Lesnes Abbey Erith Kent
Lesnes Abbey are the ruins of a former Abbey, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a scheduled ancient monument and the adjacent park and heath are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 the area of Lesnes, close to the town of Erith passed into the possession of Bishop Odo and is mentioned in the Domesday Survey. The year 1178 saw the foundation of the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes. Lesnes Abbey, as it is known, was founded by Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, in 1178. It is speculated, this may have been in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket, in which he was involved. In 1179, de Luci resigned his office and retired to the Abbey, where he died three months later. He was buried in the chapter house. The abbey is situated in Abbey Wood, in the suburbs of South East London. It sits amid an ancient but long managed woodland where the land rises above what would originally have been marshland. The woods above it have several features dating back to the Bronze Age, a fossil bank and also a fine display of wild bluebells and daffodils in the Spring. The abbey kept fishponds which were fed by a small stream running down through the woods, and these are still visible today though the water level is often low. Local community group Lesnes Abbey Conservation Volunteers (LACV) run practical conservation events to help manage the woodland.
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