Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is a district in south east London, in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It's south of Thamesmead and 10.6 miles east of Charing Cross. The area took its name from Lesnes Abbey Woods, which is to the east, and once belonged to the monks of Lesnes Abbey.
The history of the district extends back to the 12th century, when Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, founded the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes in 1178. The Abbott of Lesnes Abbey was a significant local landlord, and took a major part in draining the marshland. The draining plus the expense of sustaining river embankments was among the reasons for the Abbey's desperate financial difficulties. It never became a sizable community, so in 1525 Cardinal Wolsey closed it under a licence to shut monasteries of less than 7 inmates.
Abbey Wood railway station was opened in 1849, immediately towards the north of the area now generally known as 'The Village', constructed exactly where Knee Hill became Harrow Manorway. The Village had around 12 cottages and two pubs - the Abbey Arms and the Harrow Inn. The Harrow Inn, which was demolished in 2009, hosted live bands and was the scene of nightly migration as guests would relocate to the Abbey Arms every evening, as Kentish closing times were 10:30pm whereas the Abbey Arms closed at 11pm.
