More than 40 people turned out to witness the formal unveiling of the brand new wall at the Good Shepherd Church on March 22nd.
The new vicar, the Reverend Christopher Henriette, led the event, which followed morning service. After a blessing, James Murdoch, the Church Warden who led the fundraising effort, explained the lengthy process involved in getting the Wantage Road wall rebuilt.
The ribbon was cut by John Walsh whose building firm saved the day after the original contractor pulled out. He was able to provide the expertise to exactly copy the original Victorian wall, which can still be seen on the Handen Road side.
A plaque commemorating the occasion includes acknowledgment of all those who helped, including the architects and building surveyor.
The Lee Manor Society supported the crowdfunding effort which helped pay for the work. Charles Batchelor from the Society renewed an offer to plant a tree in the Church grounds.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes will know the short story “The Man with the Twisted Lip” first published in 1891. Less well known is the story’s brief reference to Lee, and the house knows as the Cedars.
Dr Watson recounts embarking on a trip across London and out into the countryside, with Holmes, to stay in the house.
“Now, Watson,” said Holmes, as a tall dog-cart dashed up through the gloom, throwing out two golden tunnels of yellow light from its side lanterns. “You’ll come with me, won’t you?” “If I can be of use.” “Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so. My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one.” “The Cedars?” “Yes; that is Mr. St. Clair’s house. I am staying there while I conduct the inquiry.” “Where is it, then?” “Near Lee, in Kent. We have a seven-mile drive before us.“
If Arthur Conan Doyle was referring to the actual house, the Cedars, the picture below shows it in all its glory. The Cedars was the grandest house in Lee at the time. It started life in the 17th century as Lee Grove but was enlarged several times before becoming The Cedars in 1856. It survives today as part of a gated housing development, mostly hidden from view by tall trees.
The Cedars – Lewisham ArchivesThe Cedars today seen through the trees
Watson’s Gothic description of the journey there gives us a fascinating glimpse of how remote Lee was from the city of London at the time.
While Sherlock Holmes had been detailing this singular series of events, we had been whirling through the outskirts of the great town until the last straggling houses had been left behind, and we rattled along with a country hedge upon either side of us. Just as he finished, however, we drove through two scattered villages, where a few lights still glimmered in the windows. “We are on the outskirts of Lee,” said my companion. “We have touched on three English counties in our short drive, starting in Middlesex, passing over an angle of Surrey, and ending in Kent. See that light among the trees? That is The Cedars, and beside that lamp sits a woman whose anxious ears have already, I have little doubt, caught the clink of our horse’s feet.”
In truth, Lee station had opened in 1866 (30 years before the story was published) so Lee would have become much more accessible to Londoners, though probably not in the middle of the night.
The Church of the Good Shepherd is inviting Lee Manor Society supporters to a ceremony to celebrate the new Church wall on the Wantage Road side, which has finally been rebuilt (and looks fantastic).
The Church Warden James Murdoch promises a short ceremony followed by refreshments. A plaque will be unveiled marking the occasion and crediting everyone involved with the rebuild.
The original Church
The picture above shows the first church built in 1881. The new wall is an exact replica of the original.
According to the website “Running Past” the Victorian Church was built after the parish of St Margaret was sub-divided into four following the massive population expansion of Lee as a result of the new railway.
The Good Shepherd Church was funded by Lord Northbrook (the aristocrat, not the pub!) and was a “Chapel of Ease” rather than a Parish church . It was designed by Ernest Newton who also designed Lochaber Hall and several other local buildings.
It was more less destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1941 and wasn’t rebuilt in its current form until 1957.
It includes London Square’s “Construction Logistics Plan” for Leegate,, which our planning expert Michael Haste notes omits any details of the phasing pf the building work.
There is also a new application by London Square to demolish a row of garages on the south side of the Leegate site, adjoining Carston Close. London Square acquired the garages after it bought the main site from Galliard. They intend to build a row of townhouses on the plot.
