This section is from 'A New and Accurate Map of the Country Twenty-Five
Miles Round London'. It shows 'His Majesty's Palaces, Noblemen and
Gentlemen's Seats, Cities, Market Towns, Villages, Churches, Cottages,
Rivers, Mills, Parks, Woods, Heaths and Remarkable Hills'. The map was
drawn in 1777 by a land surveyor called John Andrew. The scale is 7/8 inch
: 1 mile.
Lee
In 1777 Lee was a village and Lee Green a separate hamlet. The land south
of Lee Green was used for agriculture. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Lee
was a popular place for wealthy London merchants to live. They built a
number of large country houses which still survive, including Manor House
and Pentland House.
Grove Park
Until the 18th century, the area around Grove Park was mainly woodland.
The trees were eventually cut down and burned to make charcoal. This is
the origin of the name Burnt Ash (which appears on the map) for part of
the area. The map shows that Burnt Ash Road and Burnt Ash Hill follow the
line of what was then the main road running from Lee through Lewisham to
Bromley.
