Monuments & Ruins

Not every statue in London. The ones worth crossing the road for: Roman wall, medieval ruins, and the monuments that earn a detour.

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Lesnes Abbey

An abbey founded as penance for Becket's murder, its whole plan laid out in the grass.

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Photo by Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Richard de Luci, chief justiciar to Henry II, founded it in 1178, eight years after the archbishop was killed, and retired here to die. It was a poor house and Wolsey closed it in 1525, before the Dissolution proper. The walls stand to a few feet everywhere and higher in places, enough to walk the church, cloister, chapter house and kitchens as rooms. Behind it is ancient woodland that turns yellow with wild daffodils in March, and the ridge above gives a view down to the river.

Where
Abbey Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 0QX
Nearest station
Abbey Wood · 8 min walk

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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