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Charlton
OS grid reference	TQ415785
London borough	Greenwich
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SE7
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Greenwich and Woolwich
London Assembly	Greenwich and Lewisham
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Coordinates: 51°29′16″N 0°02′20″E / 51.487674, 0.038992

Charlton is an area in south-east London, in the London Borough of Greenwich, located between Greenwich and Woolwich.

The core of the area is The Village, which is on a hillside overlooking the River Thames. Suburban sprawl has led to the name New Charlton being applied to a large area reaching down to the south bank of the river, roughly where the Thames Barrier crosses the river, although the barrier itself is located at Woolwich Reach.

Contents 1 History 2 Sport 3 Famous residents 4 Education 5 Transport 5.1 Nearest tube stations 5.2 Nearest railway stations 5.3 Road transport 6 Nearest places 7 References

According to Daniel Lysons' Environs of London, Charlton - previously also known as Cerleton, or Ceorleton - takes its name from the Saxon word ceorle, meaning a husbandman^[1] or farmer.

At one time, Charlton enjoyed a somewhat sordid reputation. In the 1720s, it was described by Daniel Defoe:

"Charleton, a village famous, or rather infamous for the yearly collected rabble of mad-people, at Horn-Fair; the rudeness of which I cannot but think, is such as ought to be suppressed, and indeed in a civiliz'd well govern'd nation, it may well be said to be unsufferable. The mob indeed at that time take all kinds of liberties, and the women are especially impudent for that day; as if it was a day that justify'd the giving themselves a loose to all manner of indecency and immodesty, without any reproach, or without suffering the censure which such behaviour would deserve at another time." (from A Tour through Great Britain)

Apart from the Barrier, the area's other most notable feature is Charlton House, a Jacobean mansion by architect John Thorpe, built for Sir Adam Newton between 1607 and 1612. Sir Adam was tutor to Prince Henry, son of King James I of England, and was also responsible for building nearby St Luke's Church — burial place of Spencer Perceval (1762-1812), the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated, and of murdered civil servant Edward Drummond. On the northern edge of the garden of Charlton House is a mulberry tree planted in 1608 by order of King James in an effort to cultivate silkworms.

Later, Charlton House became the home of the Maryon-Wilson family, after whom a nearby park, location for the film Blow-Up, is named. Since 1925, the house has been owned by the London Borough of Greenwich and has functioned as a library and community centre.

The flat land ajoining the Thames at New Charlton has been a significant industrial area since Victorian times. A notable establishment was the Siemens Brothers Telegraph Works opened in 1863, which manufactured two new transatlantic cables in the 1880s^[2], and contributed to PLUTO in World War 2.

In sport, Charlton is best known as the home of Charlton Athletic F.C.. The club plays at The Valley (a former chalk pit) situated to the north of the village, close to the main road and railway line between Greenwich and Woolwich. Further south, close to Blackheath Standard, is the Rectory Field, home of the venerable Blackheath Rugby Club.

• Children's author Bernard Ashley, after whom a street is named.
• Civil engineer William Henry Barlow (1812-1902) lived at Highcombe, 145 Charlton Road, SE7.
• TV presenter Dave Berry.
• Andy Fordham, World darts champion was born and raised in Charlton.
• Poet Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was born in 83 Maryon Road (demolished in 1960s).
• English Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) born at Maryon Road, Charlton, SE7.
• Italian-born novelist Italo Svevo (1861-1928) lived at 67 Charlton Church Lane, SE7.

For education in Charlton, London see the main London Borough of Greenwich article

• North Greenwich tube station

• Charlton railway station
• Blackheath railway station
• Westcombe Park railway station
• Woolwich Dockyard railway station

Charlton lies to the east of the southern approach to the Blackwall Tunnel crossing of the River Thames and close to the A2 road.

• Greenwich
• Woolwich
• Blackheath
• Kidbrooke
• Shooter's Hill
• Eltham

1. ^ 'Charlton', The Environs of London: volume 4: Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent (1796), pp. 324-42. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=45480. Date accessed: 03 October 2007.
2. ^ A Visit to the Works of Messrs. Siemens Bros,The Telegraphist, June 2 1884.

v • d • e London Borough of Greenwich
Districts	Abbey Wood · Blackheath · Charlton · Deptford · Eltham · Greenwich · Kidbrooke · Mottingham · New Eltham · Plumstead · Shooter's Hill · Thamesmead · Westcombe Park · Woolwich
Attractions	The O2 (formerly the Millennium Dome) · The Royal Artillery Museum · Cutty Sark · National Maritime Museum · Eltham Palace · Greenwich Hospital · Royal Observatory
Street markets	Greenwich Market
Constituencies	Erith and Thamesmead · Eltham · Greenwich and Woolwich
Parks and open spaces in Greenwich