Ladywell Fields

The site is mentioned in the Domesday Book, as meadows in the manor of Lewisham. A medicinal well – ‘our lady’s well’ – said to be named after nearby St Mary the Virgin Church was first recorded in 1472. It was reputed to be effective for curing eye complaints. The well is now underneath the access road to Ladywell station and a further well lies to the west of it. Ladywell began to develop as a suburb of London with the arrival of the railway station in 1857, and in 1889 land between the River Ravensbourne and the station was bought by London County Council and Lewisham District Board of Works. Further parcels of land were bought in 1891 and ’94 and the whole area was laid out as a public…

The is park, which consists of three adjoining fields, extends to 22 ha and follows the course of the River Ravensbourne. It includes a wide range of recreation facilities, including play areas, skate park and ball courts, bowling green and football pitch. There is a café on site, and the park is part of the Waterlink Way cycling and walking route that extends from the River Thames at Creekside, Deptford to Sydenham. these plaques denote trees considered of importance to the capital. The original park design featured riverside plantings and rustic bridges over the Ravensbourne. Since the land was originally water meadows, and therefore liable to flooding, extensive work was done prior to…