Avery Hill Winter Garden
Not far from us in Langton Way is a fascinating slice of local history, Avery Hill Winter Garden. It is the second largest glasshouse in the UK after Kew Gardens’ Temperate House. It adjoins Avery Hill, a centre of education and part of the university of Greenwich. Avery Hill was built for ‘Colonel’ John Thomas North and is a unique piece of Victorian heritage with loads of great photos and drawings showing how the house looked during its hey day. There is still a lot of work to do in restoring the gardens to their former glory so it will be interesting to see the developments over time and support is needed so spread the word.
Their website has details of opening times and details of events. It is well worth a visit. https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/wintergardenwww.averyhillwintergarden.org
Severndroog Castle
Another short journey from Langton Way brings you to Severndroog Castle on Shooters Hill, which has just reopened to the public after 25 years of neglect. It has been lovingly restored and has some spectacular views across the whole of South East London. Take some binoculars as you will be able to see Langton Way from the top. There are two rooms on the way up each with an interesting slice of castle history on view. At the bottom is a jolly nice tea room for post climb refreshments.
They are looking for volunteers for anyone who has a spare few hours and wants to meet new people. Their website has a lot of useful information plus its history. www.severndroogcastle.org.uk
