| Lewisham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lewisham Central at night | |
  Lewisham Location withinGreater London | |
| Population | 60,573 (Ladywell, Lewisham Central, Lee Green and Blackheath wards 2011) |
| OS grid reference | TQ385755 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE13 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°27′40″N0°00′18″W / 51.461°N 0.005°W /51.461; -0.005 | |
Lewisham (/ˈluːɪʃəm/ ⓘLOO-ish-əm) is an area of southeastLondon, England, six miles (ten kilometres) south ofCharing Cross. It is the principal area of theLondon Borough of Lewisham, and was within thehistoric county ofKent until 1889. It is identified in theLondon Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London,[1] with a large shopping centre and street market. Lewisham had a population of 60,573 in 2011.[2]
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The earliest written reference to Lewisham –Old English:liofshema – is from a charter from 862 which established the boundaries with neighbouring Bromley.[3]
Lewisham is sometimes said to have been founded, according to Bede, by apaganJute, Leof, who settled (by burning his boat) nearSt Mary's Church (Ladywell) where the ground was drier, in the 6th century,[4] but there seems to be no solid source for this speculation, and there is no such passage in Bede's history.[5]
As to the etymology of the name,Daniel Lysons (1796) wrote:
"Leofshema" was an important settlement at the confluence of the riversQuaggy (from Farnborough) andRavensbourne (Caesar's Well, Keston), so the village expanded north into the wetter area as drainage techniques improved.
King Alfred was Lord of the Manor of Lewisham, as is celebrated by a plaque in Lewisham Library.
The Manor of Lewisham, with its appendages of Greenwich and Combe, was given by Elthruda,King Alfred's niece, to theSaint Peter's Abbey, Ghent in a Charter dated 18 September around 918,[8] of which Lewisham then became a cell, or analien priory. This grant is said to have been confirmed byKing Edgar in 964, and byEdward the Confessor in 1044, with the addition of many privileges.
In the mid-17th century, the then vicar of Lewisham,Abraham Colfe, built agrammar school, aprimary school and sixalmshouses for the inhabitants.
In the 17th century the Manor of Lewisham was purchased byGeorge Legge, laterBaron Dartmouth. His sonWilliam was raised byQueen Anne to several positions of honour and trust, and was a member of herprivy council; and on 5 September 1711, was ennobled as Viscount Lewisham, andEarl of Dartmouth. His grandson George, Lord Dartmouth, obtained the privilege of holding a fair twice a year, and a market twice a week, upon Blackheath in the parish. The fair used to be held on 12 May and 11 October, but in 1772 it was discontinued, (except for the sale of cattle) by the Earl of Dartmouth, aslord of the manor.[9]
The village of Lewisham had itsnucleus in its southern part, around the parish church of St Mary, towards the present site ofUniversity Hospital Lewisham. The centre migrated north with the coming of theNorth Kent line toDartford in 1849, encouraging commuter housing. TheOfficial Illustrated Guide to South-Eastern and North and Mid-Kent Railways of June 1863, by George Measom, describes Lewisham as follows: "Lewisham Station, situated on the slope of an eminence amidst picturesque scenery, beautiful green meadows rising abruptly to the summit of the hill on the left, dotted with handsome residences and gardens, while the Common is seen intersected by various crossroads and studded with country inns and houses on the low ground or valley to the right. The area of the parish is 5,789 acres... Lord of the manor, the Earl of Dartmouth to whom it gives the title Viscount."
Lewisham was administratively part ofKent until 1889, and then formed part of theMetropolitan Borough of Lewisham in theCounty of London until 1965.
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The town centre was hit by aV-1 flying bomb[10] in 1944: there were over 300 casualties including 51 fatalities, and it devastated the high street, which was fully restored by the mid-1950s. This horrific event is commemorated by a plaque outside theLewisham Shopping Centre (opened in 1977). The plaque was on the pavement outside theMarks & Spencer store in the main shopping precinct. However, suffering wear and tear, the local authority arranged for it to be mounted to the façade.[11]In 1955Sainsbury's opened a store in Lewisham which was reported to be Europe's largest self-service supermarket, with 7,500 square feet of retail space, although the one now incorporated in the 1977 shopping centre is much smaller.[12] The area at the north end of the High Street waspedestrianised in 1994. It is home to a daily street market and a local landmark, theclock tower, completed in 1900 to commemorateQueen Victoria'sDiamond Jubilee in 1897. The police station, opened in 2004 to replace the station inLadywell, is one of the largest in Europe.[13]
Lewisham Cricket Club was one of the most prestigious London sides during theVictorian era. From 1864 they played at Lewisham Cricket Ground, which lay north of Ladywell Road, until its closure later in the 19th century. Lewisham Swimming Club was also very successful, with several of its members representing England atwater polo and othergymkhana events. During theFirst World War, Lewisham Hospital's infirmary became the Lewisham Military Hospital, and during theSecond World War the hospital was hit by a V-1 flying bomb, which destroyed two wards, injured 70 people and killed one nurse.
Lewisham is also the site of one of theworst disasters on theBritish railway network in the 20th century. On 4 December 1957 a crowded steam-hauled passenger express headed for theKent coast overran signals at danger in thickfog nearSt Johns station and crashed into a stationary electric train for the Hayes branch line. The force of the impact brought down an overhead railway bridge onto the wreckage below. An electric multiple unit about to cross the bridge towardsNunhead managed to pull up in time. Ninety passengers and crew died in the accident.
In 1969, Lewisham was identified in theGreater London Council'sGreater London Development Plan as one of the top tier Major Strategic Centres. However, the Major Strategic Centres were identified based on their exiting retail trade turnover and their relationship with the Primary Road Network was mostly coincidental in that only some of them coincided with the primary network.[14]
In 1977, theBattle of Lewisham saw 500 members of theNational Front, who were attempting to march through the area, and their police escort, attacked by more than 4000 counter-demonstrators.[15]
TheDocklands Light Railway was extended toLewisham in 1999.[16] Molesworth Street widened to create a bypass around the shopping area as part of the "Lewisham 2000" project, including sculptures by John Maine.[17] This saw the demolition of the 1932 art decoLewisham Odeon which had also provided a live music venue hosting artists from Johnny Cash to the Rolling Stones.
The 2010s and early 2020s saw the construction of manyhigh-rise residential buildings around Loampit Vale and Molesworth Street. The former roundabout by Lewisham station was replaced with an "H" junction to release land for further private development.[18] This was to be supported by the cancelled Bakerloo Line extension to Lewisham.
In 2013 the Glass Mill Leisure Centre opened oppositeLewisham station with its façade defined by a large scale embedded kinetic artwork "Razzle Dazzle Boogie Woogie"[19][20] by the artistPhil Coy. The project was awarded the Best Built Project – Community Scale Scheme in the London Planning Awards 2013/14.[21]
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The parish of Lewisham was governed by avestry; and from 1855 until 1900 by theLewisham District Board of Works, in combination with Penge. Following theLondon Government Act 1899, theCounty of London was split into 28 metropolitan boroughs in 1900. Lewisham, with the parish of Lee, became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Lewisham. In 1965, under theLondon Government Act 1963, the current 32 London boroughs were formed and today Lewisham is part of theLondon Borough of Lewisham.[citation needed]
Lewisham London Borough Council is based in Catford. The current directly elected mayor isBrenda Dacres. In theLondon Assembly, the London Borough of Lewisham is joined with theRoyal Borough of Greenwich to form theGreenwich and Lewisham constituency, with the current Assembly Member beingLen Duvall. For Westminster elections, Lewisham is covered by theLewisham Deptford constituency, whoseMember of Parliament (MP) as of 2021[update] isVicky Foxcroft.[22]
Lewisham's commercial area is one of the largest in south-east London.Lewisham Shopping Centre, opened in 1977, has 70 stores and is over 330,000 square feet. Shops includeMarks & Spencer,W H Smith, Sainsbury's,H&M,TK Maxx,JD Sports,SportsDirect.com,Argos andBoots.[23] The centre is between Molesworth Street (a dual carriageway section of the A21) and Lewisham High Street. Lewisham Market and the Central Library are outside the shopping centre in the High Street. Also part of the complex is the Lewisham House office tower, once the tallest building in the borough and formerly occupied byCitibank. There are proposals to convert this brutalist skyscraper to flats.[citation needed]
Lewisham has a bowling alley[24] and the Glassmill Swimming pool and Gym.
Lewisham has a number of parks, such as Hilly Fields and Lewisham Park.
For 14 years between 2001 and 2015, Lewisham was the only London Borough not to have a cinema. Lewisham once had many cinemas, such as the Lewisham Odeon. In 1930 there were 30 venues showing films.[25] As of 2022, there is only one cinema operating in the borough: Catford Mews.[26]
Opened in 1894,University Hospital Lewisham is aNational Health Service,acute hospital run by theLewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust serving the whole London Borough of Lewisham as well as some surrounding areas. In July 2012 the government recommended that Lewisham'sAccident & Emergency ward should be closed, with emergency provision transferred toQueen Elizabeth Hospital, London. However, there was a strong campaign in Lewisham against the proposed closure, including a march on 24 November 2012,[27] and a successful legal challenge. In July 2013, theHigh Court ruled that the closure of Lewisham A&E could not go ahead.[28] In October 2013, theCourt of Appeal ruled that Health SecretaryJeremy Hunt did not have power to implement cuts at Lewisham Hospital.[29]
Secondary schools in Lewisham include:
Lewisham station provides the area withSoutheastern services toLondon Victoria,London Charing Cross,London Cannon Street,Dartford viaWoolwich Arsenal, Dartford viaBexleyheath,Gravesend via Bexleyheath,Slade Green via Bexleyheath, Slade Green viaSidcup,Hayes andOrpington.
Lewisham station also providesDLR services toBank viaCanary Wharf.
Lewisham is served by manyLondon Buses routes.
Lewisham London Borough Council's local development plan was intended to improve Lewisham's town centre to become a metropolitan centre to rivalBromley,Croydon andKingston upon Thames.[30][31]
There is a skyscraper adjacent to the shopping centre which used to be owned byCitibank until they moved to theDocklands which may be converted to residential.
There are four major development sites around on Loampit Vale:
 | This article's list of residentsmay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Pleaseimprove this article by removing names that do not have independentreliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this articleand are residents, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriatecitations.(November 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Among those who were born or have lived in Lewisham are:
Almost all of theSE13 postcode district, which is associated with Lewisham is within theLondon Borough of Lewisham, except for the Coldbath Estate and part of the Orchard Estate along Lewisham Road, which are covered by theRoyal Borough of Greenwich. The town includes areas such as St Johns and Hither Green, as well as Lee and Ladywell to the south and east.
Neighbouring areas of Lewisham | |
|---|---|
The nearest Met Office climate station is based inGreenwich Park:
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 21.2 (70.2) | 24.5 (76.1) | 29.4 (84.9) | 32.8 (91.0) | 35.6 (96.1) | 40.2 (104.4) | 38.1 (100.6) | 35.0 (95.0) | 29.5 (85.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 40.2 (104.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.7 (53.1) | 15.0 (59.0) | 18.4 (65.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 20.2 (68.4) | 15.8 (60.4) | 11.5 (52.7) | 8.8 (47.8) | 15.7 (60.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.7 (56.7) | 16.8 (62.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.9 (60.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 8.4 (47.1) | 5.9 (42.6) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.7 (36.9) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.2 (57.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 8.8 (47.8) | 5.3 (41.5) | 3.1 (37.6) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) | −13.9 (7.0) | −8.9 (16.0) | −5.6 (21.9) | −3.1 (26.4) | −0.6 (30.9) | 3.9 (39.0) | 2.1 (35.8) | 1.4 (34.5) | −5.5 (22.1) | −7.1 (19.2) | −17.4 (0.7) | −17.4 (0.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 58.8 (2.31) | 45.0 (1.77) | 38.8 (1.53) | 42.3 (1.67) | 45.9 (1.81) | 47.3 (1.86) | 45.8 (1.80) | 52.8 (2.08) | 49.6 (1.95) | 65.1 (2.56) | 66.6 (2.62) | 57.1 (2.25) | 615.0 (24.21) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 11.2 | 10.8 | 111.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 80 | 77 | 70 | 65 | 67 | 65 | 65 | 69 | 73 | 78 | 81 | 81 | 73 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 3 (37) | 2 (36) | 2 (36) | 4 (39) | 7 (45) | 10 (50) | 12 (54) | 12 (54) | 10 (50) | 9 (48) | 6 (43) | 3 (37) | 7 (44) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 61.1 | 78.8 | 124.5 | 176.7 | 207.5 | 208.4 | 217.8 | 202.1 | 157.1 | 115.2 | 70.7 | 55.0 | 1,674.8 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 23 | 28 | 31 | 40 | 41 | 41 | 42 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 27 | 21 | 35 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Source 1:Met Office[46][47][48]Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute[49][50] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather Atlas (percent sunshine and UV Index)[51] CEDA Archive[52]TORRO[53] Time and Date[54] SeeClimate of London for additional climate information. | |||||||||||||
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