Description
Formerly part of Lime Wood, the use of this small level site as a cemetery pre-dates the building of the Friary here. Established in Erith by 1867, the Capuchin Franciscan Friars acquired the land at Northumberland Heath and the Friary was built in 1902/3, with its Hall added by 1928 and Our Lady of the Angels Church in 1963. The cemetery is still in use. Enclosed within iron railings it is laid to grass that is occasionally mown and contains small to medium sized monuments. There are trees around the edges except for the east, which fronts onto Bexley Road.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Part of Lime Wood |
|---|---|
| Site location | Bexley Road/Carlton Road, Northumberland Heath |
| Postcode | DA8 1DN |
| What3Words | ///draw.combining.deeper |
| Type of Site | Cemetery |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | no access |
| Public Transport | Rail: Barnehurst then bus. Bus: 229. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Catholic Order of Capuchins was established in 1556 and the presence of Capuchin Friars at Erith is recorded from 1867 when a Friar Maurice was working in the area. Initially holding services in a private room, he later acquired land in West Street for a church and school dedicated to St Fidelis, which continued to be used until 1989, but then demolished. The friars at first lived in a corrugated iron hut until their first friary was built onto the end of the church. Land was later purchased on Northumberland Heath, at which time the Guardian of the Friary was Fr Bernardine, under whose auspices the current Friary dedicated to Our Lady of the Angels was begun in 1902, opening in 1903. In 1925-28 a Hall was built to the south between the Friary and its small cemetery in the south-east corner, and was partly used for church services. From 1947 a wing of the Friary became a chapel until the new church of Our Lady of the Angels was built and opened in 1963. Next door is St Fidelis Catholic Primary School, which opened in 1960, and the Angelus Centre nearby serves the parish.
The OS Map of 1895 shows the site as wooded, marked as Lime Wood. By 1896/7 the OS Map shows the square site of a small cemetery adjacent to Bexley Road in the south-east corner of a rectangular area that is delineated within the woodland. Presumably this is the plot of land purchased by the friars for their new Friary. The OS of 1909 shows the Franciscan Monastery existing in the north of the rectangular plot, fronting onto Carlton Road with paths laid out in the grounds as far as the cemetery in the south-east. The 1933/47 OS Map shows the Hall fronting onto Bexley Road, and by 1958/59 a cleared area is shown within a larger square site, surrounded by woodland, with paths running through it and extending to the rear back gardens of houses on Oakdene Avenue. The primary school now takes up the southern part of the site, adjacent to the cemetery, which remains in use for burial by the Franciscan Friary.
The OS Map of 1895 shows the site as wooded, marked as Lime Wood. By 1896/7 the OS Map shows the square site of a small cemetery adjacent to Bexley Road in the south-east corner of a rectangular area that is delineated within the woodland. Presumably this is the plot of land purchased by the friars for their new Friary. The OS of 1909 shows the Franciscan Monastery existing in the north of the rectangular plot, fronting onto Carlton Road with paths laid out in the grounds as far as the cemetery in the south-east. The 1933/47 OS Map shows the Hall fronting onto Bexley Road, and by 1958/59 a cleared area is shown within a larger square site, surrounded by woodland, with paths running through it and extending to the rear back gardens of houses on Oakdene Avenue. The primary school now takes up the southern part of the site, adjacent to the cemetery, which remains in use for burial by the Franciscan Friary.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ502776 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Our Lady of the Angels Capuchin Franciscan Friary |
| Site Management | Our Lady of the Angels Capuchin Franciscan Friary |
| Dates | Late C19th |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Bexley |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | To be checked |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Space |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Northumberland Heath Recreation Ground was laid out by c.1901 by Erith UDC, when the formerly rural area and hamlet of Northumberland Heath was becoming increasingly developed for housing. The original recreation ground was considerably smaller and was laid out with paths and perimeter trees, with a bandstand and drinking fountain shown on OS maps of c.1938. The bandstand appears to have disappeared sometime in the early 1960s and the park was later extended to the north and west over former allotment gardens. The park has some original railings and mature trees.
Erith Cemetery is on two adjacent sites either side of Brook Street. The eastern part opened in 1894 and the central brick-built Gothic chapel dates from this time. It is formally laid out and has a number of interesting monuments. The western part, also known as Brook Street Cemetery, opened in the mid 1940s and this part of the cemetery has little evidence of a designed layout.
Christ Church was built in 1874 to serve the growing population of Erith, which only developed significantly after the railway arrived in 1849. The area was formerly estate lands of Erith Manor and the Wheatley Estate, the latter situated where the town centre now lies. The churchyard has not been used for burials and is laid largely to grass, planted with specimen trees including a row of lime on the Victoria Road boundary. Within the churchyard is the 1920s War Memorial in the form of a marble cross on a stepped plinth.
