Plumstead Common is a

common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

and

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Pe ...

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic county of Kent and the detail of much of its early history can ...

in the

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London boroughs, London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metr ...

( SE18), south-east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It is part of the South East London Green Chain.

Location and geology

Plumstead Common is bound to the north by Old Mill Road and to the south by Plumstead Common Road. To the east lies Winn or

Winn's Common Winn's Common is a public open space in Plumstead in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. History Winn's Common is said to have been settled by ancient Britons. Several Bronze Age burial mounds were found in the area, as well as Roman relic ...

. The common contains deposits of puddingstone, a conglomerate rock formed during a period of global warming 60 million years ago. The rock is more usually found north of the River Thames in Hertfordshire, see

Hertfordshire puddingstone Hertfordshire puddingstone is a conglomerate sedimentary rock composed of rounded flint pebbles cemented together by a younger matrix of silica quartz. The distinctive rock is largely confined to the English counties of Buckinghamshire and Her ...

History

Plumstead Common was first mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086 ("''Plumstede''"). The name refers to a place where plums grow. In the 19th century more and more common land was sold off to build houses for the growing workforce at

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proofing, and explosives research for the Br ...

. The arrival of the railways sped up this process. The people of Plumstead protested that they had the right to graze their livestock on the land of Plumstead Common and to use it for sports and recreation. In June 1876 these protests attracted the Irish activist John De Morgan who on 1 July led protestors up from Woolwich Arsenal to

Edwin Hughes Edwin Hughes may refer to: * Edwin Hughes (footballer) (1885-1949), Welsh footballer * Edwin Hughes (musician) (1884–1965), American pianist, teacher, music editor, and composer * Edwin Hughes (politician) (1832–1904), English solicitor and Co ...

(leader of the conservative party) house tearing down illegally erected fences on their way. John De Morgan was arrested and sent to prison for seventeen days. The riots resulted in the 1878 Plumstead Common Act ensuring that one hundred acres of land remained as public open space forever. Royal Arsenal F.C.'s first home was playing on the common. Edwin Cross was the last known commoner to exercise the right of letting small cattle (goats) graze on Plumstead Common and neighbouring Woolwich Common in the 1970s.

Heritage buildings and cultural events

Substantial remains of the Old Mill still stand and have been incorporated into the public house of the same name. Nearby is Plumstead Manor School. On the southwest corner of the common stands the former Prince of Wales pub. Plumstead Common is the venue for the Plumstead Make Merry event, which is the longest-running community festival in the

and is run on an voluntary basis by a group of people who are passionate about the local area. Plumstead Common is also the venue for the popular Asian Mela, which has been described as the "Asian Notting Hill Carnival".

Photo gallery

File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common 19.jpg, Plumstead Common Road File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common Rd.jpg, Plumstead Common Road File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common, St Margareth's Grove.jpg, St Margarets Grove File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common, Warwick Terrace.jpg, Bus stand Warwick Terrace File:London, Plumstead Common 03.jpg, Western part of the common File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common 21.jpg, Eastern part of the common File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common 01.jpg, Green Chain Walk File:London-Plumstead, Plumstead Common, war memorial.jpg, World War I memorial

References

External links