Description

Ladywell Green is an open grass space with a playground at its southern end. It is located on part of the former site of the St Olave’s Union Workhouse, prior to which it was farmland. Constructed between 1897-1900, St Olave’s, later renamed The Bermondsey Institution, housed poor and elderly inhabitants of south-east London. In WWI it was used to treat military personnel, and was known as Bermondsey Military Hospital. In 1930 it was taken over by the LCC and continued as a residential home for the elderly and renamed Ladywell Lodge. It closed in 1975 and since then the majority of the site has been built over as a residential housing estate. Apart from the green space at Ladywell Green, a few traces of St Olave’s remain such as the gate piers on Slagrove Place close to the northern entrance of Ladywell Green, buildings belonging to the Cherubins Day Nursery, and the Water Tower. 

Practical Information

Previously known as St Olave's Union Workhouse; Ladywell Lodge
Site location Slagrove Place
Postcode SE13 7JZ
What3Words ///cared.verge.middle
Type of Site Public Open Land
Borough Lewisham
Open to Public Yes
Opening Times unrestricted
Facilities Children's playground
Public Transport Rail: Ladywell (Southeastern). Bus: 122, 284, P4
Research Updated 2 September 2022
Last Updated 18 October 2026

Full description

Ladywell Green is an open grass space in central Lewisham with a playground at its southern end. It is located on a small part of the former site of the St Olave’s Union Workhouse, prior to which the land in the area was farmland.

St Olave's was a parish in Bermondsey, where its workhouse was situated from C18th. In 1836 St Olave's Poor Law Union was established, overseen by a Board of Guardians, which continued to administer workhouse facilities in Bermondsey. By the 1890s new facilities were needed but the Union lacked sufficient land in Bermondsey, which led them to purchase Slagrave Farm in Ladywell comprising 34 acres of farmland with access from Ladywell Road. Constructed between 1897-1900, St Olave’s, later renamed The Bermondsey Institution, housed poor and elderly inhabitants of south-east London. The new institution at Ladywell was reputedly the only workhouse built especially for the aged and infirm, and could accommodate up to 812 people. It was designed by architects Newman and Newman, who had built other hospital facilities. St Olave's Ladywell was opened on 12 July 1900 by the Prince and Princess of Wales, later Edward VII. The opening was described by Wendy Barnes in 'Down in the Battle of Life' (1984, Ladywell Society) with details of the crowds in their best clothes, lining the streets, enjoying musical entertainment and ice-cream, and the bunting that festooned the entrance.

The buildings, which were set in grounds, comprised a central administration block and dining hall, either side of which were three double blocks, with a receiving building, porter’s lodge and stables. Facilities included a laundry, isolation hospital and two chapels: Church of England and Roman Catholic. The Water Tower, which remains today on Dressington Avenue, drew water from a 120-foot well and supplied local houses as well as the workhouse laundry.

In WWI it was used to treat military personnel, and was known as Bermondsey Military Hospital. In 1930 it was taken over by the LCC and continued as a residential home for the elderly and renamed Ladywell Lodge. The OS Map 1:2500 TQ3774-A published in 1951 has a bowling green and tennis court marked in the grounds in an area now built over with housing. Ladywell Lodge closed in 1975 and since then the majority of the site has been built over as a residential housing estate. Apart from the green space at Ladywell Green, a few traces of St Olave’s remain such as the entrance gate piers on Slagrove Place close to the northern entrance of Ladywell Green, buildings belonging to the Cherubins Day Nursery, and the Water Tower, which has been converted into 1-bedroom apartments, with a modern 2-storey residential block connected to it by a high-level bridge.

Further Information

Grid Reference TQ375747
Size in hectares 0.91
Site Ownership LB Lewisham
Site Management Glendale Grounds Management (to check)
Dates (1897-1900); 1970s?
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 Lewisham
In Conservation Area No
Tree Preservation Order No
Nature Conservation Area No
Green Belt No
Metropolitan Open Land No
Other LA Designation Public Open Space

Gallery

Ladywell Green, June 2022. Photograph Nicholas Saffari.
Ladywell Green, June 2022. Photograph Nicholas Saffari.
Ladywell Green, June 2022. Photograph Nicholas Saffari.

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