Lesnes Abbey
Historic site · Abbey Wood, England
The ruins of Lesnes Abbey stand in Lesnes Abbey Woods, New Road, SE2 0AX, in 88 hectares of ancient woodland and park managed by the London Borough of Bexley. They are listed Grade II as NHLE 1359415 and separately scheduled as a monument, NHLE 1002025, over 1.43 hectares. The park is free and open; the operator publishes events and venue hire but no general opening hours, so none are given here.
History
Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, founded the abbey in 1178 as penance for his part in the murder of Thomas Becket, and Cardinal Wolsey closed it in 1525, eleven years before the general Dissolution of the Monasteries. Stone robbed from the abbey was reused in the sixteenth-century chequerwork of Hall Place, 3.1 miles (5.0 km) to the south east. The Grade II listing was made on 20 May 1953 as list entry 1359415 and the scheduling on 4 November 1930 as list entry 1002025; a scheduled monument carries no grade. Abbey Wood station, 641 m away and the eastern terminus of the Elizabeth line, stands over the boundary in Greenwich.
Visit
Lesnes Abbey Woods, New Road, London SE2 0AX