Evelyn is an electoral ward

Wards of the United Kingdom

A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...

 in the northern most part of the London Borough of Lewisham

London Borough of Lewisham

The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...

. It is located in the Deptford

Deptford

Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...

 area on the south bank of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

, and is the only Lewisham ward that borders the Thames.

It is named after John Evelyn

John Evelyn

John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...

 who settled in Deptford with his wife in 1652. Their house, Sayes Court

Sayes Court

Located in Deptford, in the London Borough of Lewisham and on the Thames Path, Sayes Court once attracted throngs to visit its celebrated garden created by the seventeenth century diarist John Evelyn...

, adjacent to the naval dockyard, was purchased by Evelyn from his father-in-law Sir Richard Browne

Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet, of Deptford

Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet of Deptford was English ambassador to the court of France at Paris from 1641 to 1660....

 in 1653 and Evelyn soon began to transform the gardens.

Evelyn Street is the main road passing through the area, it is part of the A200 road

A200 road

The A200 is an A road in London running from London Bridge to Greenwich. It runs south-east from the A3 road along Duke Street Hill, then Tooley Street and Jamaica Road, following the River Thames until the junction with Rotherhithe Tunnel when it turns south down Lower Road. It follows the Thames...

 and is in a southeast to northwest direction. Deptford railway station

Deptford railway station

Deptford is a suburban railway station in the UK capital city of London. It is located in Deptford, London Borough of Lewisham, on the North Kent Line, about three miles from London Bridge station...

is located in the southeast of the ward where Evelyn's entire southern border follows the railway line.