12th century Abbey ruins and bluebell fields meet brutalism minutes from Elizabeth line station

It’s once again time to don my hat as the unofficial tourism official for Abbey Wood (and surrounds) as with the arrival of a very warm spring the bluebells are out at the massively overlooked Lesnes Abbey and nearby woods.

Earlier this week I took a look at a little known Grade-II listed sculpture on Abbey Wood estate and today it’s time for a look at the nearby woods and Abbey ruins which give the town its name.

If you’re wondering what to do this Bank Holiday weekend you could do worse than visit the site given it’s a short walk from Abbey Wood station with plentiful services on the Elizabeth line, Thameslink and Southeastern Metro (barring engineering works on the Woolwich line this Sunday).

Much of London is now a short train ride away.

Firstly, the woods. At this time of year you’ll see some of the best displays of bluebells anywhere in London.

The woods also features numerous paths and sculptures recently installed as part of a multi-million project in the area.

Nearby lies the ruins of Lesnes Abbey which also affords great views over London beyond.

Fall into ruin

The Abbey fell into ruin after closure in 1525 and dissolution of monasteries. Materials were taken off site and used elsewhere including possibly at Hall Place.

Falling into disrepair and land used for farming, it was investigated by the Woolwich & District Antiquarian Society in 1910.

The former London County Council (who built the nearby Abbey Wood estate and paid for its now-listed sculpture) purchased the site in 1930 before opening as a public park a year later.

Another snippet of trivia is that streets on nearby Abbey Wood estate are named after towns with an Abbey (Eynsham Drive, Felixstowe Road etc) with school names related to the Abbey (De Lucy primary, Thomas a Becket primary and Boxgrove Primary located on Boxgrove Road – Boxgrove being a town with a Priory which is now in ruins).

The green chain walk also passes the site running between Thamesmead and Nunhead via Plumstead, Charton and Chislehurst to name but three spots.

To get here via train is a doddle. From Abbey Wood station walk past Wilton Road shops, turn left onto Abbey Road and a couple of minutes later you’ve arrived.

Playground

Not to be forgotten is an excellent playground for kids nearby a bit further east. I never knew this was here until I became a dad but it’s truly excellent.

That’s an odd thing about this area. Growing up in Abbey Wood we rarely went there. Why I don’t know. Many people I know don’t and that’s locally. Even in local towns it seems underappreciated let alone across wider London.

Other places to visits in the area include the Monks Garden or simply have a seat and look out across London.

A total of £4.2 million in lottery money was spent with work completing in 2016, and a regular events are held on site including markets, theatre, music and a regular farmers market.

Architecture

Moving some way in the other direction and if you’re a fan of modern architecture (or even mildly intrigued) this spot also has the furthest extremities of the Greater London Council’s brutalist Thamesmead estate.

Its tentacles reach the area in the form of an elevated walkway.

Follow that path to head into what remains of Thamesmead’s initial brutalist phases dating from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Much has now gone for good but large parts remain.

From there head south to Southmere lake and see the old estate’s replacement structures from across the water.

Below shows a descent from a walkway to a lake-side path.

You could also divert to the Lakeside Centre. There was a café here which closed and I’m not sure a replacement exists. If it does let me know.

Peabody’s glacial progress with building new homes hampering potential footfall doesn’t help. After eleven years in charge of south Thamesmead only residential one plot out of seven is complete – with many residents evicted from other sites.

From the lake it’s a pretty short walk to Abbey Wood station where you’ll see that the long-standing reputation that Thamesmead is entirely remote from public transport is a bit of a myth. Some parts are. Much of south Thamesmead? Nah.

In the space of a few hours you’ve passed 900 years of history in just one small location from an Abbey built in 1178 to Thamesmead’s 1960s estate before passing 21st century new builds before possibly using one of the best things in 21st century London to get home – the Elizabeth line.

And the crazy thing is this is known by relatively few people. It’s certainly a bit of a hidden gem and something the Elizabeth line has made far more accessible to far more people.

And that concludes the tour. I don’t have a bucket to drop coins in but if you want to support me and the site, you can below.