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Millpond Estate, West Lane, LONDON, SE16 4LZ

One of many converted warehouses in Bermondsey.

It did not last a century having opened in 1805 and closed in 1892. It stood practically next door to Gillam Court upon which the Millpond Estate, building to the left, now stands. Part of the site is now occupied by Angel Wharf - shown right.

Looking south-southeast.

King Edward III reigned from 1327 to 1377 and he built a residence at Rotherhithe, the remains of which are seen here. It was constructed on a low-lying island surrounded by marshland. The buildings were surrounded by a moat on three sides and was originally open to the Thames on the north side. This allowed the King to arrive by boat and at high tide to moor up against the steps that led from the river to a gatehouse located in a tower. A likely reason for the place's existence was to house the King's falcons as Edward was a keen and expert falconer and the falcons would have flown over the river and the surrounding marshes. By the end of the 16th century the Thames waterfront had been pushed northwards by land reclamation and the old King's residence was completely surrounded by a moat. The Crown eventually sold the residence and it passed into private hands. In the 17th century the site became used as a pottery and in the 18th and 19th centuries warehouses were built across the site. In the 1970s the warehouses were demolished and archaeological investigation in the 1980s established that remains of Edward III's palace survived and the remains were preserved and made accessible to the public as can be seen here from Bermondsey Wall East. The remains of the north wall are on the left facing what would have been the moat. The base of the former tower is to the right with planks across the old entrance. An impression of what the palace would have originally looked like can be seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5258851 and a full history is at http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Edward-IIIs-Manor-House-Rotherhithe/

An history of the site may be found at https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Edward-IIIs-Manor-House-Rotherhithe/.

The Millpond Estate is a council estate in the Bermondsey area of London. Constructed in the 1940s, it is built out brick and relatively low-rise at 4 storeys tall.

The pub existed from 1841, or slightly earlier, until 1880 just east of West Lane. It would have been approximately at the corner of the white sided building that is now in the low numbers of Bermondsey Wall East.

This is the information board for the remains of the King Edward III Manor House at Rotherhithe seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5258849