London Districts: Abbey Wood (Documentary)

Subtitles available under video via CC button. Series Soundtrack available at yeththar.bandcamp.com/follow_me. Watch #LondonDistricts on TV @ Sky 117, Freeview 8, Virgin Media 159 and YouView 8 via London Live.
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Abbey Wood. A quiet district, ten miles east of Charing Cross both inside the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the borough of Bexley.
There is some confusion over whether Bexley is still considered Kent. As history has shown us, all suburban districts immediately circling the City Wall are absorbed into the capital over time as industry advances and population increases. The e-r of Greater London doesn't stop.
Every part of London sprang to life after the arrival of the railway system. It revolutionised urban life tremendously by growing existing communities and birthing new interconnected ones.
Abbey Wood's train station has recently been rebuilt to form a terminus on the Crossrail's overdue Elizabeth Line. After the Thameslink was extended from Luton directly to Abbey Wood last year, its easy to see how this, and the extra convenience of the Crossrail, will transform this quiet area quite a bit.
Abbey Wood will be connected right across the heart of, and clear beyond London in all directions to other parts of England. A single train from Abbey Wood to Heathrow airport alone, at the frequency of the Tube, is going to be a massive leap for this area of London.
This district takes its name almost literally from the vast woodland of the Lesnes Abbey Woods that once belonged to the monks of Lesnes Abbey.
If there is anywhere in south east London that truly embodies the term 'hidden gem', this would surely have to be it. It describes itself as "a portal to the history of nature". The locals still have this attraction all to themselves since the Big Ben and London Eye tourists are completely oblivious to it.
If it was anywhere else, this site of religious historical ruin, just 30 minutes from London Bridge, would be a treated as a major tourist attraction. The layout today almost feels like a prettier, adventurous version of Stonehenge.
Henry II and his aides decided they wanted to weaken the church as it just began to carry too much rivalling wealth, power and influence over the country. He got into a beef with Thomas Beckett (The Archbishop of Canterbury) and they had some big disagreements. They went on and on about it until Henry got fed up one day and just had Beckett slaughtered.
This was a big mistake. Richard De Lucy, whose family came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror, was one of the aides stirring it up in Henry's ear because Beckett had placed Richard outside the Church's circle of trust... twice. They miscalculated how killing Thomas in his own Cathedral would have such a deeply disturbing effect on the entire country. Richard apparently punished himself from the guilt of his involvement in it by building this Abbey. An early version of community service maybe, albeit self-inflicted. He died in it just 3 months after it was finished. Clearly, Karma ruled that the Abbey wasn't enough.
As time went on, Lesnes morphed itself into very ordinary farmland until it was excavated in 1910 to form its current state; opened to the public as part of the local park.
The vast, surrounding woodland that is Lesnes Abbey Woods is larger than Greenwich park and can be navigated in full as part of the Green Chain Walk network. There's an area inside the woods actually called Abbey Wood which is designated as a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest where members of the public can go and dig up Tertiary fossils. These are things we can salvage from the planet that are between 2 and 65 million years old.

[@EliteXtasy]

I miss your clear, relaxing voice, Dewyne.

[@oforid2227]

i genuinely favour this side of London more than i do East London ❤

[@rosswinney357]

We are living in and watching Abbey Wood develop in front of our eyes, best of town and country, certainly a hidden gem of London.

[@silka3738]

Thinking about buying a house in Abbey Wood. Looking for an investment near London but peaceful with many green areas. Do you recommend?

[@leonjustleon]

@@silka3738 no try forest hill if u can afford or blackheath

[@pauliepaul3697]

The nickname for Abbey wood is scaggywood that basically sums it up!

[@John-ob7dh]

I never forget going to work age 17 from Charlton and Mum saying we move while you are at work to Abbey Wood Estate. HERE is the address find your way there when you come home.This was 1959 And the bus never ran over Eynsham Bridge so had to walk it.It was all not completely built then.

[@reidthomas753]

I grew up in Abbey Wood in the 1950s it was on the edge of the countryside. You could see the river from Lesnes Abbey because what is now Thamesmead was basically fields and swamp all the way out to Crossness. In fact, I visited Crossness as an apprentice in the 1970s and it wasn't much different then.

[@petergedd9330]

Yoused to go across the railway into the marsh area a little ways where travellers lived and picked goosburys. Had a school friend who's folks lived in wooden house on the marsh, I remember the dirt road up to the house. Abbey wood was my home ground too, and it stays embelished on my memory, steam trains under the bridge, waving at the driver, playing in the woods, digging up shark teeth fossils in the woods, making dams in the stream that ran through the woods. Bliss.

[@usernamwdrama]

Looks different to when I lived there from '66 to' 76, great memories of being a kid growing up there. I think the fly over was being built as we left and emigrated to Australia.

[@flipmcdonought5835]

Thank you for this. I particularly appreciate the quality of the video and the research that has gone into preparing it. Well done.

[@LondonDistricts]

You're very welcome! and thanks for saying so :)

[@gary3561]

Great narration Monique. Please Narrate some more

[@LondonDistricts]

Thank you! I'll let her know. She'll be well pleased.

[@horsenuts1831]

Wow, there are some memories there. I lived there briefly around 1984 but I can see there have been some changes. The railway station looks, erm, different!

[@LondonDistricts]

You think? Lol

[@alanajwakeling4801]

Plenty of great memories in this Video, nice 1 well done.

[@mikewilliams6456]

I was born there 85yrs ago Mike 😂❤❤😅

[@donroberts1339]

I lived in Abbey Wood way back. The old place does look a bit rundown from what I remember, but that's what happens, I guess. I heard the councils in the UK are being starved for funds. I'm glad I left the UK when I did. Nice work, I'll check in on the other areas you've covered. Thanks!

[@leverholme9894]

Yo you should come back bro, Abbey Wood is changing lots of things happening for the good

[@paulkwaramba584]

I live here now originally from Tottenham north london. Its a nice place to be honest

[@baljeet170]

you should do erith

[@esssexboy]

I often thought about moving to this area i love south east london. Cheaper alternative to Elephant &castle which is now ridiculously expensive to buy a flat in.

[@leonjustleon]

Dont😂

[@SouthLondonMemes]

@@leonjustleon facts😂😂😂

[@leonjustleon]

@@SouthLondonMemes 😂😂

[@joshua.ynginho]

abbey wood park 🤩

[@Sthmohtwenty]

This part of london very quiet need s/thing add to it

[@avinashbhogun]

Wasn’t there a big Irish community in this area?

[@Drone3774]

2:43 ahh st. Paul’s Academy my secondary school Its a shit hole in there

[@tobsstone]

do croydon please

[@LondonDistricts]

Already done.

[@tobsstone]

@@LondonDistricts Ah yes. I did look but must have missed it :) Thanks

[@greyhound1racing]

very interesting, oh, so much better looking than that other guy !!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@LondonDistricts]

Yeah agreed, terrible sight he was. Bad news though, he's back next episode :(

[@eyinojuoluwaolorunfemi985]

Please do Thamesmead

[@LondonDistricts]

OK, we will :)

[@davebox588]

Bloody Thamesmead already took up a third of this video. It was the worst thing that ever happened to the area.

[@ria1636]

King Henry didn't actually order the death of Thomas Beckett. The Knights involved misinterpreted Henry's complaints regarding Thomas and took it upon themselves to be rid of him . the King was devastated as was the rest of the country after the brutal murder in such a sacred place.

[@Kakawhat]

My school 😂

[@paguliukas]

History says looks like council ghetto

[@gardensofthegods]

The song would sound much better if the clapping beat was turned way down or replaced by a more organic ,rich sounding beat ... This sounds too flat and is irritating .

[@beaniebaby1208]

Looks depressing

[@paulkwaramba584]

It's actually not

[@bkten6253]

Gypsy land 😂

[@lzzg4239]

Only gypsies are near the saisburys not that much!!!!

[@paulkwaramba584]

They cool though and I'm a black man lol

[@dragonfly2648]

Who chose the music, totally off-putting

[@pauliepaul3697]

Scaggywood 💉💉💉💉💉 💉