Rayley Monument, Lee Old Churchyard

The Rayley Monument is a box tomb located in Lee Old Churchyard, erected around 1775 in memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Rayley, who died in the same year. This tapering stone tomb is designed in the Grecian style, featuring fluted angle pilasters and stylised lotus flower capitals. The top of the tomb is shaped like a shallow square pyramid. It remains in relatively good condition.

The churchyard itself is notable for its many monuments that reflect the area's 18th-century history as a retirement spot for city merchants and individuals connected to the Greenwich and Deptford shipyards. In the center of the churchyard are the remains of the tower from the former medieval Church of St Margaret, which is listed as Grade II. The current Church of St Margaret, located to the south side of Lee Terrace, is listed as Grade II*. The churchyard has later tombs that were primarily used between the 1840s and 1870s, with a decline in usage following the opening of Hither Green Cemetery in 1873.

The Rayley Monument is recognized for its architectural quality as a late 18th-century commemorative monument in the Greek Revival style.