About Lewisham East

Lewisham is one of the most exciting, vibrant and diverse parts of the country.

For political purposes, it is divided into three seats - the constituencies of Lewisham East, Lewisham Deptford and Lewisham West & Penge.

The constituency of Lewisham East stretches from Blackheath in the north to Grove Park in the south. It includes Blackheath, Lee Green, Downham, Whitefoot, Rushey Green, Grove Park and Catford.

Lewisham Council is Labour controlled and the Lewisham East constituency currently returns a Labour Member of Parliament. However the area has had Conservative MP's including Chistopher Chataway (Lewisham North 1959-1966) and the Hon Colin Moynihan (Lewisham East 1983 - 1992) and was held at the GLC Elections between 1977 - 1981.

There are two local Conservative Councillors, currently David Britton and Christine Allison who sit for the Grove Park Ward.

There are eight mainline railways serving the constituency, Beckenham Hill, Bellingham, Blackheath, Catford, Catford Bridge, Grove Park, Lewisham and Lee. All these staions provide fast links to the City, the West End and to Docklands via the DLR (Docklands Light Railway).

Lewisham has had many famous residents, including the musicians Kate Bush, Gabrielle, and Mica Paris, publisher Sir Stanley Unwin, Sportsmen Alfred 'Titch' Freeman (cricketer) and Ian Wight, broadcasters Danny Baker, Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, comedians Spike Milligan, Max Wall and a number of high profile polititcians including James Callaghan (Labour Prime Minister) and Glenda Jackson MP. Terry Waite (the Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy) who was held hostage for many years in the middle east also lives locally.

A number of local conservatives from Lewisham East have gone on to represent the party in Parliament, including Sajid Javid (MP for Bromsgrove), Philip Hammond (MP Runnymede and Weybridge and Transport Secretary), John Glen (MP for Salisbury), Charles Walker (MP for Broxbourne), Shailesh Vara (MP for North-West Cambridgeshire) and Philip Hollobone (MP for Kettering)