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Abbey Wood is a district in south east London, in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is south of Thamesmead and 10.6 miles east of Charing Cross. The area took its name from Lesnes Abbey Woods, which is to the east, and once belonged to the monks of Lesnes Abbey. The history of the district dates back to the 12th century, when Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, founded the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes in 1178. The Abbott of Lesnes Abbey was a significant local landlord, and took a major part in draining the marshland. The draining and the price of preserving river embankments was among the reasons for the Abbey’s desperate financial issues. It never became a sizable community, and in 1525 Cardinal Wolsey closed it under a licence to close monasteries of fewer than 7 inmates. Abbey Wood railway station was opened in 1849, immediately towards the north of the area now called ‘The Village’, built where Knee Hill became Harrow Manorway. The Village had about 12 cottages and 2 pubs – the Abbey Arms plus the Harrow Inn. The Harrow Inn, which was demolished in 2009, hosted live bands and was the scene of nightly migration as guests would relocate to the Abbey Arms each night, as Kentish closing times were 10:30pm whereas the Abbey Arms closed at 11pm.