Grove Park is a district of South East

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

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 boroughs, 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 Merid ...

. 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, c ...

and south east of Lewisham. Known for its green spaces, Grove Park is flanked by the Grove Park Nature Reserve and Northbrook Park, and Downham Fields 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 . I ...

. ''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 L ...

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 ...

services to London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street via Lewisham,

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 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 parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...

Buses

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

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 ...

or Catford 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 ...

, Lewisham 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 Greenwic ...

. * 181 to Lewisham via Downham, Southend Lane, Lower Sydenham, 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 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 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 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 Britai ...

) is located at 336 Baring Road on the edge of South Lee and Grove Park. Archbishop Desmond Tutu ministered at St Augustine's between 1970 and 1974. The vicar is Rev Gavin Berriman. Burnt Ash Methodist Church 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 spirit ...

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 Desmond Tutu 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 fil ...

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

, who lived in Grove Park for a time. The reserve is also part of the Green Chain Walk of South East London.

Famous former residents

* Desmond Tutu * Matthew Pennycook * Keeley Hazell * Shaun Wright-Phillips

Notable people

* Russ Millions * Buni * Reeko Squeeze * Slaughter

References

External links

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