*History*

The Tudor Barn (click here for details) is now a first class restaurant, day-time cafe and function venue for events with up to 200 people. The Barn cafe serves freshly-made coffee and a range of snacks; the restaurant operates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sundays, the restaurant is open Sunday lunch menu, the cafe is also open.

Community groups are being encouraged to use the space on weekdays.

The Tudor Barn was built by William Roper in about 1525. The Ropers occupied a manor house in the centre of the Moat which was subsquently demolished in 1733. William married Margaret More, daughter of Thomas More, Lord Chancellor to Henry V111. The Tudor Barn was probably occupied by servants at the west end, as there are two huge chimneys, but for the most part it was used for storage over the years.

Old maps show it being connected to Moat Island by a bridge. It was one of a number of outbuildings, most of which lay to the north and the Barn is the sole survivor. It was extensively refurbished in the 1930s, after the demolition of E Nesbit's home Well Hall House, which stood between the Moat and Well Hall Road. Woolwich Council decided to use the renovated Barn as the centrepiece of a new park, the Well Hall Pleasaunce. The park was opened in 1933 and the Tudor Barn as a restaurant in 1936. Although it was intended that a library should be situated there, this never happened and for many years after the War, the Barn was run by the council as a restaurant and upstairs an art gallery and function room for weddings and events.

Last Updated: 18th-Oct-2009 20:25 Print
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