monastic buildings were all demolished, except for the Abbott's Lodging. Henry Cooke acquired the site in 1541 and it eventually passed to Sir John Hippersley who salvaged building materials, before selling the property to Thomas Hawes of London in 1632. It was then bequeathed to Christ's Hospital in 1633. Some of the stone is said to have been used in the construction of Hall Place in nearby Bexley. The abbey was effectively lost and the area became farmland, with the abbot's house forming part of a farmhouse. In modern times it has been restored to show some of the walls and the entire outline of the abbey is visible giving a good idea of the size and atmosphere of the original place. It is located on the Green Chain Walk and surrounded by parkland and an ornamental garden. There is a café and a small exhibition of the abbey and toilet facilities for visitors. There is a large externally propped mulberry tree (Morus nigra) at the northern side of the abbey. The site was excavated by Woolwich & District Antiquarian Society in about 1909 to 1910. Some archaeological finds from the Abbey's site are displayed in Greenwich Heritage Centre, Artillery Square at Woolwich SE18 4DX, others are further east in the museum in Erith Library 100 High Street DA8 1SL. The Missale de Lesnes is in the library of the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, London. The former London County Council purchased the site of the ruins in 1930, which were opened to the public as a park in 1931. Since 1986, the site has been the property of the London Borough of Bexley. A branch of the Green Chain Walk passes the ruins on its way from Oxleas Wood to Thamesmead riverside. Burials at Lesnes Abbey Richard de Luci was buried at the abbey on 14 July 1179. Lesnes Abbey ward Lesnes Abbey gives its name to one of the London Borough of Bexley's 21 electoral wards. The ruins themselves are in the north of Lesnes Abbey ward. Woolwich Road, the A206 road, cuts through the middle of the ward spanning east to west; the A2041 road spans north to south marking the ward's western boundary. West Heath is located within the ward to the south of Woolwich road. Lesnes Abbey ward is long north to south at its longest point, and little under at its widest