Abbey Wood

DISTRICT
Abbey Wood
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Population
PostCode District	SE2
Borough	Greenwich
OS Grid Reference	TQ465785
Latitude	51.4864
Longditude	0.1109

Abbey Wood is an area and electoral ward on the eastern edge of the London Borough of Greenwich, between Plumstead to the west and Erith to the east. Abbey Wood takes its name from the nearby Lesnes Abbey and Bostall Woods.

History

The original 19th century Abbey Wood (known locally as "The Village") is the area immediately south of Abbey Wood railway station, built where Knee Hill became Harrow Manorway and crossed the railway (North Kent Line). This is now the centre where three phases of house building (almost) meet.

• A historical underground structure has been located here, and is under excavation by Bexley Archaeological Group[2].
• The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) bought two farms on the hillside to the south and between 1900 and 1930 built the Bostall Estate. Once known as "Tin Check Island" after the Society's dividend system, this has streets named after Co-operative themes (Alexander McLeod, Rochdale, Robert Owen, Congress), a school & shops but no pubs!
• Between 1955 & 1959 the London County Council built the Abbey Estate on former Royal Arsenal marshland just south of the railway going north to the Southern Outfall Sewer bank heading for Crossness). Predominantly conventional brick houses with gardens, equipped with a shopping centre, schools and open spaces, the estate was first used to rehouse people from London's East End, again at first there were no pubs and few shops. The main through-road is Eynsham Drive.
• In the early 1970s the Greater London Council began building the first phase of Thamesmead on more ex-Royal-Arsenal land, north-east of Abbey Wood station. The original railway level crossing was replaced by a flyover.

Places, People & Things of interest

Abbey wood is mooted as the south eastern terminus of Crossrail One.

Snooker champion Steve Davis came from Plumstead but went to Alexander McLeod Primary School and Abbey Wood Secondary School. Boxer Julius Francis went to St Thomas a Becket Primary School and Abbey Wood School, and Olympic runner Jennifer Stoute also went to Abbey Wood School. Kate Bush briefly attended the convent school at the top of Knee Hill. Victor Ogunwusi of Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. Also Attended Abbey wood School.

It now has a women's netball team Abbey Angels.

Time FM, a licensed local radio station that evolved from an early cable channel - Radio Thamesmead - has studios on the Abbey Wood/Plumstead borders. Abbey wood also hosted London's first cable TV station at Wickham Lane.

Places of interest include Lesnes Abbey and Bostall Woods & Heath. Bostall Woods (part of the South East London Green Chain) includes one of the few camping & caravan sites in London and is a known source of fossilised sharks' teeth.The cooperative woods was also the site of the first camp for the Woodcraft Folk.

Transport

Rail

The nearest railway stations in the area are Abbey Wood Station. Trains from this station runs to London Charing Cross and London Cannon Street via Woolwich and Greenwich or Lewisham to the west. To the east the trains go to Dartford and a limited service to Crayford or Gravesend and Gillingham.

Buses

• 99 Bus Route
• 177 Bus Route
• 180 Bus Route
• 229 Bus Route
• 244 Bus Route
• 401 Bus Route
• 469 Bus Route
• B11 Bus Route
• N1 Bus Route

Nearest railway stations

• Abbey Wood Station - North Kent line

Nearest places

• Plumstead
• Belvedere
• Thamesmead
• Welling