Eltham Common

Eltham Common
Eltham Common, Shooters Hill, London
Type	common land
Location	Woolwich,London
Coordinates	51.4693°N 0.0573°E/51.4693; 0.0573
Area	13 hectares (32 acres)

Eltham Commonis a park and area ofcommon landin theRoyal Borough of Greenwichin south-east London. Forming an approximate triangle between Well Hall Road andShooter's Hill,it is part of a larger continuous area of woodland and parkland on the south side of Shooter's Hill: other parts are Jack Wood, Castle Wood, Oxleas Meadows, Falconwood Field,Oxleas Woodand Eltham Park North.

Together with the nearby woodlands in Shooter's Hill, it was once infamous for robbers andhighwaymen- they would charge 'protection money' for safe passage even though agibbetwas once sited on the Common's north-west corner as a deterrent.In February 1918 the Common was the site of the murder of Nellie Grace ('Peggy') Trew, a clerk atWoolwich Arsenalreturning from changing a book atPlumsteadLibrary - it became known as the "Badge and Button Murder" after an overcoat button and an imitationGordon HighlandersorLeicestershire Regimentcap or collar badge which were key pieces of prosecution evidence and remain in theCrime Museumat Scotland Yard.RAMC-veteran David Greenwood was found guilty and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to penal servitude for life on 31 May 1918, the eve of his execution - he was released in 1933.

TheOffice of Woods and Forestsbought the Common in 1812, assigning it to theWar Departmentbut allowing public access.Woolwich Borough Counciland theLondon County Councilboth applied to take over the Common during the early 20th century, but it was only as a result of thegreen beltlegislation of 1938 that the latter acquired almost 13 hectares of the Common from the War Department.