This is Lesnes Abbey, in south-east London. Set in secluded woodlands amongst the hustle and bustle of south-east London suburbia, it is a scheduled ancient monument and gives us a little peek into life in 12th century Britain. Here you see the door into the cloister. The foundations and lower walls of most of the remaining structure survive and from this you get a sense of the size; it must have dominated the neighbourhood and been visible for some miles around.
The Abbey was founded by Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, in 1178. It is speculated this may have been in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket, in which he was involved. The Abbey sits adjacent to the route pilgrims would have used to travel to Canterbury, and it is likely some will have stayed overnight here at Lesnes Abbey on their way to pay homage at Thomas' shrine in Canterbury Cathedral.
The Abbott of Lesnes Abbey was an important local landlord, and took a leading part in draining the marshland. However, this and the cost of maintaining river embankments must have been a huge burden. It never became a large community, and was closed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, under licence, and then became one of the first monasteries to be pulled down after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1534. Some of the stone from the Abbey is said to have been used subsequently in the construction of Hall Place in nearby Bexley. See http://365project.org/peadar/365-2019-20/2019-04-03
Beautiful look through the arch. Love places like this and I like to think of those who walked through and touched the stones in what were magnificent buildings. Thank you for the history lesson.
@onewing@flowerfairyann@lmsa Thanks for your comments. Like many such places, it had a very serene feel to it, in spite of the London madness going on a few hundred metres away. I shall return there more often, I think.
