Tired of London, Tired of Life - A website about things to do in London

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29 March 2011

Walk among the ruins of Lesnes Abbey

Your author has been accused of becoming rather South-East-London-centric of late, but he has just moved house, so he hopes readers will humour him. Normal service will be resumed shortly, but until then let's examine another gem in an the area, for in parkland below Abbey Wood lie the ruins of Lesnes Abbey.


Founded by Richard de Luci in 1178, and visited by Edward I, Lesnes Abbey was noted for its involvement in the Peasants' Revolt, when the abbot was forced to swear an oath of support to the rebels, and also for the Abbot's involvement in draining nearby marshland.

By the 1520s, however, the Abbey was dissolved as part of Henry VIII's wider plans, and later fell into disrepair. It was only in the 20th Century that it came to be of local importance once again, with Woolwich & District Antiquarian Society excavating, and the land ownership passing to London County Council around 1930.

Today, it is part of a larger park with the wood behind offering an idea of how the site might have looked to the monks. For more, see http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3907

2 comments:

  1. Although there's not much there it reminds me of Glastonbury.
    Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, although I understand Glastonbury was much larger.

    ReplyDelete