Lee, London

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
official_name= Lee
latitude= 51.4522
longitude= 0.0086
os_grid_reference= TQ395745
london_borough= Lewisham
london_borough3= Greenwich
post_town= LONDON
postcode_area= SE
postcode_district= SE12
dial_code= 020
constituency_westminster= Lewisham East

Lee (also Lee Green) is a suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham in south-east London. It lies to the east of Lewisham, approximately one mile south of Blackheath village. Lee is within the SE12 postcode and was originally its post town.

St Margaret's Church (built 1839-41, architect: John Brown) is the burial place of three Astronomers Royal: Edmond Halley, Nathaniel Bliss and John Pond.

It had (until 2006) two public houses with almost identical names - "The Old Tiger's Head" and "The New Tiger's Head" - facing each other on opposite sides of the same road. Folklore states that The Old Tiger's Head is in fact the newer of the two.

A small part of Lee, around Horn Park Lane and Alnwick Road, is in the London Borough of Greenwich. On the Green itself is a clock tower reminiscent of Big Ben (called "Little Ben") and others prevalent in London, such as the Highbury Clock.

History

The Manor of Lee was a historic parish of the Blackheath hundred and existed up to 1900 when it was merged with the parish of Lewisham to create the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham. While modern Lee is centred on Lee railway station and the road of Burnt Ash Hill, the parish was based around Lee High Road which today stretches into the town centre of Lewisham. The River Quaggy formed much of the boundary between the two parishes, though at Lee Bridge (at the western end of Lee High Road) it is now almost completely hidden.

Famous residents

* Sir Francis Baring, founder of Baring Brothers Bank, bought the Manor House (attributed to architect Richard Jupp) in Manor Lane (now a library and its grounds a public park, Manor House Gardens) in 1796.
* Henry Thomas Buckle, English historian and author of "A History of Civilization" was born in Lee.
* Poet Ernest Dowson was also born in Lee.
* Actor James Robertson Justice was born in Lee in 1907.
* Sir Gregory Page built a large mansion house (demolished in 1787) at Wricklemarsh in Lee.
* Reggie Schwarz, South African cricketer, was born in Lee.
* Stanley Unwin, publisher, lived in Handen Road.
* Actor and comedian Max Wall
* Celebrity and 'singer' Chico.

Transport

Nearest places:
* Catford
* Blackheath
* Hither Green
* Kidbrooke
* Lewisham
* Grove Park
* Eltham

Nearest railway stations:
* Blackheath
* Hither Green
* Lee
* Lewisham
* Grove Park
* Mottingham

A roads
*A20 road (Lee High Road, Eltham Road)
*A2212 road (Burnt Ash Road, Burnt Ash Hill)
*A205 road (Westhorne Avenue, St. Mildreds Road, South Circular Road)

Links

* [http://www.lewisham.myzen.co.uk/gallery/ Lee Photographs]
* [http://lewisham.myzen.co.uk/blackheath/ Lee Discussion Forum]