Coordinates: 51°27′41″N 0°00′19″W / 51.461456°N 0.00537°W / 51.461456; -0.00537

Lewisham /lˈʊɪʃəm/ is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated 6.2 miles (10.0 km) south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.

It is most likely to have been founded by a pagan Jute, Leof, who settled (by burning his boat) near St Mary's Church (Ladywell) where the ground was drier, in the 6th century. As to the etymology of the name, Daniel Lysons (1796) wrote:

"In the most ancient Saxon records this place is called Levesham, that is, the house among the meadows; leswe, læs, læse, or læsew, in the Saxon, signifies a meadow, and ham, a dwelling. It is now written, as well in parochial and other records as in common usage, Lewisham." "Leofshema" was an important settlement at the confluence of the rivers Quaggy (from Farnborough) and Ravensbourne (Caesar's Well, Keston), so the village expanded north into the wetter area as drainage techniques improved. In the mid-seventeenth century, then-vicar of Lewisham, Abraham Colfe, built a grammar school, primary school and six almshouses for the inhabitants. On 5 September 1711 William Legge, the Earl of Dartmouth became the (hereditary) Viscount Lewisham The village of Lewisham was originally centred further south around the parish church of St Mary, towards the present site of University Hospital Lewisham. The centre migrated north with the coming of the North Kent railway line to Dartford in 1849, encouraging commuter housing. Lewisham was administratively part of Kent until 1889, and formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham in the County of London until 1965.

The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened in 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London. It reaches north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.

This was the first automated regular train service in London. The system is not unmanned, being staffed by Serco employees on behalf of TfL. Strikes by drivers leave operation of the DLR uninterrupted. This has led to proposals to fully automate the tube, which also would increase service capacity.

The DLR is operated under a concession awarded by Transport for London to Serco Docklands Ltd, part of the Serco Group. The system is owned by DLR Limited, part of the London Rail division of Transport for London (TfL). In 2006 the DLR carried over 60 million passengers. It has been extended several times and further extensions are being planned. DLR trains are not compatible with any other rail system.