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Miss Eva Wadbrook

I am 73 and have seen Belvedere riverside and marshlands change dramatically. My grandfather was the resident engineer of Callenders Cable factory (now demolished). Sunday afternoons were spent watching the wildlife and marshland birds - both before and after the building of the Thames Barrier.

I was a secretary at Erith Council when the Queen visited in 1953 to see the devastation caused by the Thames flooding. The marshland gypsies had to be re-homed. Gone were the regattas. There were fewer factories and most of the area was farmland. Life was peaceful and pleasant. I am saddened by what is described as 'progress'.