Avery Hill

Avery Hill is an area of South East London mainly within Royal Borough of Greenwich, and with some parts in the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Eltham and north west of Sidcup. It is believed that the area is named after an aviary formerly located in the area.[1]

Avery Hill
Avery Hill Park hothouse
Avery Hill is located in Greater London
Avery Hill
Avery Hill
Location within Greater London
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLondon
Postcode districtSE9
Post townSIDCUP
Postcode districtDA15
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

Avery Hill House

Avery Hill House was a palatial dwelling built by John Thomas North who had made his fortune in the sodium nitrate trade in Chile.[1][2]

Following North's death the house was acquired by the London County Council in July 1902 and its grounds extended to create Avery Hill Park in 1903. In 1906 North's house became Avery Hill College of Education, later incorporating two neighbouring buildings.[3] Within a year of its foundation, the residential college had become the largest of LCC's training colleges and was frequently oversubscribed; in 79 years it trained over 15,000 teachers.[2] In 1985 the college merged with Thames Polytechnic, renamed the University of Greenwich in 1993;[3] the university also has extensive facilities at the nearby Southwood site.

The university planned to move out of the Mansion site in summer 2020. A Harris Academy boys secondary school is planned to open in 2022.[4]

Winter Garden
Avery Hill Park, with the conservatory to the north

The house is notable for an indoor winter garden, the second largest Victorian glasshouse in the UK after Kew Gardens' Temperate House. It forms part of one of the most extensive and expensive garden arrangements ever constructed as part of a private house in England. In the early 21st century, the Winter Garden had fallen into neglect. A campaign[5] aimed to restore the Winter Garden and protect the heritage of the Mansion, making it open to the public.

The University of Greenwich Student Union Building in Avery Hill

Avery Hill Park

Avery Hill Park is a public park. Since 2010, the park has hosted a Parkrun on Saturdays.

Transport

Rail

The closest National Rail stations to Avery Hill are Falconwood and New Eltham.

Buses

Avery Hill is served by the following TFL bus routes.

Nearby areas

Avery Hill borders Falconwood to the north and north east, Blackfen to the east, Sidcup to the south east, New Eltham to the south and south west and Eltham to the west and north west.

References
  1. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetter, p 15-16.
  2. Whitehead, Maurice. History of Education Quarterly 31, no. 1 (1991): 144-46. Accessed 6 July 2020. doi:10.2307/368811. See online summary and excerpt
  3. "Avery Hill, Greenwich". Hidden London. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  4. "Future Academies". Harris Academy. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. Save Avery Hill campaign
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