Lesnes Abbey, Bexley

The view across the Courtyard towards the Monk's Garden.

Lesnes Abbey.

In 1178, Richard de Luci founded Lesnes Abbey, probably as penance for his involvement in the death of the Archbishop Thomas Beckett, who had been murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, in 1170.

Richard de Luci was Lord of the Manor of Erith and Chief Justiciar of England, a post he shared with Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester. Upon Robert's death, in 1168, Richard held the post alone until he stepped down in 1178. The Chief Justiciar was second only to the King of England, making it a powerful role.

Lesnes Abbey was dedicated to St Mary and St Thomas, the martyr, and belonged to the order of Augustinian canons whose duty it was to baptise, preach, give penance and bury the dead. Belonging to the Augustinian order the Abbey was never wealthy,  largely due to the expense of repairing and maintaining the adjacent river walls.

The Abbey was an impressive building, with huge columns supporting the high ceilings, while highly decorated tiles covered the floors of some of the rooms. 

Looking east along the Nave.

The most important areas of the Abbey were the church, the buildings around the cloister, the infirmary and the great court. It was in these areas that the monks (canons) lived and worked, looked after the sick, showed hospitality to guests, made contact with the outside world and carried out day-to-day administration of the monastery and its estates. These estates included the marshland that stretched north to the River Thames.

A spring-filled pond, situated close to the Monk's Garden, provided fresh water for the monastery.

As Lesnes Abbey was close to Watling Street, the main thoroughfare from London to Canterbury, pilgrims were often accommodated within its walls.

Looking east over the ruins.

In 1525, Cardinal Wolsey had the monastery suppressed. This was eleven years before King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries processes, which occurred between 1536 and 1541, making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest, monastery closures in the country.

The land passed through various hands, including William Brereton who was executed for treason, after being involved with Ann Boleyn.

From 1633, Christ's Hospital, a London-based charity school, had the lands bequeathed to them by Thomas Hawes, keeping the land until it was bought, in 1930, by the London County Council. 

The ruins were excavated, from 1909 onwards, under the direction of Sir Alfred Clapham. 

The Lesnes Abbey ruins have been classified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are Grade II listed, with Bexley Council managing the entire site.

One of the entrances to Lesnes Abbey Woods.

Abbey Wood.

Abbey Wood was originally part of the marshes of Plumstead and Lesnes, which became Erith, manors which were enclosed in the early 13th century by the monks of the 12th century Lesnes Abbey.

From the 18th century the marshes were used by the Woolwich Arsenal and, during the 19th century, missiles, tanks and other weapons were tested on these marshes. Today, some of the Arsenal's moated enclosures still exist, north of Thamesmead.

Today, Abbey Woods comprises over 200 acres (88 hectares) of ancient woodland that was opened as a park in the 1930s. It is a diverse woodland that comprises a wide variety of trees, with heathland bringing diverse wildlife to the area.

In March, the woodland is transformed when wild daffodils, believed to be the largest display in south-east England, cover the floor of the woods.

Then, in April and May, the woodland transforms with the arrival of a carpet of native bluebells.

The Monk's Garden.

The Monk's Garden.

The Monks (or Black Canons) at Lesnes would have had one of the area's only infirmaries, where they would have healed the sick.

As part of this work they would have grown a selection of herbs to ward off disease and to heal injuries.

These included:

•  Chamomile - the flowers of which are good for making sedatives and digestive infusions. Chamomile tea was believed to be a remedy for poison, in the Medieval era.
• Dill - this was used to flavour medicine, in the infirmary. It was also used in the kitchen to flavour fish, soup and stews. Its seeds were believed to aid digestion.
• Hyssop - this was added to oil, syrups or wine and was believed to ward off catarrh and chest phlegm. It was also rubbed onto bruises and had purifying astringent and stimulant uses.
• Rosemary - this was used to cure migraine, poor digestion, joint disorders and muscle aches. They also believed that it enhanced memory and recall.
• Rue - this was used as a strong laxative for plaque and poison. It was also added to holy water sprinklers when used in exorcisms.
• Sage - this was used to cleanse the body of plaque and venom. It was also chewed to help whiten teeth.

An ancient Black Mulberry Tree.

The Mulberry Tree.

In the 1600s, King James I had some 10,000 Mulberry trees planted in towns and villages across the country. His hope had been to start an English silk industry.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to King James I, silkworms only feed on the leaves of the White Mulberry tree and he had acquired Black Mulberries.

A mosaic detailing the lives of the monks, at Lesnes Abbey.

Mosaic.

A mosaic laid into the ground, where the footpaths around the Abbey ruins meet, details the working lives of the monks. It shows them praying, tending the land, transcribing texts, aiding travellers, healing the sick and bee keeping. 

It was created by Gary Drostle, an artist local to the area.

Gallery (Abbey ruins and the monk's garden)