Lee, London
Encyclopedia
Lee is a district of south
London
, England, located mostly in the London Borough of Lewisham
and partly in the London Borough of Greenwich
. The district lies to the east of Lewisham
, one mile west of Eltham, and one mile south of Blackheath
village. Lee is within the SE12 postcode district and was originally the district's name; Lee Green is the name of the electoral ward
covering the area of Lee within the Lewisham Borough.
St Margaret's Church
(built 1839–41, architect
: John Brown
) is the burial place of three Astronomers Royal
: Edmond Halley
, Nathaniel Bliss
and John Pond
. It had (until 2006) two public house
s with almost identical names – The Old Tiger's Head and The New Tiger's Head – facing each other on opposite sides of the same road. Folklore
states that The Old Tiger's Head is in fact the newer of the two. A small part of Lee, around Horn Park
Lane and Alnwick Road, is in the London Borough of Greenwich
. On the Green itself is a clock tower
reminiscent of Big Ben (called Little Ben) and others prevalent in London, such as the Highbury Clock
.
to create the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham
. While modern Lee is centred on Lee railway station
and the road of Burnt Ash Hill, the parish was based around Lee High Road which today stretches into the town centre of Lewisham. The River Quaggy
formed much of the boundary between the two parishes, though at Lee Bridge (at the western end of Lee High Road) it is now almost completely hidden.
The Lee Manor Society have produced a comprehensive history of the area. The Domesday Book
describes Lee as a small area of cultivation set in extensive woodland. The earliest map available (Rocque's of 1740) shows a cluster of about a dozen houses around a triangular village green. This hamlet was surrounded by fields. Lee Green Farm occupied the south-east quadrant from the 1660s (roughly on the site of the present Leegate shopping centre). The farm was demolished in the 1840s and rebuilt as Tudor House further east.
The Old Tiger's Head and the New Tiger's Head pubs are important and striking features of the crossroads. Confusingly, the original (Old) Tiger's Head is thought to have been built on the site that currently occupied by the New Tiger's Head. The original pub is thought to have been built before 1730. It was rebuilt on its present site, the north-west quadrant, in 1750–1770 and then rebuilt (in its third incarnation) in 1896 – the date carried on its frontage. It became an important mail and coaching inn. The New Tiger's Head started life as a beer shop known as the Tiger Tavern in the 1830s. It was situated in the end of four cottages known as Prospect Terrace built around the same time. Three of these cottages remain, housing a post office/newsagent and a hairdresser. In 1868 it is referred to as the Tiger's Head Inn. The present building is thought to have replaced the original cottage a few years after 1896 – the date of the rebuilding of the Old Tiger's Head.
In 1815 cavalry and foot regiments passed through Lee Green on their way to the Battle of Waterloo
:
In the early 19th century boxing
matches took place at the Old Tiger's Head. Horse racing and (human) foot racing take place in the 1840s but the police put a stop to these events, probably under pressure from local citizens. At that time the green was the centre of village life with cricket
matches, bare knuckle boxing and other entertainments. In the 1850s further house-building prompted the installation of proper sewers and the Lee Green horse pond was filled in. In the 1860s John Pound, a developer, erected houses in the south-east quadrant, Orchard Terrace on Eltham Road and Crown Terrace on Burnt Ash Lane (now Road).
The opening of Lee station in 1866 prompted more house-building at the crossroads. The site of Lee Green Farm was built on as Carston Mews (demolished in the early 1960s to make way for Leegate shopping centre). In the same year Charles Henry Reed, a linen draper, moves into 1 Orchard Terrace and established a department store. Reed died in 1895 and in 1903 the business was taken over by Griffith & Co.
In the south-west quadrant the Prince Arthur pub was built at 422 Lee High Road in 1870 (closed 2005). It was originally one of a row of early 19th century cottages of which three - nos 424–428 - survived behind modern shop fronts. In 1898 No 345 Lee High Road was built in front of the former Old Tiger's Head stables. It incorporated a fire station but the London County Council
built a replacement in 1906 in Eltham Road. It is still in use. A police station was built at 418 Lee High Road in 1904, replacing one built before 1860. It was converted to apartments in 2003.
In the early 1960s the south-east quadrant, including Carston Mews, was demolished to make way for Leegate shopping centre which went into decline following the opening of Sainsbury's on the opposite side of Burnt Ash Road in the late 1980s.
Nearest railway stations:
A roads
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 mostly 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...
and partly 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...
. The district lies to the east of Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham 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:...
, one mile west of Eltham, and one mile south of Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
village. Lee is within the SE12 postcode district and was originally the district's name; Lee Green is the name of the electoral ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
covering the area of Lee within the Lewisham Borough.
St Margaret's Church
St Margaret's, Lee
The parish church of St Margaret of Antioch, Lee, was built between 1839 and 1841 in a simple early Victorian style , replacing an older mediaeval church dating to around 1120...
(built 1839–41, architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
: John Brown
John Brown (architect)
John Brown was a 19th-century architect in Norwich, in the county of Norfolk, England. He is best known for his churches, especially cathedrals. He was also, along with his two sons, the surveyor for Norwich Cathedral.Some of his architectural works:...
) is the burial place of three Astronomers Royal
Astronomer Royal
Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the second is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834....
: Edmond Halley
Edmond Halley
Edmond Halley FRS was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's Comet. He was the second Astronomer Royal in Britain, following in the footsteps of John Flamsteed.-Biography and career:Halley...
, Nathaniel Bliss
Nathaniel Bliss
The Reverend Nathaniel Bliss was an English astronomer of the 18th century, serving as Britain's fourth Astronomer Royal between 1762 and 1764....
and John Pond
John Pond
John Pond FRS was a renowned English astronomer who became the sixth Astronomer Royal, serving from 1811 to 1835.- Biography :...
. It had (until 2006) two public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s with almost identical names – The Old Tiger's Head and The New Tiger's Head – facing each other on opposite sides of the same road. Folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
states that The Old Tiger's Head is in fact the newer of the two. A small part of Lee, around Horn Park
Horn Park
-History:Horn Park was one of three parks attached to Eltham Palace. The area was heavily wooded and was stocked with deer until the destruction of both during the English Civil War. The park became farmland until 1936 when the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich began the construction of the Horn...
Lane and Alnwick Road, is 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...
. On the Green itself is a clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
reminiscent of Big Ben (called Little Ben) and others prevalent in London, such as the Highbury Clock
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
.
History
The Manor of Lee was a historic parish of the Blackheath hundred and existed up to 1900 when it was merged with the parish of LewishamLewisham
Lewisham 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:...
to create the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham
Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham
The Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the London Borough of Lewisham along with the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford.-History:...
. While modern Lee is centred on Lee railway station
Lee railway station
Lee station is a suburban railway station on Burnt Ash Hill in Lee in south-east London, England, between Hither Green and Mottingham on the Dartford loop . It was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1866...
and the road of Burnt Ash Hill, the parish was based around Lee High Road which today stretches into the town centre of Lewisham. The River Quaggy
River Quaggy
The River Quaggy is an urban river, 17 km in length, passing through the south-east London boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham; it is known as the Kyd Brook, in its upper reaches...
formed much of the boundary between the two parishes, though at Lee Bridge (at the western end of Lee High Road) it is now almost completely hidden.
The Lee Manor Society have produced a comprehensive history of the area. The Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
describes Lee as a small area of cultivation set in extensive woodland. The earliest map available (Rocque's of 1740) shows a cluster of about a dozen houses around a triangular village green. This hamlet was surrounded by fields. Lee Green Farm occupied the south-east quadrant from the 1660s (roughly on the site of the present Leegate shopping centre). The farm was demolished in the 1840s and rebuilt as Tudor House further east.
The Old Tiger's Head and the New Tiger's Head pubs are important and striking features of the crossroads. Confusingly, the original (Old) Tiger's Head is thought to have been built on the site that currently occupied by the New Tiger's Head. The original pub is thought to have been built before 1730. It was rebuilt on its present site, the north-west quadrant, in 1750–1770 and then rebuilt (in its third incarnation) in 1896 – the date carried on its frontage. It became an important mail and coaching inn. The New Tiger's Head started life as a beer shop known as the Tiger Tavern in the 1830s. It was situated in the end of four cottages known as Prospect Terrace built around the same time. Three of these cottages remain, housing a post office/newsagent and a hairdresser. In 1868 it is referred to as the Tiger's Head Inn. The present building is thought to have replaced the original cottage a few years after 1896 – the date of the rebuilding of the Old Tiger's Head.
In 1815 cavalry and foot regiments passed through Lee Green on their way to the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
:
- "The space in front of the Tiger's Head and the Green were very commodious for the transfer of baggage to the waggons of the farmers from the other side of London to those of the farmers in this neighbourhood which were pressed for that purpose, to convey them 15 miles further on the journey to Dover." (FH Hart History of Lee, 1892)
In the early 19th century boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches took place at the Old Tiger's Head. Horse racing and (human) foot racing take place in the 1840s but the police put a stop to these events, probably under pressure from local citizens. At that time the green was the centre of village life with cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches, bare knuckle boxing and other entertainments. In the 1850s further house-building prompted the installation of proper sewers and the Lee Green horse pond was filled in. In the 1860s John Pound, a developer, erected houses in the south-east quadrant, Orchard Terrace on Eltham Road and Crown Terrace on Burnt Ash Lane (now Road).
The opening of Lee station in 1866 prompted more house-building at the crossroads. The site of Lee Green Farm was built on as Carston Mews (demolished in the early 1960s to make way for Leegate shopping centre). In the same year Charles Henry Reed, a linen draper, moves into 1 Orchard Terrace and established a department store. Reed died in 1895 and in 1903 the business was taken over by Griffith & Co.
In the south-west quadrant the Prince Arthur pub was built at 422 Lee High Road in 1870 (closed 2005). It was originally one of a row of early 19th century cottages of which three - nos 424–428 - survived behind modern shop fronts. In 1898 No 345 Lee High Road was built in front of the former Old Tiger's Head stables. It incorporated a fire station but 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 a replacement in 1906 in Eltham Road. It is still in use. A police station was built at 418 Lee High Road in 1904, replacing one built before 1860. It was converted to apartments in 2003.
In the early 1960s the south-east quadrant, including Carston Mews, was demolished to make way for Leegate shopping centre which went into decline following the opening of Sainsbury's on the opposite side of Burnt Ash Road in the late 1980s.
Famous residents
- Sir Francis Baring, founder of Baring BrothersBarings BankBarings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London until its collapse in 1995 after one of the bank's employees, Nick Leeson, lost £827 million due to speculative investing, primarily in futures contracts, at the bank's Singapore office.-History:-1762–1890:Barings Bank was founded in 1762 as the...
Bank, bought the Manor House (attributed to architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Richard JuppRichard JuppRichard Jupp was an 18th century English architect, particularly associated with buildings in and around London.He served for many years Richard Jupp (1728 – 17 April 1799) was an 18th century English architect, particularly associated with buildings in and around London.He served for many years...
) in Manor Lane (now a library and its grounds a public park, Manor House Gardens) in 1796. - Henry Thomas BuckleHenry Thomas BuckleHenry Thomas Buckle was an English historian, author of an unfinished History of Civilization.- Biography :...
, English historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of A History of Civilization was born in Lee. - PoetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
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 :...
was also born in Lee. - Actor James Robertson JusticeJames Robertson JusticeJames Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
was born in Lee in 1907. - Actor Jude LawJude LawDavid Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
- Musician Manfred MannManfred MannManfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
lived in Southbrook Road in Lee. - Philosopher, sociologist and economic historian Karl MarxKarl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
lived at Lee for a short period during the 19th century - John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
lived in Lee Green. Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
stayed with him during the recording sessions of the album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton - Sir Gregory PageGregory PageThe heads of three successive generations of the same English family were each named Gregory Page. A wealthy family whose fortune was not inherited but initially accumulated through trade, the Pages were closely associated with the development of north-west Kent during the 18th century.-First...
built a large mansion house (demolished in 1787) at Wricklemarsh in Lee. - Mechanical engineer John PennJohn Penn (engineer)John Penn FRS, was a marine engineer, whose firm was pre-eminent in the middle of the nineteenth century due to his innovations in engine and propeller systems, which led his firm to be the major supplier to the Royal Navy as it made the transition from sail to steam power...
died at his home, The Cedars, Lee on 23 September 1878, and was subsequently buried at nearby St Margaret's Church. - Reggie SchwarzReggie SchwarzMajor Reginald Oscar Schwarz MC, known as Reggie was a South African cricketer and international rugby union footballer.-Early life:...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er, was born in Lee. - Stanley UnwinStanley Unwin (publisher)Sir Stanley Unwin was a British publisher, founder of the George Allen and Unwin house in 1914. This published serious and sometimes controversial authors like Bertrand Russell and Mahatma Gandhi....
, publisher, lived in Handen Road. - Actor and comedian Max WallMax WallMax Wall , was an English comedian and actor, whose performing career covered music hall, theatre, films and television.-Early years:...
Transport
Nearest places:- CatfordCatfordCatford 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.-Architecture:...
- BlackheathBlackheath, LondonBlackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
- Hither GreenHither GreenHither Green is a district in south east London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated 6.6 miles south east of Charing Cross, and on the Prime Meridian....
- KidbrookeKidbrookeKidbrooke is a district of South East London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The district takes its name from the Kyd Brook, a watercourse which runs from Orpington to Lewisham, by which point it is part of the River Quaggy...
- 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:...
- Grove Park
- Eltham
Nearest railway stations:
- BlackheathBlackheath railway stationBlackheath railway station is situated in the heart of Blackheath village in London at . The track passes through the village and is crossed by a road overbridge on which the station buildings stand....
- Hither GreenHither Green railway stationHither Green is a railway station located in Hither Green in the London Borough of Lewisham, in southeast London, United Kingdom. Hither Green is a busy commuter station with services to several London termini and destinations to the southeast Hither Green is a railway station located in Hither...
- LeeLee railway stationLee station is a suburban railway station on Burnt Ash Hill in Lee in south-east London, England, between Hither Green and Mottingham on the Dartford loop . It was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1866...
- LewishamLewisham stationLewisham station is a National Rail and Docklands Light Railway station in Lewisham, south east London. It is on the south-east London commuter rail network operated by Southeastern. The Docklands Light Railway station opened in 1999 on a southward extension from Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs...
- Grove Park
- MottinghamMottingham railway stationMottingham railway station is a suburban railway station situated on Court Road between Eltham and Mottingham, in the London Borough of Greenwich, south-east London. The station is located in Travelcard Zone 4, between Lee and New Eltham. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by...
A roads
- A20 road (Lee High Road, Eltham Road)
- A2212 roadA2212 roadThe A2212 road is a 4-digit, non-primary A road in southeast London, England; it is long and runs in a north to south direction from Lee Green, to Bromley passing through Grove Park, Downham, Plaistow and Sundridge...
(Burnt Ash Road, Burnt Ash Hill) - A205 roadA205 roadThe A205 or South Circular Road is a direct route which crosses South London, UK, running from Woolwich in the east to the junction of the A406 , the M4 and the A4 at Gunnersbury in the west....
(Westhorne Avenue, St. Mildreds Road, South Circular Road)