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The Tarn is a site on Court Road between
Mottingham Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located southwest of Eltham, . It was historically wi ...
and
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
, in the
Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...
, southeast London, United Kingdom, consisting of a public
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
, a bird sanctuary
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
and a lake amongst woodland. The woodland and lake, which was historically known as ''Starbuck's Pond'', were previously the southern part of the ''Great Park'', one of three parks belonging to the estate of
Eltham Palace Eltham Palace is a large house at Eltham ( ) in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The house consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an Art Deco extension was added in the 193 ...
and used as a royal
deer hunting Deer hunting is hunting deer for meat and sport, and, formerly, for producing Buckskin (leather), buckskin hides, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food sourc ...
park for several centuries up until the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
. As a garden The Tarn opened in 1935, after the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was formed from the civil parishes of Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich (parish), Woolwich. ...
acquired the site from the adjacent ''Royal Blackheath Golf Course''. The Tarn remains largely unchanged since the 1930s and contains several shelters, benches, a
public toilets A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...
building and a circular path which crosses a wooden footbridge spanning the lake. There is also an 18th-century ice well in the garden, which is a
listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


Description

The Tarn, is a site between
Mottingham Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located southwest of Eltham, . It was historically wi ...
, and
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
in the
Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...
, containing a public
park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
, or
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
a
bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...
, and a lake, the vast majority of which is covered in
woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
. The whole site is in size, being water, and land; half the total area, or is open to the public as a park and garden, and the other half is not usually open to the public, and is designated as a bird sanctuary
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
. The whole site of The Tarn is around across east to west, and north to south.


Public Park

Half The Tarn's total area is a public
park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
or
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
in size, although only of the public space is land, the lake taking up the other . The part open to the public occupies the central area of the site, almost surrounding the lake, and the western part following Court Road. There are several crossing concrete paths north and south of the lake at the western end, and a single path along the western bank of the lake parallel to Court Road and connecting the two gated entrances, the road is higher than the park, so there is a slight embankment here, higher at the northern end where some of the path requires steps. A single path extends along most of the northern bank of the lake, and another opposite following the southern shore, a wooden and concrete footbridge spans the lake on the eastern side, where it is narrowest, and joins the two banks, and creating a circular walk around the park and lake. The Tarn contains, many wooden and iron benches, bins, and picnic benches; there is a
public toilet A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...
building with a
veranda A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
shelter in the northwest of the park, and a circular
gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...
structure in the southwest. The Tarn is wheelchair accessible, although there are steps near the northwest entrance, the southwest entrance and most of the park have wide paved paths with no steps. The park does not permit dogs, as they may disturb the wildlife. An 18th century brick ice well is located in the gardens, next to the steps near the northwest bank of the lake, encircled by a small metal fence. The ice well is a Grade II
listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
, and a section of the top has been cut out, but fenced over so people can safely see inside.


Lake

Since 1903, the lake itself has been referred to as ''The Tarn'', before this time it was called ''Starbuck's Pond'', although this name is no longer in use, there is a residential cul-de-sac road named ''Starbuck Close'' approximately northeast of the lake, on the other side of Royal Blackheath Golf Course. The lake is approximately long, east to west, and its width fluctuates between and , being wider at the western end. The lake is just over in area, mostly within the public park section, with the eastern end being within the bird sanctuary part, and the easternmost tip of the lake falling outside the grounds onto Royal Blackheath Golf Course. There are two small circular islands on the western side of the lake, and on the eastern side are a series of
weirs A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
, east of the footbridge. The eastern side of the lake, is fed by several inflows, several small straight drainage streams, coming from Royal Blackheath Golf Course to the east and northeast, and a larger natural stream coming from the south named, ''Little Quaggy''. The Lake drains into a natural stream on the west side keeping the name ''Little Quaggy'', which flows west from the lake, and joins the
River Quaggy The River Quaggy (often the Quaggy River or simply Quaggy) is a river, in length, passing through the south-east London boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham. In its lower reaches it is an urban river, in its upper reaches further from L ...
near
Horn Park Horn Park is an area of south east London south west of Eltham. It is located southeast of Charing Cross on the southwest edge of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and borders both the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Bromle ...
. Sometimes the lake has been covered in
algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
, but there has been efforts to reduce this, as it has caused harm to the birds. Few species of fish live in the lake, but there is a population of
stickleback The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more close ...
.


Bird sanctuary, nature reserve

While birds and other wildlife obviously live and visit the whole wooded area, half The Tarn site is not usually open to the public, and is designated specifically as a bird sanctuary
nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
in size. The bird sanctuary is a wooded area northeast of the park and lake and fenced off from the public area. Numerous bird species are seen in The Tarn Bird Sanctuary and lake including
Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
,
Feral pigeon Feral pigeons are birds derived from domesticated populations of the rock dove ''Columba livia'', descendants that have escaped and are living independently from (and often unwanted by) humans, having gone "feral". They are sometimes given the ...
,
Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), sometimes called Canadian goose, is a large species of goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North A ...
,
rose-ringed parakeet The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet, ringneck parrot (in aviculture) or the Kramer parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus ''Psittacula'', of the Family (biology), family Psittacidae. It ...
,
Eurasian blue tit The Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') is a small passerine bird in the tit (bird), tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognizable by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. Eurasian blue tits, usually resident bird, resident a ...
,
coal tit The coal tit (''Periparus ater''), is a small passerine bird in the tit (bird), tit family (biology), family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in forests throughout the temperate to subtropical Palearctic, including North ...
,
common blackbird The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird. It breeds in Europ ...
,
Eurasian collared dove The Eurasian collared dove (''Streptopelia decaocto''), often simply just collared dove, is a dove species native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. It has also been introduced to Japan, North and Central America, and the islands in the Cari ...
,
great tit The great tit (''Parus major'') is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and east across the Palearctic to the Amur River, south to parts of No ...
,
long-tailed tit The long-tailed tit (''Aegithalos caudatus''), also named long-tailed bushtit, is a common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic. The genus name ''Aegithalos'' was a term used by Aristotle for some European tits, including the long-tail ...
,
Eurasian magpie The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic r ...
,
tufted duck The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek , an unide ...
,
cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
,
carrion crow The carrion crow (''Corvus corone'') is a passerine bird of the family Corvidae, native to western Europe and the eastern Palearctic. Taxonomy and systematics The carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus ...
,
Jay Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities: they are small to medium-sized, usually ...
,
European robin The European robin (''Erithacus rubecula''), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird that belongs to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found across Europe, ea ...
,
house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the Old World sparrow, sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pa ...
,
starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...
,
dunnock The dunnock (''Prunella modularis'') is a small passerine, or perching bird, found throughout temperate Europe and into Asian Russia. Dunnocks have also been successfully introduced into New Zealand. It is the most widespread member of the acce ...
,. and
swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...
In connection with the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...
, people have used The Tarn site to help with the Big Garden Birdwatch. A butterfly garden has also been set up in the garden just north of the bridge. Other wildlife that appears in The Tarn includes, foxes, squirrels, frogs. and bats.


Location

The Tarn is located on the eastern side of Court Road in
Mottingham Mottingham is a district of south-east London, England, which straddles the border of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located southwest of Eltham, . It was historically wi ...
opposite
Mottingham railway station Mottingham railway station is a station situated on Court Road between Eltham and Mottingham, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London. It is down the line from the terminus of the Dartford loop line. The station is located in Tr ...
in the
Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...
, southeast London, United Kingdom; its postcode is SE9 5AQ. The park is around north of Mottingham centre, south of
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
and east of Middle Park. Opposite the park is a timber yard, and south of the park gates there is parade of shops on the west side of Court Road, including a convenient store, café, hairdressers, off-licence and dry cleaners, there is also a pub named ''The Royal'' and a Shell petrol station on the east side of the crossroads to the south.


Boundaries

The western boundary of The Tarn is an iron fence with two gates which join to Court Road, the road is higher than the park so there is a slight embankment here, larger at the northern end. The southern boundary is chain link fence separating the woodland from the railway line, just east of Mottingham railway station. The northern wooden fence of the bird sanctuary separates the area from the flats of a residential road named ''Tarnwood Park'' and the eastern edge of The Tarn is bordered by the grounds of ''Royal Blackheath Golf Course'' and ''Eltham Lodge''.


Transport

The Tarn is located on Court Road which runs north to south and is part of the
A208 road List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is ...
. Sidcup Road, a dual carriageway and part of the
A20 road A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient G ...
passes east to west around to the south of the nature reserve, joining Court Road at a traffic light controlled crossroads. Immediately west of The Tarn, on the opposite side of Court Road is
Mottingham railway station Mottingham railway station is a station situated on Court Road between Eltham and Mottingham, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London. It is down the line from the terminus of the Dartford loop line. The station is located in Tr ...
, which lies between Lee and New Eltham railway stations on the
Dartford Loop Line The Dartford Loop Line is one of three lines linking London with Dartford in Kent, England. It lies to the south of the other two: the North Kent Line (or Woolwich Line) and the Bexleyheath Line. Informally, the line is known as the Sidcup L ...
, and is southeast from
Charing Cross railway station Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a London station group, central London railway terminus between the Strand, London, Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South ...
. The Tarn is also part of
South East London Green Chain The South East London Green Chain, also known as the Green Chain Walk, is a linked system of Greenway (landscape), open spaces between the River Thames and Crystal Palace Park in London, England. In 1977 four London boroughs and the Greater Lon ...
, a series of footpaths connecting green areas in southeast London. There are
bus stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...
s immediately outside of the park's gates on both sides of Court Road, which are served by London Bus routes, 124, 126,
161 Year 161 ( CLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Aurelius (or, less frequently, year 914 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 161 for this ye ...
, and
624 __NOTOC__ Year 624 ( DCXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 624 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for ...
, which take passengers to
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
,
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
,
Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...
,
Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...
,
Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdivi ...
, and Grove Park among other areas.


History


Before the public garden

The area of The Tarn was previously the southern part of the ''Great Park'', one of three parks belonging to ''Eltham Manor'', later called ''
Eltham Palace Eltham Palace is a large house at Eltham ( ) in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The house consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an Art Deco extension was added in the 193 ...
''. Historically, Mottingham and Eltham Manor were part of the
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...
Parish, within the Hundred of Blackheath, in the
Lathe of Sutton at Hone The Lathe (county subdivision), Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone historically included a large part of Kent: the present-day boroughs of Dartford (borough), Dartford, London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich, London Borough ...
, west division of
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. The land to the south of Eltham High Street, part of the London to Kent road, belonged to the estate of Eltham Manor. There were three parks belonging to Eltham Manor named, '' Middle Park'', '' West Horne Park'' and ''Great Park''. ''Great Park'' was the easternmost of Eltham Manor's Parks, it was around long north to south following the road south of Eltham, about wide east to west, and was a wooded park with a lake at the southern end. During the reign of
William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
, the estate of Eltham Manor was recorded to belonging to
Odo of Bayeux Odo of Bayeux (died 1097) was a Norman nobleman who was a bishop of Bayeux in Normandy and was made Earl of Kent in England following the Norman Conquest. He was the maternal half-brother of duke, and later king, William the Conqueror, and w ...
. During the following centuries, the ownership of Eltham Manor including the area of woodland with a lake later known as The Tarn, fell in and out of Crown ownership several times. The land belonged to
John de Vesci John de Vesci,(d.1289) sometimes spelt Vescy, was a prominent 13th-century noble. He was the eldest son of William de Vesci and Agnes de Ferrers. He married firstly Agnes de Saluzzo and secondly Isabella de Beaumont. Life John was the son of ...
then William de Vesci in the 13th century followed by
Gilbert de Aton, 1st Baron Aton Sir Gilbert Aton (died after 10 April 1350), of West Ayton in Yorkshire, was an English landowner, soldier and administrator. Origins Born before 1289, he was the son and heir of William Aton (died before 1308), of West Ayton, and his wife Isab ...
and
Geoffrey le Scrope Sir Geoffrey le Scrope (1285 – 2 December 1340) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench for four periods between 1324 and 1338. Life He was the son of Sir William le Scrope, who was bailiff to the earl of Richmond in R ...
in the 14th century. In 1315
King Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
established the Great Park as a royal
deer hunting Deer hunting is hunting deer for meat and sport, and, formerly, for producing Buckskin (leather), buckskin hides, an activity which dates back tens of thousands of years. Venison, the name for deer meat, is a nutritious and natural food sourc ...
park, which it would remain for several centuries, including the leases of
Henry Guildford Sir Henry Guildford (1489–1532) was an English courtier of the reign of King Henry VIII, master of the horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were ...
,
Sir John Gates Sir John Gates Knight of the Bath, KB (1504–1553)Sil p. 69 was an English courtier, soldier and politician, holding influential Royal household, household positions in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. As one of the Chief Gentlemen of the ...
in the 16th century. In the mid 17th century the lake had come to be known as ''Starbuck's Pond'', at this time
Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset Edward Sackville, 4th Earl of Dorset Order of the Garter, KG (159117 July 1652) was an English courtier, soldier and politician. He sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1621 to 1622 and became Earl of Dorset in 1624. He ...
was in charge of the land until the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
when
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
was captured in 1648, and Rich the rebel with commonwealth soldiers and common people sacked Eltham Palace, destroyed the parks and killed the deer, ending their use as deer parks. After Charles I was
executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
in 1649, Great Park came into the possession of
Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (died c. 1422) was an English chronicler, and is the source of much of the knowledge of the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V and the latter reign of Edward III depicting the decline of the state of affairs of the E ...
followed by
Sir John Shaw, 1st Baronet Sir John Shaw, 1st Baronet ( – 1680) of Eltham Lodge, Kent was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1679. Shaw was the second son of London vintner Robert Shaw (d. 1678) and his wife Elizabeth Do ...
in 1663. in 1664 Shaw ordered the construction of ''Eltham Lodge'', a manor house within the ''Great Park'', just north of the park's centre. The Great Park stayed with the Shaw family until the 19th century, when most of its area was turned into a
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
, which would later be named ''Royal Blackheath Golf Course'', Eltham Lodge became the golf clubhouse. A brick ice well was constructed in the 1750s, on the northwest side of The Tarn lake, it was used by the staff of
Eltham Palace Eltham Palace is a large house at Eltham ( ) in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The house consists of the medieval great hall of a former royal residence, to which an Art Deco extension was added in the 193 ...
, which is around to the north-northwest. The ice well is still mostly intact, but with a section cut out of the top, but fenced over to allow people to safely see inside, it's in a fenced off area of the park, and was designated a
Grade II listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
on 8 June 1974. In February 2001, Greenwich Council was awarded £19,100 by the
National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
for restoration work on the ice well. In 1889 the
County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
was created, Eltham ceased being in Kent and was included in the new county, then in 1900 the County of London was divided into boroughs, Eltham became part of the newly created
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was formed from the civil parishes of Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich (parish), Woolwich. ...
. By 1903 the lake was referred to as ''The Tarn'', Walter Claude Johnson, a civil engineer and architect purchased the land around the lake in 1904 and built a large house on the grounds. Famous gunsmith, Edwin Churchill, purchased the land and house in 1907 and spent £500 improving the house and grounds. Around this time a
boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...
was constructed on the west side of the lake on the northern shore, it stood there until the 1940s when it was taken down.


As a public garden

In the early 20th century The Tarn was the southern part of the land owned by the ''Royal Blackheath Golf Course'' but in 1934 the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich acquired the woodland and lake from the golf course, excluding the house built by Johnson. The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich constructed a wooden bridge with stone foundations across the lake's narrowest part and landscaped the woodland, then opened the area as a
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
and
bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...
in 1935. Much of the park's layout and features are the same as they were in the 1930s. In 1965 The Tarn along with the rest of Eltham became part of the newly created
London Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...
, of
Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
. The wooden bridge across the lake was rebuilt in 1987, using the same stone foundations, and was opened by Mrs Ann Stroud on 24 April that year, with a plaque marking the occasion. In the 1980s and 1990s the Greenwich borough
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
covering the park was named ''Tarn'' the ward boundaries and names have been revised twice since then, and The Tarn is now within the ward named ''Eltham South''. The Tarn has won the
Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
several times between 2012 and 2021 Greenwich Council worked with
Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Limited, trading as Thames Water, is a British private utility company responsible for the water supply and waste water Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking w ...
and the
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...
in 2009, and again in 2014 when the wildlife in The Tarn had been effected by pollution, toxins, and algae in the lake, causing many of the birds to contract
Botulism Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum''. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, Fatigue (medical), feeling tired, and trouble speaking. ...
, many of which died, although others were saved by animal rescue volunteers. In 2009 a pump was installed in the lake to improve oxygen levels, as were a number of small booms, to catch pollution and litter in the water. In early 2020, Greenwich Council, in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, decided to leave many of its parks, including The Tarn, unlocked and open to the public 24 hours a day, but had to reverse this decision in June the same year, and lock them again at dusk because of concerns of vandalism and other antisocial behaviour. In 2023, a company named, Hikigaya 2 Ltd, applied to Greenwich Council to demolish a building named Bridge House at 11 Crossmead on the corner with Court Road, and build a 6 storey block of flats containing 32 homes, in addition to more plants and trees. Bridge House is a single, currently empty, building just to the south of the eastern side of The Tarn, on the other side of the railway line. The Planning Board of Greenwich Council, held a meeting on 23 July 2024, chaired by Councillor Garry Dillon, residents and the Friends of The Tarn objected to the plan. Concerns were about the safety of school children and disabled residents travelling past during construction. A resident of Crossmead, Dr Vince Smith, the Head of Digital Science at the
Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...
spoke of the environmental impact the construction would have, that a six storey building would have "An overbearing impact on this delicate biodiversity that exists in The Tarn." Adding that bats and birds of the Tarn would be affected the most by the construction. The architect, Jonathan Bailey, and the planning agent, Peter Turner stated the construction is necessary, to “deliver housing in this country on a national and local level” and this development would provide homes close to public transport. Adding the construction would “respect the local character and amenity of neighbours” and it would cause “minimum disruption” to residents and visitors of the Tarn. Councillor Pat Greenwell asked if either of them had visited the Tarn, to which they both said they hadn’t. She then asked “How are you in a position to say that there will be minimum disruption to residents if you’ve never been there? How do you know what impact a six-storey building is going to have on The Tarn?” The Planning Board decided to reject the proposal of constructing the new building.


Nearest places


References


External links


Media relating to The Tarn at Wikimedia CommonsMedia relating to the ice well at The Tarn at Wikimedia CommonsThe Tarn at www.royalgreenwich.gov.ukThe Tarn at www.visitgreenwich.org.ukThe Tarn at Quaggy Waterways Action GroupThe Tarn at www.inspirock.comThe Tarn at thetarn.orgBuses from Mottingham Station at tfl.gov.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarn, The Nature reserves in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Parks and open spaces in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Forests and woodlands of London Lakes of London Eltham Thames drainage basin 1935 establishments in England