IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Castlewood Drive, LONDON, SE9 1ND

Looking over south east London from viewing platform on top of the castle; Castlewood is in the foreground. The tall blue building faces Well Hall Road.

The steps are the access to/from the woodland on Eltham Common at its western end. The road at the foot of the steps is Castlewood Drive, and beyond and below it, Heatherbank.

Severndroog Castle is near the top of Shooters Hill and at 432 feet above sea level there are wonderful views from the top where it is said seven counties can be seen on a clear day. This day was slightly misty and the furthest that could be seen was the Wembley Arch. The main London to Dover road went over Shooters Hill and was plagued by highwaymen. The name was first recorded in 1226 as 'the hill of the shooter or archer'. Severndroog Castle was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg (in English: Severndroog) on the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. James died in 1783 and the castle was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham.The first stone was laid on 2nd April 1784. Development of the area began in the 18th century and large houses were built for rich owners who wanted to live in the country but be near London. By the 20th century houses covered much of the farmland at the foot of Shooters Hill. Between 1922 and 1934 the London County Council bought large parts of the woodland as open space for the community. Severndroog Castle itself was derelict for many years but has now been fully restored, following a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and is open to the public - see http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/visitor-info.html and http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/learning-centre.html

Severndroog Castle is near the top of Shooters Hill and at 432 feet above sea level there are wonderful views from the top where it is said seven counties can be seen on a clear day. This day was slightly misty and the furthest that could be seen was the Wembley Arch. In this view Canary Wharf and its surrounding towers can be seen on the left while the City of London is further to the left still. The main London to Dover road went over Shooters Hill and was plagued by highwaymen. The name was first recorded in 1226 as 'the hill of the shooter or archer'. Severndroog Castle was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg (in English: Severndroog) on the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. James died in 1783 and the castle was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham.The first stone was laid on 2nd April 1784. Development of the area began in the 18th century and large houses were built for rich owners who wanted to live in the country but be near London. By the 20th century houses covered much of the farmland at the foot of Shooters Hill. Between 1922 and 1934 the London County Council bought large parts of the woodland as open space for the community. Severndroog Castle itself was derelict for many years but has now been fully restored, following a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and is open to the public - see http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/visitor-info.html and http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/learning-centre.html

The reservoir on the western slopes of Shooters Hill supplies Eltham with treated water. It is difficult to get a better photo than this due to the high security fence and the dense vegetation around it. It was rebuilt in 2008 to replace the old one of 1922 and now holds 14 megalitres.

Path through Castle Wood, Eltham.

Severndroog Castle is near the top of Shooters Hill and at 432 feet above sea level there are wonderful views from the top where it is said seven counties can be seen on a clear day. This day was slightly misty and the furthest that could be seen was the Wembley Arch. In this view Canary Wharf and its surrounding towers can be seen on the right. The main London to Dover road went over Shooters Hill and was plagued by highwaymen. The name was first recorded in 1226 as 'the hill of the shooter or archer'. Severndroog Castle was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg (in English: Severndroog) on the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. James died in 1783 and the castle was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham.The first stone was laid on 2nd April 1784. Development of the area began in the 18th century and large houses were built for rich owners who wanted to live in the country but be near London. By the 20th century houses covered much of the farmland at the foot of Shooters Hill. Between 1922 and 1934 the London County Council bought large parts of the woodland as open space for the community. Severndroog Castle itself was derelict for many years but has now been fully restored, following a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and is open to the public - see http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/visitor-info.html and http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/learning-centre.html

Severndroog Castle is near the top of Shooters Hill and at 432 feet above sea level there are wonderful views from the top where it is said seven counties can be seen on a clear day. This day was slightly misty and the furthest that could be seen was the Wembley Arch. In this view Canary Wharf and its surrounding towers can be seen on the left. The main London to Dover road went over Shooters Hill and was plagued by highwaymen. The name was first recorded in 1226 as 'the hill of the shooter or archer'. Severndroog Castle was built to commemorate Commodore Sir William James who, in April 1755, attacked and destroyed the island fortress of Suvarnadurg (in English: Severndroog) on the western coast of India, between Mumbai and Goa. James died in 1783 and the castle was built as a memorial to him by his widow, Lady James of Eltham.The first stone was laid on 2nd April 1784. Development of the area began in the 18th century and large houses were built for rich owners who wanted to live in the country but be near London. By the 20th century houses covered much of the farmland at the foot of Shooters Hill. Between 1922 and 1934 the London County Council bought large parts of the woodland as open space for the community. Severndroog Castle itself was derelict for many years but has now been fully restored, following a large Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and is open to the public - see http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/visitor-info.html and http://www.severndroogcastle.org.uk/learning-centre.html

The area named on the map as Eltham Common consists largely of a wooded hillside, rather than the level open space usually given the term 'common'.

A pattern of branches and shadows in woodland near Eltham.