Ladywell
Encyclopedia
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
London
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 in the London Borough of Lewisham
London Borough of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
.
History
The name Ladywell was in use by the 15th century, and maps dating to this period show the site of the original Ladywell, in front of the area later to be occupied by the Freemason's Arms (now 'Masons') and Ladywell railway stationLadywell railway station
Ladywell railway station is in Ladywell, in the London Borough of Lewisham in south east London, in Travelcard Zone 3. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
. The well was six to seven feet deep and surrounded by an iron railing. It is thought to have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was covered over in the mid-18th century as part of the construction of sewer works. The coping stones of this well were later uncovered during work to underpin the railway bridge, and rescued by a signalman
Signalman (rail)
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
. In 1896 they were incorporated as part of the fountain that stood in the grounds of the Ladywell Public Baths, a local landmark built in red brick in 1884.
Another well is located nearby at what is now 148 Ladywell Road. This was a mineral spring, the waters of which local people drank for medicinal purposes.
Much of the development of Ladywell occurred in the late-19th century following the opening of Ladywell railway station in 1857.
Ladywell House was the vicarage built in 1693 for Dean George Stanhope
George Stanhope
George Stanhope was a clergyman of the Church of England, rising to be Dean of Canterbury and a Royal Chaplain...
, the vicar of Lewisham and Deptford. Stanhope was a friend of the writer Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
, Swift visited Ladywell House in 1711. The house was extended in 1881 and 1895, and is now the Ladywell Unit of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises three psychiatric hospitals The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises three psychiatric...
.
In recent years there has been controversy over Lewisham Council's decision to close the Ladywell Swimming Pool
Ladywell Leisure Centre
Ladywell Leisure Centre is a leisure centre located in Lewisham, London. The leisure centre is owned by London Borough of Lewisham and managed on their behalf by Lifestyle Fusion...
and Sports Centre to build a school. Many local residents feel that a school is not needed in this part of Lewisham, that it will increase already high levels of congestion and that closing the pool many years before building a new one will deprive the area of healthy leisure facilities. This controversy led to the area electing Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
councillors to all of its three council ward seats, although all three were lost to Labour in 2010 and although, in turn, one of Labour's councillors has since resigned, forcing a byelection. The Labour candidate again beat the Greens into second place.
Notable people
- Birthplace of Rolling Stones bassistBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Bill WymanBill WymanBill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
. - Burial place of Ernest DowsonErnest DowsonErnest Christopher Dowson , born in Lee, London, was an English poet, novelist and writer of short stories, associated with the Decadent movement.- Biography :...
poet and decadent buried at Brockley and Ladywell CemeteriesBrockley and Ladywell CemeteriesBrockley and Ladywell Cemeteries were opened within one month of each other in 1858 and are sited on adjacent plots of previously open land. The two component parts are characteristic examples of the first wave of Victorian public cemeteries and are now part of the Brockley Conservation Area.The... - Living place of the almighty Lex Linton. Lord of the koalas, ladies and gentlemen swoon when he shuffles into a room, he has a different aesthetic, a man's man, he laughs like a monkey arm.
Nearest railway stations
- Ladywell railway stationLadywell railway stationLadywell railway station is in Ladywell, in the London Borough of Lewisham in south east London, in Travelcard Zone 3. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
- Lewisham railway station
- Crofton Park railway stationCrofton Park railway stationCrofton Park railway station is in Crofton Park, near Brockley, in the London Borough of Lewisham 10 km south east of London Blackfriars....
- Catford Bridge railway stationCatford Bridge railway stationCatford Bridge railway station is on the Mid-Kent Line, serving Hayes line trains from Charing Cross to Hayes. It lies between Ladywell and Lower Sydenham stations, in Travelcard Zone 3. It is next to, and on a lower level than, Catford railway station on the Catford Loop line...