Abbey Wood
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, located mostly in the London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Greenwich
The London Borough of Greenwich is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan...
, and partly within the London Borough of Bexley
London Borough of Bexley
The London Borough of Bexley lies in south east Greater London, and is a borough referred to as part of Outer London. It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, across the River Thames to the north it borders the London...
. It is situated 9.3 miles (15 km) east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
.
Development
The Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes (or Lesnes AbbeyLesnes Abbey
Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a scheduled ancient monument and the adjacent park and heath are a Site of Special Scientific Interest...
) was founded in 1178 by Richard de Luci
Richard de Luci
Richard de Luci was first noted as Sheriff of the County of Essex, then he was made Chief Justiciar of England.- Biography :His wife Rohese, who is named in several documents, was a sister of Faramus of Boulogne...
, Chief Justiciar of England. The Abbott of Lesnes Abbey was an important local landlord, and took a leading part in draining the marshland. However, this and the cost of maintaining river embankments was one of the reasons given for the Abbey's chronic financial difficulties. It never became a large community, and was closed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, under a licence to suppress monasteries of less than seven inmates. It was one of the first monasteries to be closed after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1524, and the monastic buildings were all pulled down, except for the Abbott's Lodging. Henry Cooke acquired the site in 1541 and it eventually passed to Sir John Hippersley who salvaged building materials, before selling the property to Thomas Hawes of London in 1632. It was then bequeathed to Christ's Hospital in 1633.
Abbey Wood railway station
Abbey Wood railway station
Abbey Wood railway station serves the suburb of Abbey Wood in South East London. It is served by Southeastern, and is between and stations on the North Kent Line....
was opened in 1849, immediately to the north of the area now known as "The Village", built where Knee Hill became Harrow Manorway. Contemporary maps show Knee Hill as a minor track compared with a more major pathway through the centre of the existing woods. The Village consisted of a dozen or so cottages, and two pubs, the Abbey Arms (next to the railway station) and the Harrow Inn (demolished in 2009).
The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society
Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society
The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society was a consumer co-operative based in south east London; taking its name from the royal munitions works at Woolwich....
(RACS) owned two farms on the hillside to the south of The Village, and between 1900 and 1930 built the Bostall Estate. Once known as "Tin Check Island" after the Society's dividend system, and known locally as "The Co-op Estate", this has streets named after Co-operative themes (Alexander McLeod, the first secretary of the RACS, Rochdale
Rochdale Principles
The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England, in 1844, and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operatives around the world operate to this day. The...
, Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
, Congress), a school & shops but, like much social housing of the period, no public houses. The housing is largely traditional of the "two up, two down" design, in distinctive yellow London brick, with gardens to the front and rear.
Between 1955 and 1959 the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
built the Abbey Estate on former Royal Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
marshland just south of the railway. Predominantly conventional brick houses with gardens, equipped with a shopping centre, schools and open spaces, the estate was first used to rehouse people from London's East End, though again at first there were no pubs and few shops. The main through-road is Eynsham Drive.
In the early 1970s the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
began building the first phase of Thamesmead
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
on more ex-Royal-Arsenal land, north-east of Abbey Wood station. The original railway level crossing was replaced by a flyover.
Abbey Wood has benefited from the opening of the DLR station at Woolwich Arsenal, whilst the next stage in the development of the area will be the construction of Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
, a development tipped to encourage the growth of local house prices by the time it is opened in 2017.
The Greenwich ward of Abbey Wood has a population of just over 13,000, and its rail station sees over 3 million passenger journeys a year.
Places of interest
Places of interest include the little-known ruined 12th-century Lesnes AbbeyLesnes Abbey
Lesnes Abbey is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a scheduled ancient monument and the adjacent park and heath are a Site of Special Scientific Interest...
and the ancient Bostall Woods & Heath. Bostall Woods (part of the South East London Green Chain
South East London Green Chain
The South East London Green Chain, also known as the Green Chain Walk is a linked system of open spaces between the River Thames and Crystal Palace Park in London, England. In 1977 four London Boroughs and the Greater London Council created this Green Chain of 300 open spaces to protect them from...
) includes one of the few camping and caravan sites in London and is a known source of fossilised sharks' teeth. The co-operative woods was also the site of the first camp for the Woodcraft Folk.
St. Michael’s Parish Church http://www.stmichaelsabbeywood.co.uk/St_Michael_home.htm was opened in a temporary building in 1905. A permanent church, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
, was consecrated three years later, and the original building became the church hall. The Victorian Crossness Pumping Station
Crossness Pumping Station
Crossness Pumping Station was a sewage pumping station designed by engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and architect Charles Henry Driver. It was constructed between 1859 and 1865 as part of his redevelopment of the London sewerage system...
is another notable local attraction.
Recreational facilities and Parks
Abbey Wood has a number of parks and sports areas, including Bostall Gardens (play area, tennis courts and basketball court), Bostall Heath (cricket pitch, bowling green, orienteering, football pitch) and Abbey Wood Park (play area and football pitch). It also has a women's netball team Abbey Angels.People of interest
Sir Charles Tilston BrightCharles Tilston Bright
Sir Charles Tilston Bright was a British electrical engineer who oversaw the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858, for which work he was knighted....
, the British electrical engineer who oversaw the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable in 1858, died in Abbey Wood in May 1888.
Snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
champion Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
came from Plumstead but went to Alexander McLeod Primary School and Abbey Wood Secondary School. Boxer Julius Francis
Julius Francis
Julius Francis is a former British Heavyweight champion boxer - who participated in many noteworthy boxing matches in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2007 he also participated in a mixed martial arts bout....
went to St Thomas a Becket Primary School and Abbey Wood School, and Olympic runner Jennifer Stoute
Jennifer Stoute
Jennifer Elaine Stoute is a former sprinter from Great Britain.At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Stoute won a gold medal in the women's 4x400 m, along with a silver in the 4x100 m....
also went to Abbey Wood School. Playwright Jonathan Harvey
Jonathan Harvey (playwright)
Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
also taught there. Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
briefly attended the convent school at the top of Knee Hill. Victor Ogunwusi of Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C.
Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C.
Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. are an English football club based in the suburb of Hampton, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. They were founded in 1921 and formerly known as Hampton F.C. until 1999 when they changed their name in an attempt to draw a wider support base from around the...
also attended Abbey Wood School. Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
attended St. Paul's Catholic School in Abbey Wood.
William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
lived at the nearby Red House
Red House (London)
Red House in Bexleyheath in southeast London, England, is a major building of the history of the Arts and Crafts style and of 19th century British architecture. It was designed during 1859 by its owner, William Morris, and the architect Philip Webb, with wall paintings and stained glass by Edward...
, in Bexleyheath http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-redhouse, a house which was built for him by the architect Philip Webb
Philip Webb
Another Philip Webb — Philip Edward Webb was the architect son of leading architect Sir Aston Webb. Along with his brother, Maurice, he assisted his father towards the end of his career....
. Morris regularly walked to Abbey Wood station, and a plaque just off Knee Hill commemorates this association.
Time 106.8
Time 106.8
106.8 Time FM was a local commercial radio station located in the south-east London and north-west Kent area of England, which broadcast to Greenwich and Bexleyheath in London and Dartford and Gravesend in Kent on 106.8 FM, and ceased transmission in April 2009.-Background:The station started...
, a licensed local radio station that evolved from an early cable channel - Radio Thamesmead - had studios on the Abbey Wood/Plumstead borders, and closed in April 2009. Abbey Wood also hosted London's first cable TV station at Wickham Lane.
Education
- For education in Abbey Wood see the main London Borough of Greenwich article, and for schools east of Knee Hill-Church Manorway see the main London Borough of Bexley article.
Rail
The nearest railway station in the area is Abbey Wood railway stationAbbey Wood railway station
Abbey Wood railway station serves the suburb of Abbey Wood in South East London. It is served by Southeastern, and is between and stations on the North Kent Line....
. Trains from this station run to London Bridge, London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street via Woolwich and Greenwich or Lewisham to the west. To the east the trains go to Dartford and Crayford or Gravesend and Gillingham.
Abbey Wood is the planned south eastern terminus of Crossrail
Crossrail
Crossrail is a project to build a major new railway link under central London. The name refers to the first of two routes which are the responsibility of Crossrail Ltd. It is based on an entirely new east-west tunnel with a central section from to Liverpool Street station...
One.
Buses
- 99 - BexleyheathBexleyheathBexleyheath is a main suburban district of Southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley with a small percentage of the district itself being in the London Borough of Greenwich. Bexleyheath is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is east south-east of Charing Cross...
Shopping Centre and WoolwichWoolwichWoolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
Shopping Centre. - 177London Buses route 177London Buses route 177 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:Route 177 came about as part of the replacement of London's trams in 1952...
- ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
Town Centre and PeckhamPeckhamPeckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
Bus Station. - 180 - BelvedereBelvedere, LondonBelvedere is a suburban and largely working class area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley in Southeast London.-History:The area which is today known as Belvedere was originally part of Lesness Heath, which originally stretched from the area of Lesnes Abbey to Erith and constituted...
Industrial Estate and LewishamLewishamLewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
Shopping Centre. - 229London Buses route 229London Buses route 229 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
- ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
Town Centre and SidcupSidcupSidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of...
Queen Marys Hospital. - 244 - Abbey Wood Station and Woolwich CommonWoolwich CommonWoolwich Common is an area of military land located to the south of the town centre of Woolwich in South East London England.It is bounded on the south side by the A207 Shooter's Hill Road, and on the east by Academy Road that the former Royal Military Academy fronts. Situated to the west is the...
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. - 401 - ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
Town Centre and BexleyheathBexleyheathBexleyheath is a main suburban district of Southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley with a small percentage of the district itself being in the London Borough of Greenwich. Bexleyheath is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is east south-east of Charing Cross...
Shopping Centre. - 469 - ErithErithErith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
Town Centre and Woolwich CommonWoolwich CommonWoolwich Common is an area of military land located to the south of the town centre of Woolwich in South East London England.It is bounded on the south side by the A207 Shooter's Hill Road, and on the east by Academy Road that the former Royal Military Academy fronts. Situated to the west is the...
Queen Elizabeth Hospital. - B11 - ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
Town Centre and BexleyheathBexleyheathBexleyheath is a main suburban district of Southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley with a small percentage of the district itself being in the London Borough of Greenwich. Bexleyheath is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is east south-east of Charing Cross...
Shopping Centre. - N1 - ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
Town Centre and Tottenham Court RoadTottenham Court RoadTottenham Court Road is a major road in central London, United Kingdom, running from St Giles Circus north to Euston Road, near the border of the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile...
.
Nearest places
- PlumsteadPlumsteadPlumstead is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead is a multi cultural area with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, in similarity to local areas such as Woolwich and Thamesmead...
- Belvedere, LondonBelvedere, LondonBelvedere is a suburban and largely working class area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley in Southeast London.-History:The area which is today known as Belvedere was originally part of Lesness Heath, which originally stretched from the area of Lesnes Abbey to Erith and constituted...
- ThamesmeadThamesmeadThamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
- WoolwichWoolwichWoolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
- WellingWellingWelling is a district in the London Borough of Bexley, South East London. It is a suburban development situated between Shooter's Hill and Bexleyheath north of the A2 road and 10.5 miles east south-east of Charing Cross.-History:...
- ErithErithErith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...