St Margaret's, Lee of the restoration, the church is one of the best preserved examples of a decorated gothic revivalist interior in London. Between 1813-1830 there had been an attempt to rebuild the medieval church, involving the architect Joseph Gwilt. This failed when it became clear that the foundations of the old church were incapable of supporting a new building. The ruins of the original building are in the medieval churchyard on the north side of Lee Terrace. The tomb of Edmond Halley (1656–1742), from 1720 England's second Astronomer Royal and the discoverer of the periodicity of Halley's Comet is in the churchyard,
Esquire of the Body Esquire of the Body An Esquire of the Body was a personal attendant and courtier to the Kings of England in the late-medieval and early-modern periods. The position also existed in some lesser courts, such as that of the Prince of Wales. "Esquires in Ordinary of the King's Body", often abbreviated to "Esquires of the Body", became a formal position and title in the English royal household. The "Liber Niger" (the management manual of the English Royal Household from the reign of Edward IV through to the reign of Henry VIII) states that the Esquire of the Body should be