Westcombe Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westcombe Park | |
  |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference: | TQ402780 |
| Latitude: | 51.484020° |
| Longitude: | 0.018458° |
| Administration | |
| London borough: | Greenwich |
| County level: | Greater London |
| Region: | London |
| Constituent country: | England |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Ceremonial county: | Greater London |
| Historic county: | Kent |
| Services | |
| Police force: | Metropolitan Police |
| Fire brigade: | London Fire Brigade |
| Ambulance service: | London Ambulance |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | LONDON |
| Postal district: | SE3 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Politics | |
| UK Parliament: | |
| London Assembly: | Greenwich and Lewisham |
| European Parliament: | London |
| London | List of places in London | |
Westcombe Park is a largely residential area close to the Blackheath Standard area of Blackheath in the London Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England.
Its boundaries are broadly defined by the main London-Dartford railway line to the north, the Blackwall Tunnel southern approach to the east, the heath itself to the south and a road, Vanbrugh Hill to the west (named after an architect, John Vanbrugh, with local connections).
Although originally formed in Westcombe Park, Westcombe Park rugby club is no longer based there. Having played on fields in Lee, Shooter's Hill and Sidcup, it operates from a sports ground in Orpington.
[edit] Sites of interest
Its most notable landmark is Woodlands House, in Mycenae Road. This attractive, four-storey Georgian villa (architect: George Gibson) still lies in its own grounds and was built between 1774 and 1776 for John Julius Angerstein, a Lloyds underwriter and merchant whose collection of old master paintings was bought for the nation in 1824, following his death, to form the nucleus of the National Gallery, London.
The Angerstein family continued to live in Woodlands House until about 1870. It was later acquired by Sir Alfred Yarrow, a shipbuilder, in 1896.
From about 1923, the house served as a convent; neighbouring Mycenae House (formerly Kidbrooke House) was built in 1933 to provide dormitory space for the Little Sisters of the Assumption convent. Woodlands was then acquired by the London Borough of Greenwich in 1967 and opened as a Local History Library and Art Gallery (Woodlands Art Gallery) in 1972, while Mycenae House has served as a community centre.
St George's Church (on a steeply sloping site on the corner of Kirkside Road and Glenluce Road) is a Victorian red-brick structure completed in 1892 (architect: Newman & Newman). As well as a place of worship it is also home to a Rudolf Steiner or Waldorf School-style nursery school.
More recently, Westcombe Park was used as a location by the BBC soap opera Eastenders. The footbridge from which Andy Hunter, played by Michael Higgs, was pushed to his death is easily identifiable as the bridge (over the A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach) that runs from Farmdale Road to Westcombe Park railway station.
[edit] Famous residents
- Malcolm Hardee, anarchic comedian lived briefly at 33 Glenluce Road, SE3 in the late 1990s.
- Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer lived in the area in the early days of their double act, and performed at the Tramshed in Woolwich.
- Jools Holland, TV personality and musician still lives in Westcombe Park.
[edit] Transport
Nearby tube stations:
- North Greenwich tube station - bus routes 108 and 422 run from Blackheath Standard
Nearby DLR stations:
- Cutty Sark
- Greenwich (The same as the railway station)
Nearby railway stations: (Westcombe Park essentially lies to the south of the railway line between Maze Hill and Westcombe Park stations)
A little further away…
