London Districts: Blackheath
Blackheath stretches across the very top of south east London.
It is governed and shared between both the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham.
It’s a very large conservation area of green open space with a village in its centre. It’s located east of the town of Lewisham, and south of the town of Greenwich and is 7 miles from Charing Cross.
Many people believe Blackheath was used as a mass burial ground for the victims of the 14th century pandemic ‘Black Death’ which wiped out about half the european population. However, the word ‘Blackheath’ just means the colour of the soil on the heath which was dark which seems more plausible.
For the last 34 years, Blackheath accommodates thousands of runners as the start of the London Marathon. It holds either a funfair or circus across most bank holiday periods and it also hosts a fireworks display for Guy Fawkes every year.
The area has a train station serving Charing Cross directly and several buses passing through the area.
As you can see, there are quite a few things to do in Blackheath and hopefully this episode of the London Districts tour guide video series by Dewyne Lindsay will help if you’re thinking about living in Blackheath or planning a day out with the family or just a nice walk around.