Blythe Hill Fields, also sometimes known as Blythe Hill is an area of elevated open land in the

London Borough of Lewisham Lewisham () is a London borough in south-east London; it forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham. The local authority is Lewisham London Borough Council, based in Catford. The Prime Meridian passes throug ...

that commands panoramic views over

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lo ...

, the City,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. The surrounding areas of Blythe Hill Fields involve

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdiv ...

to the south and southeast,

Crofton Park Crofton Park is a mainly residential suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is the original site of the former agricultural hamlet of Brockley. It is located south east of Charing Cross, and is south of Brockley and ...

to the north, and Forest Hill to the north west. The land stands at an elevation of – which may be one of the reasons it escaped development – and was once part of

Brockley Brockley is a district and an wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward of south London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham south-east of Charing Cross. History The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood ...

Farm. A brickworks was also formerly on part of the site and a chimney remained there until 1938. Blythe Hill House was built to the south in 1842 and its grounds covered a large part of Blythe Hill Fields until it was demolished in 1895. The land where Blythe Hill Fields now stands was bought by

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

and opened as a public park in 1935.

Access

The park can be accessed from a number of different points: * Blythe Hill Lane * Montacute Road * Codrington Hill * Brockley View. The Transport For London buses you can take are the 171, 185, 122, 284, 172, P4 and P12.

Archaeology

Blythe Hill was traversed by the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

, known today as the

London to Lewes Way The London to Lewes Way is a long Roman road between Watling Street at Peckham and Lewes in Sussex. The road passes through Beckenham and West Wickham, then crosses the North Downs above Titsey, on the county boundary between Surrey and Kent ...

. It is classified as an area of archaeological priority.

Blythe Hill Fields friends

The Friends of Blythe Hill Fields, formerly the Blythe Hill Fields User group, is an active group that exists to represent everyone living around or using Blythe Hill Fields. Their purpose is to achieve sustainable improvements and facilities for the benefit of the community. Since 2007, the Friends have organised an annual festival featuring local food traders, musicians, dance troupes and craftspeople. The children’s playground is situated near to the Blythe Hill Lane entrance. It was refurbished following a grant. This has seen the introduction of educational planting and natural materials in the first upgrade of facilities for many years.

In music

Blythe Hill Fields is the title of a track by singer songwriter Ceri James, of the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

group The Mountaineers.

References

External links

Friends of Blythe Hill Fields (FBHF)

Blythe Hill Fields, including location shots, on YouTube
{{Authority control Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Lewisham