is a place in the
London Borough Of Greenwich in south-east
London . It lies east of
Blackheath and west of
Welling , south of
Woolwich and north of
Eltham .
It reputedly takes its name from the practice of
Archery there during the
Middle Ages , although the name is also commonly linked to its reputation as a haunt for
Highwaymen .
As the name also implies, the district is centred upon a hill - the highest point in south London (432ft) - offering good views over the River
Thames to the north, with central London clearly visible to the west.
Oxleas Woods remains a public open space close to the top of the hill; there is also a golf-course and one of the last remaining areas of farmland in inner London, Woodlands Farm (now an educational charity).
''Shooter's Hill Road'' stretches eastwards from the heath at Blackheath up and over the hill, initially as part of the
A2 Road and then the A207. The road follows the route of
Watling Street , a
Roman Road linking London with Roman settlements in north
Kent . This was used as a route for horse-drawn mail-coaches linking London with
Dover .
Charles Dickens mentions such carriages "lumbering" up Shooter's Hill in ''
A Tale Of Two Cities '', and refers to a
Public House there in ''Pickwick Papers''. The district is also mentioned in
Bram Stoker 's ''
Dracula '', in
H.G. Wells ' ''
The War Of The Worlds '' and by
Thomas Carlyle . On
11 April 1661 , diarist
Samuel Pepys mentions passing under "the man that hangs upon Shooter's Hill" (probably a
Highwayman hanged and left to rot as a warning to other criminals - at '
Gibbet Field', now part of the local golf-course).
In chapter three of the
Graphic Novel ''
V For Vendetta '' by
Alan Moore and
David Lloyd , the character Evey Hammond describes her childhood, spent on Shooter's Hill.
It must be noted that there are other Shooter's Hills that some of the above may refer to i.e. Bram Stoker's "Shooter's Hill side of Hampstead" would require exceptionally good eyesight.
The distinctive
Victorian Gothic Watertower at the top of Shooters hill is a
Landmark that can be seen from far around. Other local landmarks include
Severndroog Castle , a
Folly designed by
Architect Richard Jupp in
1784 and built to commemorate Commodore Sir
William James who, on
2 April 1755 , attacked and destroyed a
Pirate Fortress at
Suvarnadurg along the western coast of
India .
In
1749 , 'The Bull'
Public House opened just west of the summit of the hill, and was used as a refreshment stop by the
Royal Mail Coach es.
- Shooters Hill Post 16 Campus, Red Lion Lane.
English
Engineer Samuel Brown developed an
Internal Combustion Engine that used
Hydrogen as a fuel and tested it to propel a vehicle (arguably one of the earliest
Automobile s) up Shooter's Hill in
1824 .
