In 1797 Edward Hasted described Erith as "one small street of houses, which leads to the water side". At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Erith’s population was 1533.
By 1849 Erith was enjoying a short spell as a riverside resort after the opening of the station that year. Its pier and nearby hotel gave hospitality for day-trippers arriving on Thames pleasure boats or by rail.
Erith Iron Works was established in 1864 on a riverside site at Anchor Bay, east of the town centre. 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.
Erith has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley since 1965.