A LANDMARK which dominated the skyline for more than half a century, has disappeared in cloud of dust.

The water tower at the former Bexley Hospital has been demolished, changing the view forever.

Nurse Linda Noyes won a charity raffle to be the one who pressed the button to start the demolition.

Patients at the former mental hospital were moved to new facilities in Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich, last year, at a cost of £14m, to make way for a new housing development.

Oxleas chief executive Stephen Firn said: "This is an opportunity to celebrate the great achievements which have been made in mental health care locally."

A tree was planted at the site and a poem read to commemorate the former hospital.