What's buried under Peckham Rye?

[macroban]

A little while ago Amelie wrote about possible plague pits under Peckham Rye.

So what is buried under Peckham Rye?

That's Peckham Rye proper, not Peckham Rye Park where the remains of Homestall Farm and the big mansions are well documented.

I can think of these:

The foundations of the bandstand.

The basin of the boating lake.

The public air raid shelter

The remains of the open air swimming pool.

Is there anything else?

The last time I walked down Forest Hill Road some of the remains of the swimming pool still protruded from the ground. It was quite interesting to try to work out what all the visible bits and the landscaped mounds once were. But it's a bit of a cheat when you remember the pool in its full glory.

[Marmora Man]

I read somewhere that there are claims for Peckham Rye to have been the site of Boudicca's (Queen of the Iceni tribe) final battle in AD 60 - which I had always understood to have been in NE London on the edge of Epping Forest - anyone have any views / knowledge of this?

[LostThePlot]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I read somewhere that there are claims for Peckham

> Rye to have been the site of Boudicca's (Queen of

> the Iceni tribe) final battle in AD 60 - which I

> had always understood to have been in NE London on

> the edge of Epping Forest - anyone have any views

> / knowledge of this?

A frie3nd who lives close to One Tree Hill said that was the location from which she watched the battle.

Question...did Epping's forest exists in AD60, not many trees look to be 1950 years old......?

And another thing, how old do trees get before they die.???

[mockney piers]

depends on the tree. There's a campaign at the moment to identify and protect our ancient and old trees, some of which are over 5000 years old!!!!! (but most are a couple of hundred)

[bagpuss78]

When i was in primary school we were told she drove a chariot across it.....maybe she was on the way to epping forest :))

[bagpuss78]

Found this on the Peckham Society web site

BURY BOUDICCA MYTH - Spring 2005

Noticeboards on Peckham Rye start the history of the common with "The first legend about Peckham Rye Common dates back to 60 AD when it is alleged that the Roman General Suetonius Paulinus defeated the British Queen Boadicea at Peckham Rye." There are enough myths of Peckham without Southwark Council perpetuating this myth. The noticeboards should be changed as soon as possible and include only accurate history of our common.

In Boudicca: The Warrior Queen M. J. Trow (Sutton Publishing, 2003) states: "We do not know where the battlefield was. Given the details of the earlier campaign when Boudicca?s army had destroyed Camulodunum (today?s Colchester), Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans), Roman expert Malcolm Todd surmises a site in Hertfordshire, not far north of the last place of attack. Folklore places it much nearer to London, perhaps close to the present King?s Cross station. Most experts today, however, favour Mancetter, along Watling Street, the Roman road in Warwickshire." The book makes no mention of Peckham Rye.

In the spring 2000 issue of our magazine (no. 79) we stated: "No one knows where the final confrontation between Boadicea and Suetonius took place. A site in what is now Leicestershire, near Mancetter, to the south-east of Atherstone and close to the line of Watling Street, has been suggested by Graham Webster, the leading authority on the revolt, who wrote Boudica (B.T. Batsford, 1993).?

[Brendan]

Sounds highly unlikely to me. Southwark Council would never have allowed it for one, 240 000 soldiers tramping through the flower beds? I think not. Anyway as a tactical matter you wouldn?t position your army somewhere where they were open to numerous attacks from un-disciplined staffies running about off their leads.

[Amelie]

I have heard the Boudicca legend too, it would mean that the Iceni and their allies would have crossed the Thames going south. This is possible but Londinium then did not extend much beyond what is now the City of London, although there were cemeteries in Southwark, you have to wonder if there would have been anything for the tribes to destroy. Perhaps it was the 'let's drive them into the sea' theory. There is nothing in the subsequent accounts, admittedly written much later, that suggests that the Thames was crossed by the tribes during the uprising. It is strange however that they burned Londinium to the ground and then appear not to have done much more afterward. Exhaustion perhaps or being surprised by the lack of opposition.

Britain was heavily forested right up to the Middle Ages, Epping Forest is a shadow of its former self, it is classified as Ancient Woodland and dates from about 8000BC and used to cover almost the whole of Essex.

[bagpuss78]

Not to mention the owners of the staffies listening to their hippity hop music on their mobile telephone contraptions! causing confusion with ones army!

[macroban]

I don't think the London Brough of Southwark issues battle licences.

[jim_the_chin]

they were obviously defeated as their chariots had been clamped by hordes of wardens patrolling on ponies.

[redrouge]

I read that Boadicca's battle was fought on Dawson Heights! Not sure where I read this, but it was online a few years ago...

[Keef]

Maybe there's a video of Suetonius happy slapping Boadicea on youtube....

[Louisa]

Peckham Rye park was orignally called Homestall Farm, and this name survives in a local road name. Below is a picture of the farm before it was sadly destroyed in 1908. This was the last farm in Southwark to survive the onslaught of the mighty London suburbs in the second half of the 19th century. What remain of the ruins (very little now sadly), are situated in a group of trees located near the "japanese gardens" close to the centre of the park.

http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/images/southwark/peckham/homestall-farm-00271-640.jpg

[bob]

Nice Pic Louisa I can remember playing on the two air raid shelters in the early 60's

Bob S

[TillieTrotter]

How gorgeous is that building! It would be worth a fortune now.

[Louisa]

The base of the chimney stack are still in place behind a group of trees, and you can actually work out the expanse of the building. Below is a painting of the building from a different angle. It's well worth a wander on a sunday afternoon. http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/images/southwark/peckham/peckham-rye-01683-750.jpg

[snorky]

Nazi gold I hear.

also, I beleive that there is a escape tunnel that the Prisioners of war dug from beneath the POW huts ( now huit ) beside the sports fields

[macroban]

I was told that the PoWs were reasonably happy there. [Well, better off than the then alternatives].

Another one for John Beasley?

[snorky]

I jest - The POWS loved it there - why bother escaping when you get 3 squares a day & a bed.