Description
This was once part of the former churchyard of the parish church of St Nicholas. Plumstead, so-named for being a good area for fruit growing, became a fishing village and later its growing population included workers from the nearby Royal Arsenal. To serve the larger population further land for burial was purchased in 1860 and there were over 40,000 burials here, among them veterans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers; an unmarked grave is that of Daniel Cambridge, VC. In 1955, following its closure for burial, the churchyard south of the church was laid out as ornamental public gardens and gravestones were cleared largely to the perimeter.
Practical Information
| Site location | St Nicholas Road/Plumstead High Street/Church Manorway, Plumstead |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE18 |
| What3Words | ///when.sweep.sums |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Greenwich |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 9am - dusk |
| Special Conditions | no dogs |
| Facilities | none |
| Public Transport | Rail: Plumstead then bus. Bus: 96, 99, 177, 180, 422, 469 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Nicholas Gardens is part of the former churchyard of St Nicholas (q.v.), the parish church of Plumstead, which may have dated from as early as 960 AD. The church was much added to and restored over the years, the west and south walls of the south aisle dating from C12th, the transept from the C13th, and the north aisle from the C15th. It fell into ruins and was restored on two occasions, in the C17th and C19th; in 1907 it was enlarged and then in 1959 was repaired following damage in WWII. Plumstead had been a good area for fruit growing, and its name comes from 'plume stede', meaning plum tree place. It then grew into a fishing village and later workers from the nearby Royal Arsenal made up a large proportion of the growing population in the C19th. To serve the larger population further land for burial was purchased in 1860 and by the time the churchyard was closed there had been over 40,000 burials, including veterans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers; an unmarked grave is that of Daniel Cambridge, who died on 4 June 1882, having been awarded a Victoria Cross on 8 September 1855.
The churchyard was later closed for burials and gravestones were cleared largely to the perimeter. The main area of churchyard to the south of the church was laid out as ornamental public gardens in 1955, with a railed path between this and the church. The land slopes up to Plumstead High Street with gravestones set around the perimeter walls within shrub beds, the gardens predominantly laid to grass with a number of paths and scattered trees of different species. These include a line of evergreen trees along the eastern boundary with Church Manorway, which has remnants of older churchyard walls with modern railings above. Two entrances with steps lead up to the gardens, presumably dating from the old churchyard. The western boundary has more recent brick wall and railings with C20th entrance gates and brick piers, outside which are raised beds either side, and small rose beds set into the grass just inside the entrance either side of the path. There was once a C19th mortuary located on the eastern side of the park, where there were later public toilets accessible from the street but these no longer exist.
The churchyard was later closed for burials and gravestones were cleared largely to the perimeter. The main area of churchyard to the south of the church was laid out as ornamental public gardens in 1955, with a railed path between this and the church. The land slopes up to Plumstead High Street with gravestones set around the perimeter walls within shrub beds, the gardens predominantly laid to grass with a number of paths and scattered trees of different species. These include a line of evergreen trees along the eastern boundary with Church Manorway, which has remnants of older churchyard walls with modern railings above. Two entrances with steps lead up to the gardens, presumably dating from the old churchyard. The western boundary has more recent brick wall and railings with C20th entrance gates and brick piers, outside which are raised beds either side, and small rose beds set into the grass just inside the entrance either side of the path. There was once a C19th mortuary located on the eastern side of the park, where there were later public toilets accessible from the street but these no longer exist.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ459784 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.17 |
| Site Ownership | RB Greenwich |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces Department |
| Dates | 1955 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Nicholas Church |
| 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 | Greenwich |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Community Open Space; Area of Archaeological Potential |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Plumstead, so-named for being a good area for fruit growing, grew into a fishing village and later the growing population included workers from the nearby Royal Arsenal. The C12th St Nicholas Church was much added to and restored, having fallen into ruins on 2 occasions in the C17th and C19th. To serve the larger population further land for burial was purchased in 1860 and there were over 40,000 burials here, among them veterans of the Royal Artillery and Engineers. The churchyard was later closed for burials and gravestones cleared largely to the perimeter although one monuments remains near the church. Part of the churchyard was later laid out as the adjacent public garden.
Plumstead Gardens is a small public park created after WWII. It was originally laid out as an ornamental garden with a notable area of formal hard landscaping comprising a raised terrace and central bay on an axis with an ornate sunken formal garden. The formal ponds were later drained and some of the stonework damaged, and this area has now been infilled. The park had a number of facilities, including a paddling pool and roller skating rink in the 1960s, with the BMX track added in the early 1970s.
The site that is now Bostall Gardens was acquired by the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich in 1938. After WWII it was decided to develop the area as a public garden, which was laid out and opened in 1952. In 1960 a bowling green and pavilion were added and the sloping land laid out as a series of terraces. In 2004 the old bowls pavilion was extensively refurbished, and a new children's playground and a young people's basketball court were opened on the site of the old bowling green.