Did you know that...
The 11th-century Domesday Book mentions Lee as a farm area surrounded by woodland. The 17th-century Lee Green Farm stood on the site of today’s Leegate shopping area. Rocque’s map from 1740 shows about a dozen houses around the village green. The first parachute accident ever occurred in 1837. Robert Cocking, a British watercolor artist, died during the crash. The body was found in a field in this South East London area. The Old Tiger’s Head pub is one of the local landmarks. The pub was built before the 18th century. It was demolished and rebuilt a couple of times. The pub hosted boxing matches.
The now-closed New Tiger’s Head pub was originally the Tiger Tavern beer shop. It dates from 1830. It was not built on the original site of the Old Tiger’s Head as it was thought. The new pub is near four 19th-century cottages that are known as the Prospect Terrace. Three of them still remain. In the 19th century, Lee Green Farm was demolished. It was rebuilt as a Tudor house close to its original location. FH Hart History of Lee mentions foot regiments and cavalry passing through this area on their way to the Battle of Waterloo. In 1840, the police stopped the horse and foot racing events that took place here.
In the 1860s, developer John Pound built housing in the southeast part of this area. More housing followed the opening of the Lee railway station in 1866. Carston Mews was developed on the site of Lee Green Farm. Prince Arthur pub on 422 High Road opened in 1870 and closed in 2005. Jude Law, an actor who received nominations for two Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards, was born in Lee. Musician Manfred Mann, poet Ernest Dowson, musician John Mayall, and cricketer Reggie Schwarz are other notable residents. This SE12 area is also known as Lee Green.
