Monument To Christopher Boone, Lee Old Churchyard

This is a stone box tomb, dating to approximately 1748, located in Lee Old Churchyard. It commemorates Christopher Boone, who founded Boone's Almshouses and died in 1678, and his son Thomas, who died in 1748. The tomb is built on a plinth with a lower tier above, topped with a gadrooned urn and featuring angle scrolls. It is in relatively good repair. The churchyard contains a number of other notable monuments that reflect the area's Georgian past as a retirement location for merchants and those associated with Greenwich and Deptford shipyards. The site also includes the remains of the tower of the former medieval Church of St Margaret (listed Grade II), and the later Church of St Margaret (built 1839-41, listed Grade II*). Christopher Boone's almshouses on Lee High Road were demolished in 1877, although the chapel survives and is listed Grade I, and is situated in the grounds of the Merchant Taylor's almshouses. While Christopher Boone died in the 17th century, the tomb itself is more likely to date from the 18th century, when it was erected to commemorate both father and son. The tomb is considered to be of fine architectural quality and is of local interest due to its association with the Boone almshouses and chapel; it also holds strong group value within the historic churchyard setting.