Using Lewisham Libraries archive of maps, council records and catalogues of
estate agent Dyer, Son & Hilton it has been possible to put together details of most
of the properties built at Lewisham Park since the 1850's to the present day.
The original layout was completed in 1906 and apart from the War Memorial in
1921 remained the same until the second world war, after which a number of the
houses were replaced by social housing.
The development of Lewisham Park has been split into two
parts.
Lewisham Park was probably laid out for building in 1846. At the time the
Earl of Dartmouth wished to create a square comparable with the fine London
squares north of the Thames. Over the following 60 years more than 70 properties
were built, among them were some very grand villas.
Of the original 72 properties more than half still exist. Number 78 is the
last remaining villa and may have been one of the first buildings on Lewisham
Park. Numbers 15 - 30 are substantial Victorian semi-detached properties built
in the late 1880's. Properties 31 - 52 are large Edwardian houses built from
1903 to 1906.
The following page shows a layout of Lewisham Park in 1906
based on an Ordanance survey map of 1894. Moving your mouse over the map will
reveal the name of a property and clicking on a property will display its
details.
During the second world war a number of properties in Lewisham Park were damaged
by bombing. After the war the council required land for housing and began purchasing properties
in Lewisham Park and constructed Plummer Court in 1955.
The council continued to
purchase properties and in the mid sixties knocked down all 10 houses along the
west side of Lewisham Park to be replaced in the mid 60's by the 3 tower blocks
Malling, Kemsley and Bregedar.
By the 1980's the council owned all the
properties in Lewisham Park apart from numbers 31-52.
