Abbey Wood

Settlement in Kent

England

Abbey Wood

Thamesmere Looking across Thamesmere Lake towards the Thamesmere Leisure Centre. Rather prosaically the Environment Agency pumping station on the lake refers to the location as &quot;Lake 4&quot;. — Thamesmere Credit: Glyn Baker

Abbey Wood is a suburban area located in the London Borough of Bexley, Kent, England. Situated in the southeastern part of Greater London, it lies around 10.6 miles (17.1 kilometers) east of Charing Cross. With its proximity to the capital, Abbey Wood benefits from excellent transport links, making it a popular residential area for commuters.

The area is known for its green spaces, including the Lesnes Abbey Woods, a local nature reserve and ancient woodland. This 88.5-acre park offers picturesque walking trails, a variety of wildlife, and the ruins of the historic Lesnes Abbey, a 12th-century monastery. The park also provides stunning views across the Thames River and the London skyline.

Abbey Wood has a range of housing options, from modern apartments to semi-detached and detached houses, catering to different budgets and preferences. The area has undergone significant regeneration in recent years, with the development of the Crossrail project, which will provide faster and more convenient transport connections to central London and beyond.

Residents of Abbey Wood enjoy a range of amenities and services, including shops, restaurants, and pubs. The area is also home to several schools, making it an attractive location for families. In terms of transportation, Abbey Wood is serviced by Abbey Wood railway station, which offers direct links to central London and other locations in Kent.

Overall, Abbey Wood offers a balance between suburban living and easy access to the bustling city, making it a desirable place to call home.

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Abbey Wood Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.49078/0.108054 or Grid Reference TQ4678. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Thamesmere

Looking across Thamesmere Lake towards the Thamesmere Leisure Centre. Rather prosaically the Environment Agency pumping station on the lake refers to the location as "Lake 4".

Glyn Baker

Southmere, Thamesmead

Southmere (variously spelt as one word or two) is the lake at the heart of the huge Thamesmead housing development (started in the 1970's and still expanding).

Stephen Craven

Thamesmead: A2016 Eastern Way footbridge

This footbridge links the Southmere area with the main area of Thamesmead.

Nigel Cox

Thamesmead: A2016 Eastern Way

This is the view from the footbridge in TQ4780 : Thamesmead: A2016 Eastern Way footbridge, looking towards the eastern overbridge carrying the A2041 over the dual carriageway.

Nigel Cox

Thamesmead Ecopark: Tor Grove Block A

This is one of four blocks of sustainable social housing built for the Gallions Housing Association. The houses have, amongst other features, timber frames, advanced insulation and double glazing, condensing boilers, solar water heating through panels in the roofs, and waste separation units to encourage recycling, as well as sunspaces in their south-facing elevations. The houses in Block A here are two bedroom units. The Ecopark website is here Link

(This image was taken at sunset and the colour has not been enhanced).

Nigel Cox

Thamesmead: Gallions Canal

Large parts of Thamesmead are on land originally contaminated by the activities of the former Woolwich Royal Arsenal. The land was first recovered by the GLC for residential use in the 1960s. As part of this redevelopment a system of canals and lakes were built in order to store and manage surface water run-off prior to its discharge into the River Thames. As part of the current development Tilfen Land Limited have retained and rebuilt sections of the old system, again to manage surface water run-off, including the provision of flood storage areas, but also to provide an ecology corridor and a public amenity through the residential areas. There is a .pdf file describing the scheme on Tilfen's website here Link

This image was taken from the east side of Delisle Road with New Acres Road on the right. It is difficult to categorize the photo on the Geograph site in the sense that it is not an old navigable canal, nor a river, but an artificial drainage cut. "Drain" in the sense of a fenland drain therefore seems most suitable.

Nigel Cox

Thamesmead: The Harrow Canal

One of the network of watercourses in Thamesmead, this one is at the rear of the houses in Austen Close. Apart from the coot in the water a heron is just visible lurking on the top of the bank to the right. The Thamesmead development has been built on the former Plumstead Marshes.

Nigel Cox

Thamesmead: view across the lake

Looking across the lake behind the leisure centre, with the residential blocks in the distance.

Chris Downer

Thamesmead: clock tower

The clocktower alongside a little stream in Joyce Dawson Way, the pedestrianisted central shopping area of Thamesmead.

Chris Downer

Thamesmead footbridge at dusk

A view of TQ4780 : Thamesmead: A2016 Eastern Way footbridge at dusk. The pedestrian route weaves its way under and over the traffic lanes of a complex junction, sometimes with little headroom. Coming down its northern end into the backstreets of a 1970's housing estate, it is a typical concrete cityscape, unwelcoming at the best of times, and not really the place you want to be after dark. This was the last photo I took that day before catching a bus home.

Stephen Craven

Sunset over Southmere lake

A lovely sunset over Southmere Lake, Thamesmead, South East London on 7 December at 4.19pm

Linda Craven

sunset

Sunset over Southmere Lake with the flats in shadow

Linda Craven

Southern outfall sewer - end of the path

The southern outfall sewer is in above-ground embankment from Plumstead to the treatment works at Crossness. It is accessible for most of its length - see also TQ4679 : Abbey Wood: The Southern Outfall Sewer - but not as well known or as well maintained as the northern outfall 'Greenway' from Stratford to Beckton Link This point represents the furthest east one can walk on it, looking back towards Plumstead. From here one can descend either side towards Thamesmere Lake or the river.

Stephen Craven