by William Egerton, opened on 7 April 1906.]]
[[File:Erith Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1278414.jpg|left|thumb|[[Erith Town Hall]], completed in 1932]]
Erith's first library, designed by local architect William Egerton and funded by philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]], opened in 1906.<ref name="Murphy-21Mar2019">{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Chris |date=21 March 2019 |title=Calls for help to save Erith's Old Library building |work=Bexley Times |url=https://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-old-library-building-in-erith-1-5950293 |access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>

Engineering became an important industry in Erith, with armaments and cables as the main products. [[Vickers]] was a major employer, with links to the [[Royal Arsenal]] at nearby [[Woolwich]].<ref name=erithhistory/>

[[File:The De Lucile Fish Mosaic Sculpture.jpg|alt='The De Luci (dancing) Fish' mosaic sculpture on Bronze Age Way roundabout in Erith, Kent by artist Gary Drostle.|thumb|'The De Luci' 'dancing fish' mosaic statue at the roundabout in the town centre designed and created by artist [[Gary Drostle]] in 2006]]
During the [[World War I|First World War]] Erith was an important area for the manufacture of guns and ammunition, largely due to the presence of the large [[Vickers]] works. In the [[World War II|Second World War]], the town suffered heavy bomb damage, mainly because of its riverside position near the Royal Arsenal. The bomb damage and a gradual decline in local trade prompted major redevelopment in the 1960s.<ref name=erithhistory/>

[[File:Erith, Riverside shopping centre - geograph.org.uk - 717401.jpg|thumb|Riverside Shopping Centre]]
In 1961, Erith began to be redeveloped as a modern shopping and working environment, through the clearing of sub-standard housing by the riverside and alterations to the street layout. Some of the new buildings, such as the [[social housing]] [[tower block]]s, have a [[brutalism|brutalist]] form typical of [[overspill estate]]s built by councils in major cities as an affordable way to clear the slums.<ref>[http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbanregeneration/0,8145,392054,00.html Urban regeneration: the essentials] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419083145/http://society.guardian.co.uk/urbanregeneration/0,8145,392054,00.html |date=19 April 2013}} ''[[The Guardian]]''</ref>

In 1965, under the [[London Government Act 1963]], Erith became part of the [[London Borough of Bexley]].

[[File:The White Hart in Erith.jpg|thumb|The ''White Hart'' in Erith featuring Thames Barge mural by Gary Drostle.]]
Demolition of the old town started in 1966 and continued in phases until 1980, leaving only a few reminders of the old town centre. Many of the original [[Victorian architecture|Victorian buildings]] were lost, but some original townscape remains, including the ''White Hart'' in the High Street and St John's Church in West Street.<ref name=erithhistory/>

[[File:Riverside apartments, Erith - geograph.org.uk - 198210.jpg|right|thumb|Riverside apartment blocks, just east of Erith town centre]]