Latest News
2025 and Lesnes 500
The year 2025 marks 500 years since Lesnes Abbey closed its doors for the last time, having been supressed for Cardinal Wolsey.
We are looking to have several activities over the course of the year to celebrate the abbey which served the community for almost 350 years.
Bexley Council and us are working together to bring together a year full of activities to mark this special year and we'll be holding an on-line meeting in January to talk about this.
WASSAIL
Thanks to those of you who joined the Wassail last Saturday and apologies to those who wanted to come but were pipped at the post and joined the waiting list.
It was a great event and with so much interest we intend to do it next year and will modify the format to allow greater participation and make it even more of a community get-together. As always, our members will get priority over booking.
Toasting a fruit tree
Making noise
Through the woods
Starting the fire
Archaeological Survey
The ruins of Lesnes Abbey are a Grade II listed ancient monument and protected by law against being damaged... this is one reason why you should not climb on the walls and why what can be done around the ruins is restricted.
Historic England are a government body responsible for monitoring these monuments and making sure that the owners (in this case Bexley Council) are not doing anything that would damage them, but these powers are limited and buildings in public spaces like our ruins are reliant on the good will of visitors as they are always open.
Historic England were at Lesnes Abbey between the 22nd and 24th of October and, with some help from The Friends, surveyed the area around the abbey using Ground Penetrating Radar and Electrical Resistivity equipment.
All monastic buildings were located in grounds called the precinct which was walled in. There would be a gatehouse and potentially other buildings in the area and it is not known where these are. The aim is to establish whether there are any notable remains under the soil so various hypotheses can be tested and new finds identified. A report will be published in about six months time detailing the findings.
The radar system was towed by a 4x4 while the resistance measuring equipment required accurate grids to be mapped out and then manually measured using special equipment that looks a bit like a walking aid. It was hard work!
The data collected needs to be processed and enhanced using computers to reveal the secrets hiding under the ground and we look forward to seeing the results.
Fungi
It's getting close to the best time to see fungi in and around the woods helping to break down dead matter and return the goodness to the soil. The colourful red and white fly agarics should soon make an appearance.
There is a great selection to be seen, but that is only true if you leave them for others to enjoy.
Foraging is not permitted in the woods and unless you are an expert it is easy to mistake poisonous and edible varieties.
Dipping Pond Clean Up
Our Conservation volunteers have made done a great job clearing out all the undergrowth around the dipping pond. The ponds themselves will need some work done to revitalize them, but this is a specialist job.
Many hands make light work so if you want to get involved check out the Get Involved pages using the menu above.
New Bench
The Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods have taken some of the fallen chestnut trees and made new bench tops from them.
On 19th September a group of us installed the first one replacing the dangerously decayed seat at Conduit Pond. We even made sure it was level.
If you like it then do let us know and give us suggestions for places we could put another bench.
Another New Bench
The Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods have upgraded another bench, this time on Knee Hill.
Chris and Nick learnt the hard way that it is way better to have four people working on this, especially when the legs of the old bench have been concreted in!
2025 Calendar
Our 2025 Calendar will be launched at the Abbey Wood Art Fair on 28th September in the Lodge and available to buy there or afterwards at our Farmer’s Market stall, or from Charlie’s Kiosk.
Members can buy a copy from us directly at a Farmer’s Market or event for £5.00 after providing proof of membership. For non-members and from the Kiosk, the price is £7.50.
Find out more about Art Club: Art Club
The Clearing
The Outdoor Classroom known as The Clearing is officially opened on 14th September.
Pop along for story telling at 11:00 and 2:00 as well as free crafting activities from 11:00 until 16:00.
GREEN FLAG
We are delighted to announce that Lesnes Abbey has retained its offical recognition as one of the country's best parks.
The green flag scheme recognises and rewards well managed green parks and spaces. Huge congratulations to the amazing staff (and volunteers)
AGM
Our AGM took place in The Lodge at Lesnes Abbey Woods on Monday 8th July 2024 and a big thank you to the 20 members who came along to support this important governance meeting.
Another round of applause to John, Phil and Ric of The Backroom Boys for providing the music afterwards which was a great way to end the meeting.
Click the button below for the minutes, accounts summary and chair's report.
Poetry Book
Our Poetry Book is now available and you can pick one up at our gazebo at the Farmer's Market at a bargain price.
This contains the poems submitted to our Woodland Festival last year.
Art Club Birthday
In May 2023 Art Club was launched to encourage and promote Lesnes Abbey and Woods as a source of inspiration for artist of all abilities, working in the media of their choice.
Our first year has passed so quickly and has been very eventful. At the Woodland Festival in September 2023 we held our first exhibition. This gave artists the opportunity to exhibit their work, some for the first time. To everyone’s surprise and delight, four paintings were sold on the day.
Art Club was asked to contribute images for the FOLAW 2024 Calendar, which has proved to be a real winner, with close to 100 hundred being sold.
As our second year starts, we are happy to see renewed interest in Art Club, with several new members joining us in celebrating our first year, I’m sure it wasn’t just the promise of cake!
We are looking forward to continue capturing the changing seasons, and life of Lesnes Abbey and Woods, through our art works.
Why not come and join us, for more information e-mail folaw.artclub@gmail.com
Peter Carter.
Art Club Co-ordinator
Volunteer Awards
Bexley Excellence Awards 5th June
A great night was had by all at the ‘24 Bexley Excellence awards' on the 5th June. We were up against some tough competition for 'Volunteer group and Community star of the year respectively; even though we didn't win, we were delighted to have been shortlisted and recognised in the borough in just a few years of forming.
Happy Walkers
The London Appreciation Society and Urban Tree Festival loved our guided walks!
We were flattered when the London Appreciation Society told us that according to one of their regular members our Historical Tour of the Abbey Ruins was "the best walk she had ever been on." They have already booked for next year!
Our Arboretum and Woodland Walk for the Urban Tree Festival were also really well received.
Obviously we don't want the whole of London descending on our fabulous woods as we do like them to be calm and relaxing, but it is great that we're making some progress in getting recognised as being a destination in London.
If you fancy the idea of volunteering to lead some guided walks contact us!
General Meeting
A General Meeting took place on 15th April
The main decision taken at this meeting was to not attempt to replicate the Woodland Festival of last year and instead look at a smaller event with different branding.
This decision was taken because there were not enough people able to form an event committee and the limited time available.
The minutes can be viewed here and will open in Google Docs in a new window:
The Clearing
The new outdoor classroom is nearing completion and some Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods have been helping make it a very special space.
If you would like to get involved then contact Stephen Stockbridge who leads the Forest Club.
There are two days scheduled where you can come along to help make new benches from some of the fallen trees.
Saturday 6th & 13th April 10-4 stool making for the space. Come along for the day or just an hour.
Fallen Trees
The fallen trees that were blocking two paths have now been cleared!
Big thanks to Bexley Council!
Archaeology Tour
Despite the dreadful weather Tony Thomas braved the rain and showed an appreciative audience around the abbey ruins explaining the archaeological evidence at the site that tells us about the various events that shaped its history.
One good thing about the rain is that it does make the stone work look particularly colourful!
To find out more about archaeology at Lesnes Abbey visit the Lesnes Abbey Estate Research Group.
New Pond
Frog Life have been progressing rapidly with the creation of a new pond in Hurst Woods.
It is below Pine Pond and Fountain Pond and has been called Willow Pond.
A pond would have existed in this area before it dried up and it is fed by water overflowing from the upper ponds.
Although it looks very muddy now, it will soon grow out and with its shallow banks will be a haven for wildlife.
It's probably fair to say that the current weather is ideal for making ponds!
Fallen Trees
There have been a number of trees down in the woods. There are three factors behind this.
Some trees are being felled because they are diseased. Unfortunately felling is the only way to prevent the spread of most tree diseases. This applies to the oaks on the heathland and to some of the chestnuts.
Some trees were toppled by the strong winds earlier in the year. We have raised the problem of blocked paths with the council and the clearance work is being prioritised.
Finally all the wet weather has left the ground weakened by the amount of rain that has left it completely saturated. This has caused some older trees with poor root systems to fall such as the one that recently blocked New Road.
Wild Flowers!
The Daffodils are in bloom and ahead of schedule this year due to the warm weather. There are some anemones out too and you might see some other wildlife enjoying the display.
They'll still be in bloom for the farmer's market so why not come along and if you're not keen on going into the woods yourself then join our woodland walk at 12:30.
Book a place using our new booking system below.
NEW TICKETING SYSTEM
Eventbrite launched a new pricing policy last year which was not favourable to us so we have moved to a UK company that offers us a more flexible deal.
See our events here:
NEW TOURS
At next months farmers market you can try out one or both of our new tours.
Wellbeing Walk - stroll through the woods and relax as you stop and let yourself fall under the soothing spell of nature.
Archaeology Tour - find out more about the history of the site from the evidence that the site and ruins provide.
CONSERVATION
A massive thanks to the all of you who came along on Sunday 4th to our first weekend Conservation Day.
These are scheduled for the first Sunday of every month and run from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. There is always plenty that needs doing and it's a great opportunity to help the park and woods look their best while meeting like minded people.
Lesnes Abbey Woods. Now a beautiful park with its very own beautiful musical composition.
At Blackheath Halls Jeremy Jackman conducted his composition dedicated to Lesnes Abbey and Woods.
Called Space and Time it was specially commissioned for our park and performed by the talented Bexley Music Services team. Look out for future performances!
Happy New Year
2024 is here and we wish each and everyone of you the very best.
We are hoping to bring lots of new activities to Lesnes Abbey this year. We are starting weekend conservation in February and by the spring "The Clearing" will be available to host events right in the woods. We are changing our program of walks and will run archaeological tours and wellbeing walks in addition to our historical and woodland tours. We also expect there to be more one-off events too and some other opportunities for you to volunteer your time to help improve our special park.
Litter - No one is a winner
Sometimes it's all about what you can't see that is important.
Every bit of litter makes Lesnes Abbey and the Woods look unattractive and uncared for and, if it wasn't for some dedicated Friends, it would look that way a lot more than it does as a few unthinking people can so easily spoil it for the many.
Paul and Donna are our star litter pickers and you can be one too! Join them on the Third Sunday as part of a group, just do your bit on your own or simply give us some friendly encouragement if you see us hard at work. There is always lots to do. Paul cleared half a dozen sacks of rubbish just between Christmas and the New Year.
Weekend Conservation
We have been asked many times about opportunities to get involved with conservation work at weekends and are pleased to announce that we will start offering this in February next year. Click here for more information.
Discover the wonders of the woods in winter.
One of our members with a lot of woodland knowledge, Liam Redmill, joined the talk on Fungi last Friday given by Dr Mark Spencer. Liam would encourage everyone to keep an eye out for fungi at this time of year. Do leave things you find for others to enjoy and remember that the woods are a registered Nature Reserve and it is actually against the law to forage.
Read Liam's summary of the course by clicking on the expand icon on the right. For more details on the course content and availability click here.
This is a superb introduction to fungi identification for both beginners and experienced enthusiasts who want professional and indepth analysis of fungi, their habitats and ecology.
The presentations take place in a comfortable classroom surrounded by the woods and grounds of Lesnes Abbey Woods park. The day is nicely balanced between classroom study and field study, the latter consisting of collecting forays into the well managed ancient woodland.
Dr Mark Spencer has a professional approach to the subject with a vast knowledge of both the Latin and common names of fungi. He also covers the latest and most up-to-date terminology, taxonomies, symbiotic relationships and the environments and ecology of European species. It really does not get better than this in terms of expertise and field guidance.
I highly recommend this day course and am sure that everyone will enjoy learning about fungi for a day with Mark who was able to handle every question easily and in depth. The field work is especially interesting and is an amazing way to gain an insight into some of the rarer habitats in the woodland that are often overlooked.
Woodland Festival - See what you missed!
We are pleased to say that the Woodland Festival went very well with lots of smiling faces to be seen everywhere.
Have a look at our 5 minute summary of the day.
See you at the Woodland Festival
The Woodland Festival scheduled for 16th September gives us a real opportunity to showcase what we do. We would like to see our volunteer and membership base grow and become much more sustainable for 2024 because of it.
The forecast looks good, so there's no reason not to be there, AND you can see the new defibrillator that YOU helped buy!
https://sites.google.com/view/lesnesabbeywoodlandfestival/home
Meet the New Defibrillator!
Following a supply issue, the defibrillator is finally with us.
It will be at the Woodland Festival, so come and see what a friends group can do to make your park and better and safer place!
Dye Garden
The Woodland Festival has allowed us to plant a new garden full of traditional dye plants.
This will be far more than just a garden as we want to use these plants to actually make old fashioned dyes and use them.
We will be looking for volunteers to get involved in this exciting new project.
Hello
Thank you to all who attended our AGM or watched it on Facebook! It was great to get a quorum and be able to properly adopt Chris Hawkins as the new Chair, Donna Cook as the new Secretary and re-elect our incumbent Treasurer, Keith Langley.
We would like to thank Andrew and Ana for all the work that they have done over the last two years in setting up the friends and keeping it running by supporting the various initiatives like the establishment of walking tours, fund raising for the defibrillator, and of course, litter picking. Because of the generosity and hard work of our members we are fortunate to have a reasonable level of funding now to help develop things moving forward so if you have ideas that you think we could do, let us know.
Green Flag
You will see the Green Flag flying over Lesnes Abbey Woods as the park has been recognised as being excellent and gained a Green Flag Award. This reflects on its natural beauty and historical significance, but also on the way it is managed and the contribution of its volunteers. We should be proud of the contribution we have all made to this achievement.
Beyond the Festival
Once the Woodland Festival is out of the way then we want to review what we offer members with the park management team and hopefully expand the number of active members by providing more opportunities for people to get involved.
Some of the things we intend to do are:
- Introducing membership cards.
- Simplifying membership payments.
- Strengthening our relationship with Bexley Council and other partners
- Revitalising the website.
- Improving our publicity and marketing
- Adding X (Twitter) and potentially other social media accounts
- Encouraging new ideas and activities from members
- Having at least 4 formal meetings each year
- Introducing informal gatherings to just mull things over and be social
- Seek additional funding and sponsorship
We also want to look at creating volunteering projects. Establishing a community herb garden is one, another would be to provide more seating in the woods. We want to continue to work on the creation of a sustainable hazel coppice and see if we can provide weekend opportunities for conservation volunteers.
Thank you for being a friend!
The Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods will continue to be exactly that: friends. We have the opportunity to help make Lesnes Abbey Woods a place where people do more than just visit, they come to be involved and enjoy the company of like-minded people.
We are only ever going to be as good as the people that support us and we look forward to working with you to try and realise that vision.
Finally, you will receive an email about renewing your membership. You can now renew this on-line using our new website.