Split between the boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich, Abbey Wood is located between Plumstead to the west and Erith to the east.
It is named after the ancient woodlands that surround the remains of Lesnes Abbey, founded in 1178.
In 1850 the North Kent Railway arrived and built a small station, but the area remained very rural until around 1900.
At this point the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society began building the Bostall estate in the south.
Following this a tram depot was built in 1910, which was later converted to a bus garage in 1952.
In the 1950s land sales by the Woolwich Arsenal meant that the council could build the Abbey Wood estate on land west of Harrow Manor Way.
After this 1,500 houses and industry moved in. Local amenities then followed but only after a lot of pressure from activists within the community.
Abbey Wood will be the south eastern terminus on the London Crossrail project due to begin in 2010.
A caravan park can be found in Abbey Wood.
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