Westcombe Park is a largely residential area in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South East London, England. It is bounded by the main London-Dartford railway line to the north, the Blackwall Tunnel southern approach to the east, Blackheath to the south and a road, Vanbrugh Hill, to the west (named after the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh who built his house Vanbrugh Castle nearby in Maze Hill).

Westcombe Park largely comprises the northern half of the Blackheath Westcombe ward of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, which in 2011 had a population of 12,875.

Westcombe is a topographical place name, derived from Combe, a common old English word for 'valley', often formed into a compound name - in this case with the adjective 'West'. Broadly, this covers an area bounded to the north by the stretch of railway line between Vanbrugh Hill and Westcombe Hill, to the east by the A102 Blackwall Tunnel southern approach, to the south by Westcombe Park Road, and to the west by Ulundi Road.

Woodlands House

thumb|Woodlands House, in 1897

Its most notable existing landmark, and only Listed building (grade II), is Woodlands House, in Mycenae Road. This 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 Lloyd's 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 continues to serve as a community centre. Woodlands was leased by the London Borough of Greenwich in November 2007 to The Greenwich Steiner school.

Westcombe Manor

thumb|West Coombe Manor, in 1794

To the west of Woodlands House was Westcombe Manor, former family seat of the Ballards, the Lambardes, and Sir Theophilus Biddulph (1612–1683; see also Biddulph baronets). The original house was rebuilt in 1723 by Sir Gregory Page, and let to tenants who included Lavinia Fenton, Dowager Duchess of Bolton, who died at the house in 1760 (Peachum Road is named after a role, Polly Peachum, played by Fenton as an actress). In 1796, the building was described in Daniel Lysons' Environs of London:

:"West-Combe-park, the site of this manor, was granted by Sir Gregory Page on a long lease to Captain Galfridus Walpole, (younger brother of Sir Robert, and uncle of the present Earl of Orford) who built the present house. The lease of West-Combepark afterwards came into the possession of Charles, third Duke of Bolton, who resided there for several years with Lavinia Fenton, the celebrated Polly Peachem, whom he married on the decease of his Duchess. The Duke died in 1754; Lavinia Duchess of Bolton in 1760, when West-Combe-park became the property of her son, the Rev. Mr. Powlett, in whom the remainder of the lease (which expires in 1824) is now vested. Since the Duchess's death WestCombe has been in the successive occupation of Lord Clive, the Marquis of Lothian, his widow the Marchioness, the Duchess of Athol, Mr. Halliday the banker, and William Petrie, Esq. It is now the residence of William Holmes, Esq. who has the remainder of an under lease granted to Mr. Halliday. West-Combe-house is situated on the verge of a steep hill, agreeably diversified with plantations, and commanding a fine view of the river."

It was later, from 1827, leased as the home of Deptford shipbuilder, shipowner and timber merchant Thomas Brockelbank (co-founder of the General Steam Navigation Company), after whose death, on 10 June 1843, it was eventually demolished in 1855.

St George's Church

St George's Church (on a sloping site on the corner of Kirkside Road and Glenluce Road) is a Victorian red-brick structure completed in 1892 (architect: Newman & Newman). began to campaign for local improvements. Batley's contribution is recorded in an inscription on a memorial fountain, unveiled in May 1889, and he is also commemorated by a stained glass window in the church. The central area was surrounded by railings and planted with new trees and shrubs, and new public lavatories were constructed from 1905 to 1907, and it became known as Batley Green or Batley Park,

Transport

Nearby tube stations

  • North Greenwich tube station - bus routes 108, 335 and 422 run from Blackheath Standard

DLR

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.

  • Maze Hill
  • Westcombe Park

A little further away, there is:

  • Blackheath
  • Greenwich

Buses

The following buses run through Blackheath Standard and either through or around Westcombe Park:

  • 108 between Lewisham station and Stratford station.
  • 286 between Greenwich and Sidcup Queen Mary's Hospital.
  • 335 between Kidbrooke and North Greenwich tube station.
  • 386 between Blackheath village and Woolwich town centre.
  • 422 between Bexleyheath shopping centre and North Greenwich tube station.
  • 53 between Whitehall and Plumstead.
  • 54 between Elmers End and Woolwich.
  • 202 between Blackheath Standard and Crystal Palace.

References

  • The Westcombe Society