History for Lockdown: Lewisham & Blackheath

Hello everyone, and thank you for being patient since my last post. I have been working hard gathering information and sorting it all out so that I can get the best bits to you! It has also been a big month so far, my nephew and my son both turned one (yes, my brother and I had baby boys within 2 days of each other – what are the odds?!) and despite quarantine we had a lovely weekend. My nephew lives in Somerset, with his parents of course, and so does my mum so having a birthday party via Zoom was an interesting one! We also did the same for Rory and shared the day with as much virtual family as we could! I’m sure lots of you have had birthdays during this current situation – if you have, many happy returns!

Today’s blog is all about Lewisham and Blackheath. Beginning, as always, at the beginning lets get started. Lewisham borough sits nestled in amongst Bromley, Southwark and Greenwich and reaches as far as the River Thames. It is not as big as Bromley borough but has a very rich and interesting history nonetheless. Lewisham was once called “Levesham” which means “the dwelling amongst the meadows” in Anglo-Saxon. (That is, “leswe” meaning meadows and “ham” meaning dwelling.) Bede wrote in his work The Ecclesiastical History of the English People in about 731AD, and wrote how it was the Jutes (Germanic people) that settled in this part of the country but specifically near St. Mary’s Church in Ladywell. The Jute Chieftain surveyed the land upon arriving and then burnt his boat to signify his decision to settle. Ladywell, incidentally, gets its name from the original medicinal well called “Our Lady’s Well” after the Virgin Mary, which was found near to Ladywell Fields. (You can find the spot where the Le Delice Café is.)

In the 9th Century King Alfred was Lord of the Manor, a plaque commemorates this in Lewisham Library. The Manor of Lewisham, with Greenwich and Combe attached, was given by King Alfred’s niece to the abbey of St. Peter at Ghent in Belgium in around 900AD. It then became a priory and was kept in possession like this until the early 15th Century when Henry V seized the Manor from Ghent and gave it to the prior and convent of Shene now called Richmond.

We now jump forward to the 17th Century when the Vicar of Lewisham, named Abraham Colfe, founded Colfe’s School and six alms-houses. In the 18th Century Baron Dartmouth came into possession of the borough and his son became Viscount Lewisham and Earl of Dartmouth by order of Queen Anne in 1711. His grandson, Lord Dartmouth, obtained the privilege of holding a fair twice a year and a market twice a week on Blackheath. However in 1772 it was discontinued, apart from the sale of cattle of course.

Lewisham was part of the county of Kent until 1889 and then became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham in until 1965 when it then became the London Borough of Lewisham that we know today.

Originally the town would have been most busy and popular at the southern end, where the University Hospital now stands. However in 1849 the North Kent Railway extended to Lewisham and so the town then spread north towards the new railway station. In 1944 the town centre was struck by a V-1 flying bomb that destroyed the high street. It was fully rebuilt in the 1950s but the devastating event has been memorialised with a plaque outside Lewisham Shopping Centre. 1955 saw the arrival of the largest self-service supermarket in Europe when Sainsbury’s opened a store in Lewisham. The land it was built on was used for the building of the shopping centre in 1977 so the present Sainsbury’s is much smaller than the original. There are landmarks in Lewisham that you would know if you live or work in the area. The clock tower, finished in 1900 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897; the daily market in the pedestrianised portion of the High Street and the police station, built in 2004 and is now the largest station in Europe.

Travelling up the road to Blackheath we find a large expanse of green on top of a hill. Contrary to popular belief, Blackheath gets its name from the dark colour of the soil and not that it was a burial ground for victims of the Black Death in the 1340s. The heath itself looked a much darker colour than the fields surrounding it overlooking the Thames. The name “Blackheath” was recorded as early as the 11th century. A long time before the name was recorded, the heath was an important area in which to muster military or rebel gatherings. The Romans first built their road between Dover and London across the heath (now the A2) which was later known as Watling Street. The high ground overlooks The City of London so it is a perfect vantage point. It was also where Wat Tyler’s Peasant’s Revolt gathered before marching on London in 1381, where unfortunately their anti-tax poll fight was lost.

Similarly, in 1450, Jack Cade led 20,000 men from Kent to Blackheath to oppose the higher taxes being imposed by Henry VI. Then again in 1497 an army of Cornishmen who were angry at being taxed for a Scottish war fought in the Battle of Blackheath. It is said the 2,000 slain men were buried in and around Blackheath with Whitefield Mount being the main burial ground. This was the only battle to have been fought on Blackheath. The heath has also been a place where military parades and training took place, particularly during the times of the Napoleonic Wars. Blackheath has also been a place of more peaceful gatherings and events. When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, he made his way through the area, greeting welcoming crowds. Famous highwayman Dick Turpin was known to frequent the area, it was reported in the newspaper in 1735 to warn travellers.

Many monarchs passed through Blackheath and would often meet distinguished guests there. Many senior courtiers resided in the area and in Greenwich. Before the Tudor Greenwich Palace was built, and the Stuart-built Queen’s House was in existence, the 14th century Eltham Palace was used as a residence. (More on Eltham Palace in a separate post.) On the north side of the heath stands Ranger’s House which is a Georgian mansion built in the Palladian style. It backs onto Greenwich Park and is associated with the Ranger of the park. The Ranger of Greenwich park was a Royal appointment and the house was the official residence for most of the 19th century. Since 2002, Ranger’s House has been the home of the Wernher Collection of art. Montagu House was a neighbouring building to Ranger’s House and was demolished in 1815. It was the residence of Caroline of Brunswick, George IV’s wife. Another beautiful home is the Pagoda, built in 1760 in the traditional Chinese style, it was leased to the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was used as a summer home by his wife.

Blackheath Park was developed into opulent homes for the upper middle class and forms the south east area. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was built up and contains large Georgian and Victorian houses. Morden College, built in 1695 is a beautiful building in the north area and overlooks the heath. Blackheath is so worth an explore, finding these lovely houses that outline the heath, imagining the carriages riding through or the ladies with enormous dresses and parasols watching the military parades. Now is the perfect time (if you live near enough) to explore and to use your imagination. Just like everywhere around London, it holds so much history – and probably quite a few secrets too!

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you will enjoy the next instalment of History for Lockdown which will be all about Eltham Palace!

Until then, as always, stay safe and well x