Lesnes Abbey Woods

Lesnes Abbey of St Mary and Thomas the Martyr was founded in 1178 by Richard de Luci, Chief Justice of England and Lord of Lesnes, in penance for his support of Henry II in dispute with Thomas a Becket; it never housed more than 12 monks. The Abbey belonged to the Order of Augustinian Canons but was never a wealthy living, mainly due to the expense of having to maintain the river walls and draining the marshes to the north. The land eventually became valuable pasture. The Abbey fell into neglect and in 1525 was one of the first monasteries to be dissolved by Cardinal Wolsey in the reign of Henry VIII; it was later sold by Henry VIII to wealthy laymen for demolition. The only building to survive was the Abbot's lodgings, which became the mansion house for the Manor of Lesnes.

Between 1903-13 and 1938-68 the Abbey was re-excavated and partially rebuilt to its present state. Initial excavations took place in 1909 although these were then backfilled to allow farming to continue. The Abbey grounds and woods were acquired by the LCC in 1930 as a public park; further excavations followed in 1951 with farm buildings demolished. Gardens presumably laid out after 1951 excavations were completed, comprising three formal lawns with flower beds divided by large herbaceous borders and the whole is enclosed with yew hedges and with a terrace along the south side. There is an old Mulberry tree north of the ruins; tree planting has chiefly been ornamental conifers. There are specimen trees on the lawn to west including Gingko, flowering Cherries, Horse Chestnut, Copper Beech, Hornbeam, Zelkova and there are Rhododendron beds. Beyond the gardens to the south is ancient woodland on the slopes, chiefly Sessile Oak and Sweet Chestnut. To the north, a footbridge and landscaped strip (Abbey Way) connects Lesnes Abbey to Southmere Park in Thamesmead (q.v.).

In Hurst Wood, Pine Pond was created in the late C19th as part of the grounds of Hurst House, which was located to south of Hurst Lane. There are the remains of a fish pond to the west and of a dew pond to the east. Ornamental and specimen trees grow in the woods beyond the gardens made to the south of the Abbey. The rest of the site is given over to grass and woodland with a recreation ground to the north-east. The chalk pit to the south of the Abbey is designated an SSSI on account of the fossils from the Tertiary period, mainly sharks teeth and sea shells.

In 2014 Lesnes Abbey Woods received Parks for People funding from HLF, which enabled restoration work as well as building of new facilities, Lesnes Abbey Lodge and a catering kiosk for park users, Chestnuts Kiosk. It included the recreation of the Monk's Garden where plants grown today represent those that would have been grown by the monks running the infirmary, including medicinal herbs. New facilities include the Recreation Area, landscaping, wayfinding and signage. In the new Lesnes Abbey Lodge activities, classes and workshops are run throughout the year, and Chestnuts Kiosk is a family-run business owned and managed by working professionals. Cycling facilities and new paths have been laid out, together with information panels and signage throughout the park and woodlands.

Lesnes Abbey Woods was one of six parks in London achieving Local Favourite status in the UK's Favourite Parks 2022. In all 364 parks were nominated and over 30,000 votes were cast for cherished local green spaces. As well as winners in each of the home nations, those parks finishing in the top 20% of the public vote achieved 'Local Favourite' status, reflecting the love shown for them by their local communities.