Mosaic Tile Making Workshop
Lesnes Abbey is home to a large mosaic which shows the medieval life of the monks that used to live here. Come along to our event to have a go at tile smashing and making a mosaic of your own design. Maybe you will create your own coat of arms or your favourite pet or animal – the only limit is your imagination. All safety equipment and materials will be provided.
This is a 2 hour workshop, children must be accompanied by an adult. Workshops are either at 10am or 1.30pm.
*Event info: please bring a strong bag to carry your mosaic home in. Tickets are per child (adults come free)
These workshops have been subsided by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and players of the National Lottery.
- A special tour of St Johns Church, Erith, where many of the artefacts from Lesnes Abbey reside.
- A fascinating tour of the Abbey, where you will learn about it’s history and how it came to be built
- Talks in the lodge that focuses on the dissolution of the abbey
- An exhibition about the history of Lesnes Abbey in the lodge
In The Clearing on Saturday 25 April Creative Nature HQ are inviting visitors to The Clearing Open Day where you will be able to see demonstrations in the ancient art of casting and copper forming and textile printing with natural dye. No need to book you can just turn up. For information about all their amazing other workshops in The Clearing please click here
You are also welcome to come to the Finds Experience and Trench Tours Thursday – Saturday 16-25 April: Places are limited (first come, first served), turn up at Lesnes Dig site (below Lesnes Lodge)
Finds Experience 14:30 – 16:00 (Lesnes Abbey Lodge) Trench Tour – 16:00 -16:30 Lesnes Dig site (below Lesnes Lodge)
Is your child interested in history and archaeology?
500 years ago, Cardinal Wolsey ordered the dissolution of Lesnes Abbey. Its ruin has stood ever since, but how much more is there to find? Book now to help archaeologists find out…
Our spoilheap rummages are short, 30-minute sessions designed especially for primary school-aged children to get involved with the archaeological dig at Lesnes Abbey. They will run Thursday through Saturday 3.30pm-4pm.
Guided by one of our archaeologists, children will explore the spoilheaps, the piles of soil that have already been excavated, searching for artefacts that may have been missed during digging. Using small tools and sieves, they’ll dig through the soil to see what hidden treasures they can uncover.
All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the session
500 years ago, Cardinal Wolsey ordered the dissolution of Lesnes Abbey. Its ruin has stood ever since, but how much more is there to find? Join the dig to help archaeologists find out…
Funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, this is an exciting opportunity to help archaeologists unearth new information about the history of this fascinating site.
Book a place on the dig (ages 12+ upwards and under 16s must be accompanied by an adult) and we’ll show you how to excavate alongside our friendly team of archaeologists. Your discoveries could change what we know about Lesnes Abbey, and will contribute to a wider understanding of this historic site. Plus, you’ll have plenty of fun while you’re at it.
We are inviting you to come along in the week to see the dig and gain hands-on opportunities to learn archaeological field skills. By the end of the experience, those involved will have an insight into how archaeologists dig scientifically and how artefacts are carefully collected and discoveries are recorded as they are found.
If you wish to pass by, you will be able to observe the Dig taking place 21st – 26th April. However, places to participate in the dig itself are available between Thursday and Saturday am (9:30) or pm (13:00) for 3 hours (please book) .
Young Archaeologists
For all the budding young archaeologists (6-12) there will be an opportunity to do a Spoil Heap Rummage Thursday – Saturday 3.30 – 4pm (booking will be essential)
Come to Lesnes Abbey Woods and do arts and crafts with your child/ren making crafts, what better way to spend a morning or afternoon over the Easter Holidays.
Each session lasts for 2 hours. Tickets are per child. Adults come free! These workshops have been part subsided by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The workshop lasts for up to two hours, starting either at 10am or 2pm. Booking is essential for this workshop to avoid disappointment. The workshops will be hosted in Lesnes Abbey Lodge
Flower Pot Painting and Spring Bulb Planting
Join us at Lesnes Abbey to bring a little bit of Spring into your home. Have a go at decorating your own flower pot and as it dries explore Lesnes by completing our spring flower and plant scavenger hunt. Once you’ve returned from your successful hunt, then fill your pot with soil and a range of pollinator friendly spring flowering bulbs which you can then take home.
This workshop has been subsidised by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is a family workshop for children, adults come along for free.
Event info: please bring a strong bag to carry your flower pot home in.
Advanced booking is essential. Workshop last for 1 1/2 hours either starting 10am or 1pm. Workshops will be held in the Lodge.
Beetles are vitally important insects that contribute significantly to biodiversity and ecosystem health. Many species help recycle nutrients by breaking down leaf litter and deadwood, while others control pests in gardens and parks, and others are pollinators. London’s brownfield sites, green spaces, and waterways provide refuges for specialist and rare beetles that are declining elsewhere, and the city is also often an entry point for species new to Britain. Recording beetle species enables site managers to identify and protect important habitats and maintain the ecological balance of our green spaces.
On this Field Recorder Day, we invite you to join fellow nature enthusiasts for a day dedicated to finding, identifying, and recording beetles in a relaxed and supportive setting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced naturalist, this event offers a great opportunity to share knowledge, build confidence in biological recording, and refine your identification skills – all with guidance from beetle specialist Connor Butler.
What will the day involve?
- Hands-on experience using different methods to collect and record a variety of beetle families.
- Practical training in specimen collection and preservation.
- Guidance on identifying beetles in the field and understanding which specimens require further examination under a microscope.
- A chance to connect with like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in entomology and wildlife recording.
Molluscs are an ecologically important and often overlooked part of the UK’s terrestrial invertebrate fauna. Slugs and snails play key roles as decomposers, herbivores, prey, and even soil engineers, helping to break down organic matter, recycle nutrients, and support food webs. Many species are sensitive to microclimate, soil chemistry, and vegetation structure, making them also highly informative indicators of habitat condition. From a conservation perspective, recording molluscs on a site provides valuable insight into ecosystem health, and long-term environmental change. Because several species have narrow ecological tolerances or are nationally scarce, documenting their presence can help identify high-quality or threatened habitats and support evidence-based site management.
Join like-minded nature enthusiasts for a day of finding, identifying and recording slugs and snails. Naturalists of all levels (from total beginner to expert) are encouraged to attend, share their experiences with peers and help one another improve their knowledge and build confidence in biological recording. Mollusc specialist Imogen Cavadino-Phillips will be leading the day and providing guidance throughout.
What will the day involve?
- Hands-on experience using different methods to find and record slugs and snails.
- Guidance on identifying mollusc species in the field where possible, and understanding which specimens require further examination under a microscope.
- A chance to connect with like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds who share an interest in entomology and wildlife recording.
Overview
Join us for a General Field Recorder Day at Lesnes Abbey Woods – no taxonomic focus, we will be recording a bit of everything!
Our resident Archaeologist Anthony Thomas will share his current research delving deep into Lesnes Abbey’s past, reaching back to Prehistoric, Roman and late Saxo-Norman time. Go back in time with Anthony as he shares his findings about how the abbey was laid on top of buildings from earlier periods. Surveys completed 2025 have indicated a number of small stone built platform-floors, which seem to represent a series of muti-period sequences of several industrial style timber-framed and stone building structures associated with external kilns-ovens and other domestic activities.