Shooter's Hill

Shooter's Hill is a district in South East London, England. It is located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. The area lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich.

With a height of 132 metres (433 feet), Shooter's Hill is the highest point in the Borough of Greenwich and one of the highest points in London. The hill also gives its name to a major road that runs through it from east to west. This road is part of the A207 road, the A2 road, and Watling Street.

Geography

Shooter's Hill may have been named after people practicing archery there long ago during the Middle Ages. In the past, it was a place where travelers might face danger.

In 1515, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon visited Shooter's Hill for a special breakfast. They dressed up, and there was a fun show with people dressed as Robin Hood.

During the Second World War, Shooter's Hill helped protect London. There were special guns and defenses to stop any enemy from coming through Watling Street from Dover. There was also a place to keep prisoners nearby.

The hill is one of the highest points in London, standing at 132 metres (433 ft). From the top, you can see great views of the River Thames and parts of London. Nearby, there are parks and open spaces like Oxleas Wood and Eaglesfield Park.

Shooter's Hill Road goes up and over the hill. It follows an old Roman Road that linked London with places in Kent, and it was once used for important mail coaches traveling to Dover.

Literary associations

The name Shooter's Hill has appeared in many famous books. The writer Byron wrote about it in his story Don Juan when his character first arrives in London. In Charles Dickens's book A Tale of Two Cities, a character rides a coach up Shooter's Hill. Dickens also wrote about a local pub there in The Pickwick Papers. Famous authors like Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula, and H. G. Wells, who wrote The War of the Worlds, also mentioned Shooter's Hill in their stories.

Long ago, on April 11, 1661, a writer named Samuel Pepys wrote about seeing a scary sight. In the graphic novel V for Vendetta, a character talks about growing up on Shooter's Hill.

Landmarks

The grounds of Christ Church on Shooter’s Hill have important memories, including a war memorial and an old milestone.

A special water tower built in 1910 stands at the top of Shooter’s Hill and can be seen from far away. Other notable spots include Severndroog Castle, a unique building made to honor Commodore Sir William James, who fought against pirates in India.

There is also an old water tower further west, built in the 1890s. It was once used for a hospital that is now gone, and the tower has been turned into a home. Nearby is the Royal Herbert Pavilions, and further up the hill is Memorial Hospital, which is still open today.

An old public house called ‘The Bull’ opened in 1749 and was a stop for travelers. There is also an old milestone showing distances to places like Dartford and London Bridge.

Shrewsbury Barrow is an ancient burial mound from the Bronze Age, located at the corner of Brinklow Crescent and Plum Lane. It is one of the last remaining mounds from a group of six.

Road alterations

In the 1950s, the road on Shooter's Hill was changed to help cars climb better. The road was made less steep in the west, where cars sometimes had trouble getting to the top. Part of the road was removed and rebuilt to make the slope longer and gentler. You can still see this change today where the road goes through a cut, and the sidewalk is higher than the road by about 1–2 metres.

Schools

Shooter's Hill has several schools. These include Ark Greenwich Free School, Christ Church Primary School, Plumcroft Primary School, and the Shooter's Hill Post 16 Campus on Red Lion Lane.

Education

Main article: Royal Borough of Greenwich § Education

Notable former residents

• Writer Algernon Blackwood was born in Shooter's Hill in 1869.
• English engineer Samuel Brown built an internal combustion engine that used hydrogen as fuel. He tested it to move a vehicle up Shooter's Hill in 1826.
• TV cook Fanny Cradock and her husband Johnnie Cradock lived on Shooter's Hill Road.
• Landscape painter William Robert Earl died there in 1880.
• Architect Thomas Ford lived in Shooter’s Hill. He was a warden and captain of an air battery during the Second World War.
• Musician Jools Holland went to Shooters Hill Grammar School, a former state school on Red Lion Lane in Shooter's Hill.
• English actor-comedian-satirist Frankie Howerd also went to Shooter's Hill Grammar School.
• Comics writer Steve Moore lived all his life in the same house where he was born on Shooter's Hill.
• Engineer Perceval M. Parsons (1819–1892) went to a private school in Shooter's Hill. He later set up a private lab behind his house on Shooters Hill Road.
• English musician-songwriter-guitarist Steve Peregrin Took was a student at Shooter's Hill Grammar School on Red Lion Lane.
• British singer-songwriter Boy George lived on Shooters Hill Road.

Nearby places

Some places close to Shooter's Hill include Woolwich, Eltham, East Wickham, Plumstead, Welling, Blackheath, Kidbrooke, Westcombe Park, Falconwood, Mottingham, and Well Hall. These towns are all near Shooter's Hill in London.

Transport

Shooter's Hill has many bus services run by Transport for London. These buses go to places like Blackheath, Woolwich, Eltham, Greenwich, Bexleyheath, Thamesmead, Lewisham, and Crystal Palace. The nearest train stations are Welling and Falconwood railway stations.