Grove Park is a district of South East

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

within 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 ...

. It is located north east of

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

and south east of

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

. Known for its green spaces, Grove Park is flanked by the Grove Park Nature Reserve and Northbrook Park, and

Downham Fields Downham Fields is a 20-acre park located in Downham, South East London. It is sometimes referred to in documents by the name Durham Hill, but this is not in common usage. It was left as parkland during the construction of the interwar Downham Est ...

to the west,

Horn Park Horn Park is an area of south east London south west of Eltham. It is located southeast of Charing Cross on the southwest edge of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and borders both the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Br ...

to the East, as well as Chinbrook Meadows, Kings Meadow and

Sundridge Park Sundridge Park, also known simply as Sundridge, is an area of Greater London within the London Borough of Bromley and prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Kent. It is situated north of Bromley, north-west of Widmore and Bickley, sou ...

to the south. As well as these there are various sports grounds and fields.

Name and Toponomy

There was a farm named ''Grove Farm'', where ''Sometrees Avenue'' is now located, around north of

Grove Park railway station Grove Park is a railway station in southeast London, England. It is located on Baring Road (the A2212) within Travelcard Zone 4, and serves the areas of Grove Park and Downham in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is down the line from . It ...

. ''Grove Farm'' appeared named on maps from at least 1870, and it is thought this farm gave its name to ''Grove Park railway station'', ''Grove Park Road'', the road built to join Grove Park to Mottingham, and also gave its name to Grove Park itself. It is presumed the word "Grove" in the place name was simply derived from a grove of trees that existed in the area. Grove Park railway station opened in 1871; The name "Grove Park" referring to the station, appeared on maps from at least 1884, but the name ''Grove Park'' referring directly to the place itself appears on maps slightly later, from as early as 1896.

History

The area was developed as a London suburb in the 1870s. More development grew up around

in the 19th century, though there had been settlements located here since Celtic times. Much of it consists of a housing estate built by the

Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham The Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the London Borough of Lewisham along with the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford. History The borough was formed b ...

in the 1920s. A

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

was built in the area in 1902. After use by the Army during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it became Grove Park hospital. There are multiple public parks in the area, the largest of which is Chinbrook Meadows, through which the

River Quaggy The River Quaggy (often the Quaggy River or simply Quaggy) is a river, in length, passing through the south-east London boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham. In its lower reaches it is an urban river, in its upper reaches further from Lo ...

flows northward. The Quaggy runs through and joins the second park known as Mottingham playing fields (colloquially known as 'Foxes') which borders the neighbouring Mottingham area. Grove Park is also home to part of the Green chain walk, linking London's green spaces as well as Elmstead woods. In recent times the area has received increased investment with local services and roads seeing vast improvements and the area around the station being completely modernisied.

Transport

Railway

Grove Park connects the area with

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...

services to London Charing Cross,

London Cannon Street Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is ...

via

Bromley North Bromley North railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south-east London, in Travelcard Zone 4. It is down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. It is the terminus of the short Broml ...

Orpington Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Ma ...

and

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...

Buses

Grove Park is served by several Transport for London bus routes and also has a

bus garage A bus garage, also known as a bus depot, bus base or bus barn, is a facility where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where trams (streetcars) were stored, and ...

. Routes 136, 181, 261, 273 and 284 serve the bus station whilst 124, 126, 136, 181, 261, 284 and night bus N136 serve Grove Park train station which is one bus stop away. Routes 136 and 181 terminate in the bus station. The Routes: * 124 to

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

via

Mottingham Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of both the London Borough of Bromley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located south of Eltham, southeast of Charing Cross. It is within the historic ...

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 ...

via

Downham Downham is a district of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It borders the London Borough of Bromley, and is located north of Bromley and south of Catford. Downham was named in honour of Lord Downham, who was ...

, Walters Road and Sandhurst Road. * 126 to Eltham via Mottingham or

South via Plaistow Green and Bromley North. * 136 to

Elephant & Castle The Elephant and Castle is an area around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground stati ...

via Downham, Catford Bus Garage, Catford,

Ladywell Ladywell is a locale in Lewisham in South East London, England, and a ward in the London Borough of Lewisham between Brockley, Crofton Park and Lewisham proper. It has ample green space including Ladywell Fields and Hilly Fields which borders ...

and

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich, ...

. * 181 to Lewisham via Downham, Southend Lane,

Lower Sydenham Sydenham () is a district of south-east London, England, which is shared between the London boroughs of Lewisham, Bromley and Southwark. Prior to the creation of the County of London in 1889, Sydenham was located in Kent, bordering Surrey. Histo ...

, Catford and

Hither Green Hither Green is a district in south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham. It forms the southern part of Lewisham, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross, and on the Prime Meridian. Growing extensively with ...

. * 261 to Lewisham via Lee station and Lee Green or

Locksbottom Locksbottom is a suburb of south-east London within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Bromley Common, west of Crofton, north-west of Farnborough, and e ...

Princess Royal Hospital via Plaistow Green, Bromley town centre and Bromley Common. * 273 to Lewisham Tesco via Lee Station, Lee Green, Lewisham town centre and Lewisham station or

Petts Wood Petts Wood is a town in south-east London, England, previously located in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Chislehurst, west of St Paul's Cray and Poverest, north of Orpington and Crofton, and east of Southborough and Bromley ...

via

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

and St Mary Cray. * 284 to Grove Park Cemetery or Lewisham via Downham, Northover, Sandhurst Road, Catford, Ravensbourne Park and Ladywell.

Nearest places

Grove Park borders Lee to the north,

to the north east,

to the east, Elmstead to the south east, Sundridge to the south,

to the south west and west and

to the north west.

Postal

Grove Park is mostly covered by the

SE12 The SE (South Eastern) postcode area covers a broad radial swathe of the south-east of the London post town from the Albert Embankment to West Heath and the nearest edges of Sidcup and Selhurst. It loosely corresponds to the boroughs of Southw ...

postcode district; as Lee was originally the district name for SE12, residents and other localities in Grove Park sometimes include Lee as part of their address. About one tenth of the area of Grove Park ward in its southeast corner, containing Chinbrook Estate, is within the SE9 postcode district. There are two post office branches in Grove Park, one near the train station on Baring Road, and the other about to the north of the station, on Sibthorpe Road, off Westhorne Avenue. The area at the South of Grove Park from the junction of Burnt Ash Lane and Ridgeway Drive becomes Bromley and has the BR1 postcode.

Churches

There are four main churches in the area representing different denominations. St Augustine's Church (

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

) is located at 336 Baring Road on the edge of South Lee and Grove Park. Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

ministered at St Augustine's between 1970 and 1974. The vicar is Rev Gavin Berriman. Burnt Ash

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

is located on Burnt Ash Hill on the edge of South Lee and Grove Park. Word of Life Church is located at the church hall on Mayeswood Road in the Grove Park Estate, and backs onto Chinbrook Meadows. This is a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

church, part of the Elim Church network. The pastor is Rev Rowland Henshaw. Kings Church Downham is located at 20 The Green, Downham Way. This church is a

Charismatic church The charismatic movement in Christianity is a movement within established or mainstream Christian denominations to adopt beliefs and practices of Charismatic Christianity with an emphasis on baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the use of spiri ...

and part of the New Frontiers network. It is one of three sites that makes up Kings Church London, which is led by Steve Tibbert. The Site leader of the Downham Church is Joe MacNamara.

Schools

There are two primary schools located in the catchment area, Marvels Lane and Coopers Lane School. Marvels Lane School also houses a children's centre. There is also a local secondary school now called Knights Academy, it was formerly Malory School.

Notable places

Baring Hall Hotel is a Grade II listed building. Its designation describes it as a "restrained, carefully-proportioned and eloquent rendering of the ‘Queen Anne’ style, bearing the distinctive influence of Richard Norman Shaw's work of the 1870s." The Archbishop

Peace Garden was opened in 2009, in Chinbrook Meadows. Tutu lived nearby, at 29 Chinbrook Road, in the 1970s. The Ringway Centre is a community hub developed on land across the route of the abandoned Ringway 2 urban motorway. The centre has a weekly 3-hour drop-in cafe with live music, hosts local groups and "Clay at the Ringway" venture, with a pottery kiln and classes subsidised for the community. Grove Park Nature Reserve was opened in 1984 and provides an area for local schools to engage in forest school activities as well as public access. It is accessed via the Railway Children Walk, which is named after the book

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 film ...

Edith Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her children's literature, books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also ...

, who lived in Grove Park for a time. The reserve is also part of the

Green Chain Walk The South East London Green Chain, also known as the Green Chain Walk, is a linked system of open spaces between the River Thames and Crystal Palace Park in London, England. In 1977 four London boroughs and the Greater London Council created ...

of South East London.

Famous former residents

Matthew Pennycook Matthew Thomas Pennycook (born 29 October 1982) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Greenwich and Woolwich since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning since ...

Keeley Hazell Keeley Rebecca Hazell (born 18 September 1986) is an English model and actress. Hazell was a Page 3 girl and has worked with magazines such as ''FHM'', '' Loaded'', '' Nuts'' and ''Zoo Weekly''. She has also made numerous television appearances ...

Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...

Notable people

Russ Millions Shylo Batchelor Ashby Milwood (born 20 March 1996), known professionally as Russ Millions (formerly Russ, Russ Splash or RussMB), is a British rapper. In December 2018 he released his single "Gun Lean" on Virgin Records. The track peaked at num ...

Buni Buni ( ur, ; also spelled Booni) is a town and the headquarters of Upper Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Demography The residents of Buni are Kho people, Khos, and they speak Khowar language, Khowar which is spoken and understoo ...

* Reeko Squeeze * Slaughter

References

External links

Short history
{{Capital Ring Walking Route , locale=Grove Park , back=

Falconwood Falconwood is an area of south east London within both the London Boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich. It is north east of Eltham and south west of Welling. The local area Falconwood forms part of the Falconwood and Welling ward in the London Boro ...

, forward=

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

, A=2 , B=3 Districts of the London Borough of Lewisham Areas of London