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13
Areas located near the River Thames are, generally speaking,
industrial and are more densely populated than the upper parts
of the Borough. In recent years, however, the commencement of
a gradual movement of people away from the river-side has been
witnessed, and the Kidbrooke area, which pre-war had always been
described as the "rural" part of the Borough, is almost entirely
built over.
The majority of the industries and sources of employment in
the Borough are to be found in close proximity to the River Thames
which forms the Borough boundary on the north side. Chief among
these are large Cable and Engineering Works, Ship Repairing
Works, Gas Works, Soap and Candle Works, L.T.E. Generating
Station and Carriage Repair Depot, The British Electricity
Authority's Works, Glass Bottle Works, Rope Works, Ship Propelling
Works, Merryweather's Works (Fire Engines), Cement and
Stone Works, Asbestos Works, Cold Meat Storage, Pressed Tool
Works, Constructional Engineering Works, Galvanising and Sheet
Metal Works, Brewery, Flour Mills, Aero Parts, Wireless and
Vehicle Parts and Tin Box Manufacturing Works.
The numbers employed at 11 of the larger factories range
between 500 and 5.000 each, whilst 17 smaller works each employ
between 100 and 400.