Description and location Eltham has a varied
topography. Map 6 shows contours, spot heights and water courses. The centre of Eltham is on a plateau at about the 60m level with the High Street running along its centre. There is a scarp slope to the west of the plateau from the top of which are unrestricted views across
South London.
Eltham Palace occupies a commanding position on the edge of the scarp. Eltham Hill offers the steepest descent from the plateau, starting at Eltham High Street and descending 30m over 1 km due west at the
Yorkshire Grey (now a
McDonald's outlet). The land to the north of Eltham rises to form the southern slope of
Shooter's Hill, one of the
highest points in London at a height of . The recently (2014) restored 18th century
belvedere Severndroog Castle offers wide views from its observation platform which is above sea level. From Eltham Church at the High Street rises gently to and continues east as Bexley Road at a slightly lower level. To the south the plateau slopes gently downwards to
Mottingham (at ) and
New Eltham (at ) Eltham is devoid of any major water features, although the
River Thames is approximately away from Eltham's northern limits. The most prominent body of water is the
River Quaggy which runs to the south-west of Eltham and joins the
River Ravensbourne at Lewisham. The Quaggy receives additional water from a tributary named Little Quaggy, flowing from the lake of
The Tarn in Mottingham, and feeds the wetlands in
Sutcliffe Park. The only other significant watercourse is the
River Shuttle, which rises in Avery Hill Park and flows east to join the
River Cray. Other nearby areas •
Blackfen •
Catford •
Charlton •
Chislehurst •
Downham •
Hither Green •
Greenwich •
Grove Park •
Lewisham •
Plumstead •
Sidcup •
Welling •
Woolwich Parks and open spaces There is a large variety of open green space in Eltham, in the form of parkland, fields and woodland. "
Green Chain Walks" are signposted footpaths that run through or link the green spaces. Some are also bridleways or cycle routes. •
Avery Hill Park is large, open parkland, to the east. It is most notable for its Winter Garden, a
hothouse containing tropical trees and plants from around the world. The parkland was acquired by the
London County Council in 1902. •
Oxleas Woods, Castle Wood and Jack Wood, directly north of Eltham, is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest. Oxleas Wood covers and is at least 8,000 years old. The wood is home to specimen of tree including oak, silver birch, hornbeam and coppice hazel.
Severndroog Castle, built in 1784 as a memorial to William James of the East India Company, stands in Castle Wood. •
Sutcliffe Park is a park at the westernmost point of Eltham. Previously known as Harrow Meadow, the parkland was reclaimed from the
River Quaggy in the 1930s. The Quaggy was diverted into
culverts, and the park officially opened in 1937 as Sutcliffe Park, named after the Borough's engineer. On 26 June 1954, the athletics track in Sutcliffe Park was opened, and has since been home to the Cambridge Harriers. In 2003, the park was re-landscaped as a wetland area. The River Quaggy was allowed to flow above-ground in the area, for the first time in 70 years. The park borders the
Ferrier Estate, which was completed in 1970 and demolished by 2012 to make way for "Kidbrooke Village". • The
Royal Blackheath Golf Club dates back to
Tudor times. The golf club, claimed to be founded in 1608 to the north in
Blackheath and to the south since its merger with Eltham Golf club in 1923, is reportedly the oldest golf club in the world. However, other sources set its founding date to be 1766, which would still make it the oldest golf club outside of Scotland. The club house Eltham Lodge is a grade I listed building. • Well Hall Pleasaunce – formal gardens, ponds and woodland, originally the site of a manor house, in
Well Hall • Eltham Park North and Eltham Park South are the final major green areas in Eltham. The southern park is adjacent to the Eltham Warren Golf Course. •
The Tarn, south of Eltham High Street, a public garden, and bird sanctuary, with a lake amongst woodland. •
Horn Park', southwest of Eltham High Street, a public park in Horn Park, with grassland, woodland, playground, football pitch and skate park. In the 1990s the defence of
Oxleas Wood to the north east of the town became a focus for a pan-European campaign to resist high capacity urban roads. Significantly the
European Court of Justice found the UK government at fault for not adequately assessing the environmental impact of the planned road, that would have joined
Beckton to Falconwood and perhaps – if objectors' fears are to be believed – been a first stage of a wider
orbital road through
Catford (a revival of a
Greater London Council-backed Ringway Two).
Green places in Eltham File:Eltham parks 1.jpg|King John's Walk (Green Chain Walk) File:Eltham parks 2.jpg|Butterfly Lane File:Eltham parks 3.jpg|Avery Hill Park (Green Chain Walk) and the Winter Gardens File:Eltham parks 4.jpg|Oxleas meadows (Green Chain Walk) File:Eltham parks 5.jpg|Well Hall Pleasaunce - Woodland Garden File:Eltham parks 6.jpg|Well Hall Pleasaunce - Tudor Barn The Royal Borough of Greenwich maintains an online directory of open spaces. Most parks have active Friends groups ==Demographics==