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10
SOCIAL CONDITIONS
The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich comprises three
districts, viz., Greenwich, Charlton and Kidbrooke and St. Nicholas,
Deptford, all of which are now united into one civil parish.
There is evidence that Greenwich has been an inhabited place
for perhaps 2,000 years. Saxon burial mounds and barrows dating
from the 6th century are still to be seen in Greenwich Park and
coins and fragments of pottery deposited at Charlton House show
an almost continuous Roman settlement from 41 B.C. to 423 A.D.
In 1738, in a road book of the British Isles, this description was
given: "Greenwich on the Thames, 4 miles east of London Bridge,
a very delightful place." It can still lay claim to that title.
Greenwich lies mainly on a natural slope from the Thames to
Blackheath and it thereby affords extensive views of London and
the River and it is to this fact, coupled with its historic connection
with Royalty, that it owes its fascination.
The sub-soil of the greater portion of the Borough consists of
gravel and sand, the exception being in the Kidbrooke area which
is mainly clay.
The altitude varies from a few feet below high-water mark on
the Marshes up to 249 ft. above sea level on the Shooter's Hill
Road by the Borough boundary.
The Borough is well catered for in the way of parks and open
spaces, the largest being the famous Greenwich Park with its
historical surroundings covering an area of 185 acres. Blackheath
forms the southern boundary, 89 acres of which are within the
Borough.
There are also excellent recreation grounds serving the Charlton
area. In addition to the Maryon and Charlton Parks there is the
L.C.C. Play Centre and Lido with its well-equipped swimming
bath, tennis courts and bowling greens.
More recently, social centres catering for all shades of cultural
and educational tastes have been established at Charlton House,
Kidbrooke House and the Town Hall under the auspices of the
Greenwich Community Council in conjunction with the L.C.C.
In addition to the normal Health Services, Greenwich has
always been well furnished with schools and hospitals and it can
boast of modern baths and excellent library facilities.
Considerable alteration has taken place during the post-war
period by the erection of modern houses and blocks of flats and the