182 LONDON PARKS © GARDENS 
been made by the generous donor of the Park in the 
deed of gift to the London County Council in 1891. 
Quite outside these crowded districts, yet within the 
County of London, lie three more Parks maintained by 
the County Council. The one nearest the heart of 
London is Manor Park, or Manor House Gardens, be¬ 
tween the High Road, Lee, and Hither Green Station, 
opened in 1902. There are 8f acres here attached to the 
Lee Manor House, a substantial building in the Adams 
style, now used as the Public Library. The Gardens slope 
gently away from the house to a large pond—or lake as 
the Council would prefer to call it—and beyond to a 
rapid little stream, the Quaggy, a tributary of the 
Ravensbourne. Beyond the Quaggy’s steep banks, well 
protected by spiked railings, is a flat green devoted to 
games. The chief beauty of this little Park is four 
magnificent old elms and a few other good trees— 
beech, chestnut, Robinia speudo acacia , &c. In the 
spring of 1907 the pond was in process of cleaning, so 
no rooks had ventured to build within the Park, but 
just at the gates a large elm in a small garden had been 
favoured by these capricious birds, and their hoarse voices 
were making a deliciously countrified sound. 
The other London County Council Parks are in what is 
still nearly open country, although rows of villas are being 
rather rapidly reared in the district. Eltham is one of 
these. It is at present not enclosed with massive iron 
railings, but the wide, flat stretch of smooth turf, studded 
with patriarchal trees, is left untouched, except that a few 
spaces have been levelled for games. This Park of 41 
acres was bought in 1902, the Borough of Woolwich pay¬ 
ing half the cost of purchase-—^9600-—with the Council. 
Still further into the country is Avery Hill, with 
