Lesnes Abbey Woods

Lesnes Abbey Easter Festival 2026
2026-04-04 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Lesnes Abbey Easter Festival is back with it’s amazing marketplace, free arts and crafts, face painting, dance workshops, and Easter Bunny visit, plus this year Jack Sparrow sails in too, and magic shows. There will be Punch and Judy and local talent schools performing, PLUS don’t forget the famous Lesnes Abbey Easter Bonnet Competition and parade supported by the Mayor. Also Grab your tickets for the pre bookable Lesnes Easter Trial too! So much going on this year!
Lesnes Abbey Woods is so easy to get to by public transport only 10 minutes walk from Abbey Wood Station, just go to our Plan Your Visit page for live train updates and bus timetables. There is Gayton Road and Felixstowe Road Car Parks. Please note street parking is restrictive and there will be additional parking patrols around on this day.

Easter Egg Hunt
2026-04-04 11:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Our popular Easter Egg Hunt is Back! Find the eggs that are hiding in the park. This event is part of Lesnes Easter Fair, where there will be loads of stalls, street food and activities.

If you find them all, then you will receive a small prize! There are various one hour timed slots. Please pre book tickets to avoid disappointment, but you can come along on the day (Ticket price £3 per child).
Please come to the grey Lesnes Abbey gazebo situated in the Monk’s Garden. We have various time slots between 11am – 4pm. We strongly recommend to book in advance.

Flower Pot Painting and Spring Bulb Planting Workshop
2026-04-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
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.

Mollusc Field Recorder Day
2026-04-23 10:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Join Imogen Cavadino-Phillips to explore and record the molluscs of Lesnes Abbey Woods.

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.

Archaeology Week Walks Talks and Demonstrations
2026-04-24 00:00 - 2026-04-26 00:00 | London
Between Friday 17 April and Sunday 26 April the Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods will be running historical walks, talks and exhibitions to accompany the archaeological digging and tell you all about Lesnes Abbey. Booking is essential please click here to book. There is lots to choose from:-

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)

General Field Recorder Day
2026-05-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Overview
Join us for a General Field Recorder Day at Lesnes Abbey Woods – no taxonomic focus, we will be recording a bit of everything!

Join like-minded people with an interest in recording wildlife observations for a day identifying and recording in an informal environment. Naturalists of all levels (from beginner to expert) will be able to share their experiences with peers and help one another improve their knowledge and build confidence in biological recording.

What will the day involve?

Practical experience of finding and identifying a range of species in the field.
The opportunity to share expertise and teach others.
A chance to meet fellow like-minded people from a range of different disciplines.

What do I need to know in advance?

This event is aimed at adults only.
Attendance is free, but booking is essential as spaces are limited.
Recorders of all abilities are welcome.
Identification will take place in the field whenever possible, but some specimens may need to be collected to be observed in more detail and identified at a later date.
We’ll be outside for the whole day so please bring suitable clothing for the weather, as well as lunch and any snacks you will require with you on the day.

Fossil Digging
2026-05-27 10:00 - 14:30 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Calling all young palaeontologists! Join us at Lesnes Abbey’s very own fossil pit for 1 and 1/2 hours of fossil digging. You will have the chance to discover and take home fossils such as shells and shark’s teeth which are approximately 55 million years old. You will be provided with all the equipment and guidance needed to find the fossils and identify them. There are three sessions to choose from:-
10am-11:30am
1pm – 2.30pm
These workshops are being subsidised by a grant from National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Mosaic Tile Making Workshop
2026-05-28 00:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
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.

People Have The Power
2026-06-04 - 2026-06-05 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Thursday 4 June at 13:00 – 14:15 & 15:45 – 17:00
Friday 5 June at 14:00 – 15:15
People Have The Power is an exciting, immersive, aerial, promenade performance exploring community, hope and the story of coming together to preserve the past, present and future of the woodlands.
Guided through the woods and ruins of Lesnes Abbey, audiences find themselves reconnected with nature on a journey to protect and save the woodland.
This production is presented by final year BA European Theatre Arts and BA Costume Production students from Rose Bruford College, in collaboration with Scarabeus Aerial Theatre Company.

Lesnes Abbey Farmers Market
2026-06-14 10:00 - 15:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Lesnes Abbey has its very own monthly farmers market!

This will be on the 2nd Sunday of each month and will feature locally sourced and handmade food, fresh produce, craft ales, as well as art and craft stalls, natural and eco-friendly products.

Grab a coffee from the great Chestnuts kiosk then browse our farmers market stalls such as local butchers, gourmet quiches, fresh bread, handcrafted soy candles, cheeses, preserves, plants, honey, coffee blends and more.

The Friends of Lesnes Abbey and Woods also give free walking tours of the abbey and woods (donations are always welcome)

Lesnes Abbey Lodge is a 10 minute walk from Abbey Wood Train Station. You can get to the site by buses 244, 299 and 311 and many more. There is Gayton Road Car Park 5 minutes walk from the site (£3.10 for 4 hours)

For more information and for stall news go to facebook.com/LesnesAbbeyFarmersMarket

This is event is brought to you by CC Events UK working partnership with Lesnes Abbey Lodge

Lesnes Twilight presents The Electronix a tribute to the 80s
2026-07-03 17:00 - 21:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
We are excited to announce the return of Lesnes Twilights!
Located in the Monks Garden situated in the picturesque surroundings of the historic Lesnes Abbey Ruins our live band will be The Electonix – a tribute to the 80’s
Dig out from the back of the wardrobe your bright neon clothes and shoulder pads for an evening of 1980s music. The Electonix will be playing iconic sounds from Yazoo, Human League, Eurythmics through to Erasure and much much more.
Doors/Bar/Food- from 5pm
Show starts: 6.30pm
Tickets start from £11 +booking fee (bring your own chair or blanket) or £16 + booking fee that includes tables and chairs
There will be a pay bar serving alcohol on the night and some yummy street food offerings too.
(please DO NOT bring any external alcohol onto site this will breach our licensing rules)

Musicals at the Abbey
2026-07-19 15:00 - 17:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
If you love the musicals,this is an event not to be missed.
After 2 sell out years Musicals at The Abbey are back. Join us for this star line up of west end talent in the historical and atmospheric Lesnes Abbey Ruins. The event of the year at Lesnes, musical hit after hit, along with Pimm’s & nibbles in the sun.
Cast includes Broadway and West End star David Thaxton,
ITV Changing Ends Star Nancy Sullivan (Les Miserables and many more) Jenna Boyd (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Les Miserables), Baker Mukasa Currently in West Ends Cabaret and Compere Conor Sheridan (Scrooge).
At Lesnes Abbey Ruins – 19th of July
3pm – 5pm
Tickets from £18

Mini Beasts
2026-08-10 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Minibeast Hunting
Sadly this event has now SOLD OUT
Come join us at Lesnes Abbey as we explore the vegetation and flowers around the park looking for minibeasts. Learn how to use a sweep net along with other equipment such as 2 way microscopes and discover the amazing insects, spiders and other smaller creatures that call Lesnes home.
Times: 10-11:15, 11:30-12:45, 1:00-2:15
Meet outside the lodge by the chestnut kiosk (booking is essential)

In the Wild Holiday Club
2026-08-24 - 2026-08-28 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
In the Wild Holiday Club
All places have now been taken.
Join us at Lesnes over the summer holidays for 5 days of outdoor fun. Each day will involve being out in nature doing different activities such as arts and crafts, games, den building, whittling, minibeast hunting, fossil digging and fire lighting to name a few. Campfire cooking or packed lunches will also be provided for each day. So, if you are adventurous and love making new friends and trying new things then this might be the club for you.
The Club runs daily from 24 – 28 August (9.30 – 2.30pm) If you want to book multiple days add the first day to the cart then hit the back back button etc. There will be up to 15 children per day, they will be with two members of staff who are DBS checked running the Club each day. When booking please remember to complete the H&S form.
This Club has been subsidised through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Family Bat Walk
2026-08-26 19:30 - 21:30 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
This event has now SOLD OUT
Join us in the park as it starts to get dark to learn about the nocturnal creatures that live here. For the first part of the walk, everyone will get the chance to use UV torches to find insects, plants and fungi that glow in the dark. Afterwards once the sun has set, we will switch to using bat detectors to find and listen to the bat species that hunt and fly about the park and woods.
Please note that we cannot guarantee the appearance of any animals on this walk and that this event maybe postponed due to bad weather.
Please remember to dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes and bring torches. For this event I am afraid no dogs.

A Midsummers Night's Dream
2026-08-28 00:00 - 2026-10-04 00:00 | The Clearing, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
End the summer with this special evening in the ancient woods amongst the trees and the bird songs, surrounded by the words of William Shakespeare performed by The Ruined Theatre Company. We will take you on an evening of love, magic and comedy!
This adapted version of Midsummer Night’s will be the first time Shakespeare has been performed in Abbey Wood marking a special occasion! And where better to stage it than the new beautiful Clearing Space, sitting amongst the ancient trees and the willow weaves of Lesnes Abbey Wood.
With a large cast of 15 actors this promises to be an evening of chaos, fun and beauty!
Please note the performance will begin at Lesnes Abbey’s Monks Gardens before heading into our magical woods to The Clearing.
This production runs for 75 mins and has been adapted by Katie Overstall.
Suitable for 10+ years
We welcome you to bring chairs and blankets to the space
DATES
28th AUGUST -4th SEPTEMBER 2026, Various times see bookings page.
