is a suburb of
London , divided between the
London Borough Of Lewisham and the
London Borough Of Greenwich . The borough boundary runs across the middle of the heath; Blackheath Village is on the south side of the heath, in Lewisham, while the Blackheath Standard area and
Westcombe Park lie on the north-east side, in Greenwich. The name derives from the dark colour of the soil, and not, as was popularly believed for many years, from the burial of victims of the
Black Death on the heath in the
14th Century .
Settled by Romans as a stopping point on
Watling Street , Blackheath was also a rallying point for
Wat Tyler 's
Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and for
Jack Cade 's
Kent ish rebellion in 1450. Wat Tyler is remembered by Wat Tyler Road on Blackheath Common. After pitching camp on Blackheath, Cornish rebels were defeated in the
Battle Of Deptford Bridge (sometimes called the Battle of Blackheath), just to the west, on
17 June 1497 . With Watling Street crossing the heath carrying stagecoaches en route to north Kent and the Channel ports, it was also a notorious haunt of
Highwaymen during the
17th Century . Many years later, Blackheath also had strong associations with the campaign for women's suffrage, the
Suffragette movement.
The sizeable prestigious private estate of Blackheath Park, created by
John Cator and known as the Cator Estate, is situated east of Blackheath village. Built in the late 1700s and early 1800s, it contains many fine examples of substantial Georgian and Victorian houses - most notably
Michael Searles ' The Paragon crescent - as well as some 1930s and 1960s additions. St Michael and All Angels Church, designed by local
Architect George Smith and completed in
1830 , was dubbed the ''Needle of Kent'' in honour of its tall, thin spire (it is also nicknamed the ''Devil's Pick''). The Cator Estate was built on part of the estate formerly owned by Sir
John Morden , whose
Morden College (
1695 ) is another notable building to the south-east of the Heath.
The main area of the village lies to the north side of
Blackheath Railway Station , between the south side of the heath and the railway line, and is home to numerous shops,
Restaurant s and
Pub s. All Saints' parish church is the only building on the heath itself. Just south of the railway station, on the edge of the Blackheath Park estate, is Blackheath Halls, a concert venue today owned and managed by
Trinity College Of Music (based in nearby
Greenwich ). Approximately one mile to the north-east, Blackheath Standard is a more modest shopping area, taking its name from the 'Royal Standard' pub.
The heath is host to a popular free annual
Fireworks display on the Saturday in November closest to
Guy Fawkes Night , jointly organised by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham.
There is also a long history of
Kite flying on the heath. Growing popularity of the
Sport in recent years has attracted many
Kite flyers and
Kiteboarding and
Kitebuggying is a common sight on the heath.
In 1608, according to tradition, Blackheath was the place where
Golf was introduced to England - the Royal Blackheath Golf Club (based in nearby
Eltham since
1923 ) was one of the first golf associations established (
1766 ) outside
Scotland . Blackheath also gave its name to the first
Hockey club, established during the mid
19th Century .
However, Blackheath is perhaps most famous as the home of the
Blackheath Rugby Club , founded in 1858, which was the first
Rugby club in the world without restricted membership. The Blackheath club also organised the world's first rugby international (between
England and
Scotland in
Edinburgh on
27 March 1871 ) and hosted the first international between England and
Wales ten years later - the players meeting and getting changed at the Princess of Wales public house.
With neighbouring
Greenwich Park , Blackheath is also well-known as the start point of the
London Marathon . This maintains a connection with
Athletics dating back to the establishment of the Blackheath Harriers (now Blackheath and Bromley Harriers) in 1869. The heath frequently hosts
Kite -flying competitions.
(in alphabetical order)
- Sophie Aldred , Actress and Television Presenter , was raised in Blackheath and attended Blackheath High School.
- John Julius Angerstein , whose art collection formed the basis of the National Gallery, London in 1824, built Woodlands, Mycenae Road, Westcombe Park .
- Caroline Of Brunswick , married to the Prince Regent , was banished in 1799 to a private residence ('The Pagoda' - attributed to Architect Sir William Chambers ) in Blackheath.
- James Callaghan , British Prime Minister 1976-1979, lived at Blackheath in the 1950s and 1960s, and his daughter Margaret went to Blackheath High School.
- Emily Davison the Suffragette who died for her cause was born in Blackheath.
- Montague John Druitt , for many years a popular suspect in the Jack The Ripper murders, lived in Blackheath, at 9 Eliot Place, during the 1880s.
- Peter Martin Duncan (1824-1891), Palaeontologist and doctor, practised in Blackheath during 1860s.
- Astronomer Royal Sir Frank Watson Dyson lived at 6 Vanbrugh Hill, SE3 between 1894 and 1906 ( Blue Plaque ).
- James Glaisher (1809-1903), who pioneered modern weather forecasting techniques, lived in Dartmouth Row.
- composer Charles Gounod lived at 15 Morden Road in 1870 (blue plaque).
- Malcolm Hardee , anarchic Comedian lived briefly at 33 Glenluce Road in the late 1990s.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), American author, lived at 4 Pond Road in 1856 (blue plaque).
- Jools Holland OBE , TV personality and musician lives in Westcombe Park.
- Albert Lee , guitarist, composer and singer.
- Elisabeth Lutyens , composer, lived in Pond Road.
- E. Nesbit , author and Fabian, moved to 16 Dartmouth Row in 1879 .
- Donald McGill (1875-1962), Postcard Cartoonist lived at 5 Bennett Park (blue plaque).
- Sir Gregory Page , landowner, had houses in Westcombe Park and Wricklemarsh, near Lee .
- Sir James Clark Ross , who in 1831 located the magnetic North Pole , and whom after the Ross Island and Ross Sea are named, lived on Eliot Place.
- Ignatius Sancho (18th Century Black writer, composer, businessman and freed slave)
- Walter Napleton Stone (1891-1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross , was born in Blackheath.
- Terry Waite , humanitarian and Hostage in Lebanon (1987-1991), lived in Blackheath.
- Sir Willard White , opera singer.
- Sir Alfred Yarrow , shipbuilder, lived at Woodlands, Mycenae Road, Westcombe Park from 1896.
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