Rushgrove House Woolwich
What’s the difference between being hidden and forgotten? I first read about Mulgrave pond in English Heritage’s Survey of London Vol 48 Woolwich. A keen walker I pride myself on getting to know places in some detail but Mulgrave pond had not crossed my path. I knew there was a school in the area named Mulgrave but it hadn’t crossed my mind to think what it was named after. Was it a forgotten or hidden place? I went to find out.
According to the map it is somewhere in the vicinity of Artillery Place and Frances Street and close to another hidden or forgotten treasure Rushgrove House. I attempted to approach it from Frances Street but found that most of the roads were dead ends. Back to Artillery Place and I discovered Rushgrove Place. Surely Rushgrove House must be there. It was almost as well fortified as the military buildings on the other side of Artillery Place. It is a Grade 11 listed building and I noticed that there was a planning application pinned to a nearby lamp post. Soon to be turned into a couple of desirable apartments. It was difficult to get a good view as it was so well fenced off.
Summerhouse Rushgrove House
It was built in 1816 for John Cook who was the meat contractor who supplied the Royal Barracks. When it was first built it would have unrestricted views of the Thames. There is a private housing development at the back of Rushgrove House and I walked through this to get views of the summer house. I also stumbled across Mulgrave pond. You can see the pond from the car park but there is no access.
Mulgrove Pond
Mulgrave Pond was formed in the early 1750s as a reservoir to supply the naval dockyard in case of fire. The naval dockyard is about 500 metres down the hill on the banks of the Thames. In 1815 it was adapted to feed the Royal Arsenal’s steam engines and a pipe was laid under Wellington Street to do this. A brick wall was built in 1840s around the perimeter. It was named after Constantine John Phipps, Baron Mulgrave a leading figure in the Admiralty. Sometime in the 1980s the land was sold to a private owner.
Red Barrack Gates
This area is interesting as there are remnants of the military presence, such as the gates and gate house of the Red Barracks, in the midst of post war housing development. Rushgrove House and Mulgrave Pond may have not been forgotten in this mix but they are certainly well hidden.
thamesfacingeast 
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November 25, 2013 at 7:25 am
Secret Woolwich: Rushgrove House and Mulgrave Pond | 853
[…] Unless you live in the two tower blocks overlooking it, it’s unlikely you’ll even be aware of Woolwich’s historic Rushgrove House. And as for the tranquil Mulgrave Pond, most people only ever get a brief glimpse of it from the top of a double decker bus – and even then, you have to know where to look. […]
November 25, 2013 at 9:58 am
thamesfacing
Yes I agree it took me some time to find it. I think also that there are some really interesting heritage buildings in the local area that are just hidden in plain sight,e.g Clieffden House on Eltham High Street.
December 27, 2014 at 8:36 pm
sandra purcell
I lived close to mulgrave pond in the early 80’s-1979-1983. I can’t remember the name of the tower block that stood in the way of my view, but then it was called the Cardwell Estate. My son who played out with his friends back in the day, often went through a hole in the fence and played there..of course i did’nt know this at the time..he told me in his later years. As i do know at the time it was well fenced in, and was private property. Its nice to look back?