An informative History of Lesnes Abbey in a series of posters suitable for all ages.

Follow the fascinating history of Lesnes Abbey from its foundation in 1178 by Richard de Luci to its dissolution by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 and its transformation into an urban park in 1930. 

Penny Duggan from the Bexley Heritage Centre will be there to answer questions about local history in Bexley and explain how the heritage centre can help you discover the past. 

A new book detailing the history of the Lesnes Abbey is being released at the event.

See art works reflecting on the history of Lesnes Abbey and life in medieval times and other woodland related crafts.

The Lesnes Abbey art club have been reflecting on themes that relate to Lesnes Abbey both while it was open and after it closed.

The wood of the trees in the abbey woods can be turned into beautiful objeccts and some are on display here.

How fast can you pick litter?

Join our challenge. Will you top the leader board? 

Use a litter picker to collect a predetermined collection of rubbish as fast as possible demonstrating your speed and agility.

If you're really good, you could accept the ultimate challenge and join our Litter Pickers on a regular basis!

A selection of traditional wooden games to play:

Maze Wall; Quoits; Corn Board.

Journey back in time to the middle ages and get a taste of medieval life when Lesnes Abbey was in its prime. Visit our Grange, a farming outpost of the abbey, and see...

• Working Medieval Blacksmith

  • Red Platten is a blacksmith specialising in making small artefacts and historical replicas from iron and steel. He is particularly fond of making historically accurate arrowheads from the 12th to 16th century. 

• Food and Herb Vendor

  • Anne Marie will show you what was on the menu for medieval people

• Green Wood Crafting 

  • Join Creative Nature HQ for some traditional woodland crafting

• Story Teller

  • With no telly, radio or music players, no medieval fete was complete without a story teller. Find out about life 500 years ago.

• Traditional Wool Spinning

• Jester (passing through)

• Travelling Medieval Musicians (passing through)

Exhibitors dedicated to protecting our natural spaces and wildlife

• Froglife

  • Find out how important ponds are in supporting wildlife and the blue chain project. Get tips on creating your own garden pond.

• Butterfly Conservation

  • We all over butterflies, but they are under threat. Find out all about the types you can find in English woods and how you can help protect them.

• Bumblebee Conservation

  • Honey bees are what we usually think of when we see a bee, but there are lots of species of which the bumblebee is probably everyone's favourite. Find out about them and how you can help protect them.

• Friends of the Earth (Bexley)

  • Wildlife and natural environments are suffering and easy to ignore. Friends of the Earth make sure that the challenges nature faces are taken seriously.

• London Geodiversity Partnership

  • Lesnes Abbey Woods are a Site of Special Scientific Interest for their fossils and geology. Find out what makes them special. You can also join our fossil expert up at the Fossil Pit and try and find some Shark's Teeth... it's surprisingly easy!

• Crossness Nature Reserve

  • Bordering the Thames, Crossness Nature Reserve supports a wide range of wildlife especially birds. It is currently at risk from development.

• Thames21 & London Wildlife Trust

  • Improving the River Thames along with its banks and meadows is encouraging wildlife to return and providing relaxing open spaces. Find out what Thames21 do to help this happen.

• Capel Manor College​

  • As London's only specialist environmental college, Capel Manor works closely with sites like Lesnes Abbey providing courses and training in land management and environmental studies.

Family games, relaxation and wood related activities in a calming woodland setting.

The popular and well known Lesnes Abbey Farmers market with food, drink and craft vendors from the local area.