Sites

Gilberts Pit & Maryon Park

Location

London Borough of Greenwich
½ mile south of the River Thames, bounded by Woolwich Road, Maryon Road, Cleaverly Close, Thorntree Road and Pound Park Road
Map Ref: TQ 418 787

Special designation

Gilbert’s Pit is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Brief description

The pit is a mixture of woodland, gorse scrub and grassland. The site is fascinating for its geological and more recent history, for its ecology and for the fantastic views it gives.
On the other side of the high cliff and ridge lies Maryon Park, accessible from Maryon Road. This interesting park contains pleasant woodland, a refurbished children’s play area, hard tennis courts, and a newly landscaped area bordering the Woolwich Road.
The tennis court scene at the end of ‘Blow Up’, the 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, was filmed here.
Fantastic views
The contours of the pit and park are complex - Gilbert’s Pit and Maryon Park form two pits with flat grassy bottoms and steep sandy sides separated by a high ridge, the top of which is capped by a thin strip of grassland (not open to the public for safety reasons). From the top of the steps on the Gilbert’s Pit side (before you reach the locked gate) there are superb panoramic views of central and east London and the Thames.
Rich habitats for wildlife
The Pit’s slopes are cloaked with birch and oak woodland, with splashes of bright yellow gorse and broom on the topmost parts. On the lower parts of the slopes hawthorn provides dense spiny nesting places for birds as well as plentiful white flowers in spring and red berries in autumn.
Dramatic scenery in the historic pits
Gilbert’s Pit has a dramatic, high sand and gravel cliff. Erosion is a serious problem, so the cliff is fenced off but the strata are clearly visible. It has been given the status of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology - because it is the best and most complete exposure in the world of the series of rocks deposited here between 60 and 55 million years ago from the Lower Tertiary period. For more than 150 years, this has been a key site for the study of our geological past.

Crucial points from the site's history

150 years of digging
Maryon Park is on the site of former sand pits dug in the north end of the woodland known as Hanging Woods, named from the public hangings which took place there. Thorntree Road used to be called Hanging Wood Lane (see Maryon Wilson Park for an old picture of the lane).
Quarrying began in what was to become Maryon Park, early in the 18th century and continued until 1870, when Gilbert’s Pit was opened. The Thanet Beds (sand) are up to 18 metres thick in this area, and at different depths have different properties. The lowest 3 metres or so (called ‘blackfoot’ or ‘strong loam’) were used for brass casting, the next 4 metres (‘soft loam’) were used for iron moulding. The upper, white sand was used for glass making and other uses included spreading on parlour floors before carpets became widely available.
The Romans in Charlton
On the high ridge between Gilbert’s Pit and Maryon Park evidence was found of a Romano-British settlement. Pottery dates it to between 1 and 400AD. This ridge is all that is left of the hill top.
Lookout point over the river
The high area in Maryon Park is known as Cox’s Mount because it was rented to the Lord Mayor in 1838 by the owner, Mr Cox. The mayor erected a summerhouse on the summit and invited friends to visit and watch the ships on the Thames. In the 18th century it was used as a semaphore station and during World War Two it was used by the Home Guard as a look out point.
Maryon Park was given to the London County Council in the 1890s. The lodge was built in 1896.

Access points into the site

The Green Chain walk comes in across Thorntree Road. The path in from the south east corner is a dramatic way to enter Gilbert’s Pit. From the east, the GCW comes into Maryon Park from Maryon Road and from the north (from the Thames Flood Barrier) it comes across Woolwich Road and forks left to Maryon Park and right to Gilbert’s Pit.
Another entrance come in from Clevely Close, off Woolwich Road

Public transport to the site

Train: nearest stations Charlton or Woolwich Dockyard
Bus: 380 (Thorntree Road); 161, 177, 180, 472 (Woolwich Road)
But consult Transport for London’s Journey Planner

Facilities for people

Cafe: No
Toilets: In Maryon Park
Shelter: No
Children's play equipment: In Maryon Park
Other - e.g. pond dipping area? Info centre? good viewpoint?: In Maryon Park
Tennis courts
Basketball court
Good views of the Thames and beyond from the top of the steps up to the cliff above Gilbert’s Pit (especially when there are no leaves on the trees)

Key wildlife features present

Short grass: Yes
Long grass: Yes
Lowland heathland: No
Stream: No
Hedge: Yes
Clumps of trees: Yes
Wood: Yes

Name and details of person to contact if you want to visit or know more about the site

Address: Parks and Open Spaces, Greenwich Council, Shooters Hill Depot, Shooters Hill, London SE 18 4LX
For visits and information:
John Beckham, Ranger Service
Telephone: 020 8319 4523

For general outreach:
Jonathan Bangs, Parks Outreach Officer
Telephone: 020 8856 2232

For technical info:
Jeremy Shearmur, Parks Technical Officer
Telephone: 020 8856 2232

Other organisations involved at the site?

Friends of Maryon & Maryon Wilson Parks:
Mr T Dyson, Chair
Address: 121 Kinveachy Gardens, London, SE7 8EQ

Particular hazards?

Flights of steps need care.
The fences have been put up to prevent access to areas which are not safe, or which people could damage further. Children (and helpers!) should be reminded not to try to wriggle under/round them to get a better view.

Information already published (eg site leaflet, website etc).

Management Plans

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Activities

--- Building roads and saving ancient woodlands --- Chain stories --- Change for the better? Change for the worse? --- Changing views --- Collecting materials and creating mini environment/habitat --- Countdown collecting --- Designs from nature --- Detecting respect --- Grass inspectors --- How did the ladybird get her spots? --- Hunting for words --- Insect designers --- Journeys --- Living Wild --- Marvellous “maps” --- Maths with legs --- Minibeast riddles --- Move like a minibeast --- Multi-sensory experience --- Nature Reserve or Rubbish Dump? --- Nature’s dustmen --- Number trail --- Numbers in the trees --- On the trail of the past --- One rule for you and one for me --- Outrageous Excuses --- Plant variety hunt --- Poetry treasure hunt --- Reading a map and following a trail --- Reading the view --- Safety on the road --- Seeds seeds seeds --- Star orienteering --- Structured accounts --- Using All Our Senses --- What’s under our feet? --- Where can I make my home? --- Which trees make the best cafes? --- Why do they care? --- Winter mice --- Woodland habitat hunt

Please Note: The documents above require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them, you can download this free software here.

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