Lesnes Abbey Woods

Lost Buildings and Ancients Lives of Lesnes Abbey Talk
2025-11-18 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/London) | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
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.

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop
2025-12-05 12:00 - 18:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Using natural materials weave and create a beautiful Christmas Wreath to hang on your front door or gift as an early Christmas present. You will be the envy of all your neighbours!
The Workshops will take 2 1/2 hours starting at either Noon or 3.30pm
Please bring gardening gloves (Christmas Hats are optional)

Lesnes Abbey Christmas Market
2025-12-06 11:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Join us at Lesnes Abbey A Christmas Celebration 2025 to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!
With a fabulous festive Marketplace across 2 gardens with gifts, produce, community stalls and more!! Live Entertainment all day with acts such as W*cked Green Witch and bubble witch sing a long, Rock Choir, Jolly Good Timers trumpet band and more!! Free Christmas make and do area Bauble decoratingWear your Best (or worst) Christmas Jumper for our new competition judged by the Mayor! Festive Street Food vendors,
Bars, cocktails and warming Boozy Baileys! Roasted Chestnuts Bouncy Castles and Games Plus the famous Lesnes Christmas Trail (pre-bookable) Indoor craft market
There will be a children’s Christmas Scavenger Trail at the market (pre bookable)

Lesnes Christmas Trail
2025-12-06 11:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Our festive trail returns this Christmas to Lesnes Abbey. Solve the trail and win a small prize. It is a great activity to do with the family and to get into the festive spirit. You can also combine this with visiting our Christmas Celebration Market.
There are multiple hour time slots to choose from. Booking in advance is advised.
On the day look out for the grey gazebo (with white Lesnes Abbey logo) in the Christmas Market area opposite Chestnuts Kiosk

Beetle Field Recorder Day
2026-03-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Join Connor Butler to help record the beetles of Lesnes Abbey Woods

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.

Lesnes Abbey Easter Festival 2026
2026-04-04 11:00 - 16:00 | 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 Workshop
2026-04-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
Paint your own spring flower pot and plant flower seeds to either, take home and enjoy or gift as a perfect Easter present. 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.
Advanced booking is essential. Workshop last for 1 1/2 hours either starting 10am or 1pm. Workshops will be held in the Lodge.

Easter Crafts Workshop
2026-04-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
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

Lesnes Archaeological Dig
2026-04-23 - 2026-04-26 | Lesnes Abbey Lodge, New Road, London, London, SE2 0AX, United Kingdom
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…
Are you ready to dig into history? Archaeologists are on mission to find out how much more there could be to Lesnes Abbey, in commemoration of the 500 year anniversary of its dissolution.

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)

Young Archaeologists Spoilheap Rummage
2026-04-23 00:00 - 2026-04-26 00:00 | London
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

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.
