The 'first time' or occasional visitor to BPP may not appreciate its
true extent. The map (see map link or How to get there multimap link) shows the park and immediate surrounds. The railway
bisects the park and the only routes joining both parts are the railway bridge
north of the Ash Plantation or by leaving and re-entering the park at the
Southend Lodge and Crab Hill areas. Hence the railway effectively divides
the park into West and East. Beckenham Place Park is the surviving nucleus
of what was once a large estate created by the Cator family.
The history of the park and its environs is extensive and is covered
briefly in Friends publications. The Visitor Centre has extensive information about the past, present and future of the park.
The park's life as a public recreation area began around 1927/29 when
the park was purchased by the London County Council and some contribution from London Borough of
Lewisham to satisfy a need for public open space in the area as the large
housing estates of Bellingham and Downham were being developed.
The historic and 'listed' buildings in the park include The Mansion,
The Stables and Homesteads (and Garden Cottage), and Southend Lodge
(gatehouse). The Foxgrove Club is within the bounds of the park and is
leased to a private social club. This building used to be a golf club
house before golf facilities were moved to the Mansion House.
In the west are the historic buildings, public golf course, major
woodland areas, picnic and recreational grassland areas. In the east are
the sports changing rooms and pitches (currently mostly unused), a car park, children's play area,
Generations Club, river corridor (Ravensbourne) and riverside walk. The
sports fields on the Common are being reinstated for amateur football
leagues at weekends, but the fields provide a recreational area for
walking and games. The park covers 214 acres, 94 of which accommodate the
golf course. The park includes grassland, ancient woodland and water
habitats, which support a wide range of wildlife. The Western part of the
park can be entered by car or on foot at the northern end of the Drive,
and by foot at the southern end, Beckenham Hill Road (three entrances) and
also at Westgate Road in the south where some parking is available. Paths
around the buildings and formal gardens are easy to follow, as are paths
in Stumps Hill Wood. The main paths in Summerhouse Wood can look 'similar'
and guide maps available from the visitor centre may be of most use there. There are a number of 'desire
lines' or paths, which have been created by people venturing into woodland
and these, are not mapped.
Woodland management attempts to blocked off some of
these to improve wildlife habitats or conserve flora. Unfortunately the 'desire' to
venture of main paths may seem adventurous but is damaging to bluebells and other plants as well as wildlife habitat generally. The
Eastern half of the park can be entered from Old Bromley Road by foot or
car parking area, from Ravensbourne Avenue/Crab Hill in the south or from
Beckenham Hill railway bridge. Also accessed from the western part by the
railway bridge within the park. This part of the park contains one of the
most natural stretches of the River Ravensbourne. The river rises from a
spring at Keston Ponds (Ceasar's Well) and other springs in the Orpington area and enters Lewisham at this part of BPP. Small
areas of woodland bound the river and railway. Kingfishers are regular
residents of the Ravensbourne and have been seen here and as far as
Ladywell Park. They feed on the sticklebacks in the river and are more
likely to be seen when there are few visitors in the park. The park has
been cited as being 'the only piece of natural countryside in Lewisham'.
The Friends have a selection of leaflets on the nature, hydrology and
geology of the park availabe at the visitor centre and they may appear here on the website in the near future. Lewisham's Unitary Development
Plan recognises the importance of the river course and promotes the
concept of a river corridor and walk. Once the river leaves BPP it goes
under ground or is channelled in concrete until it re-emerges joining the river Pool at Catford Bridge and Ladywell Park.
Buildings
The Mansion was built for John Cator circa 1770, parts of the house and
the Doric columns of the portico, were taken from a house he purchased and
demolished at Blackheath (Gregory Page Turner's Wricklemarsh). The family eventually sold their
lands in Beckenham, much of it for housing development, as they had done with
Wricklemarsh at Blackheath. The Stable Block (Homesteads) is thought be
contemporary with the Mansion, the clock is said to have come from 'Clock
House' Beckenham. It was made or installed in the 1730's having been
overhauled in the late 18th century, perhaps on installation into the
stable block, and again circa 1930, possibly this time at the take-over of
the park by the London County Council. The clock is said to have only been
in BPP for 100 years, so there is a bit of a mystery as to its movements (no pun intended).
The stable block has many original features but much the accommodation has
been remodeled and upgraded, again perhaps on the LCC take over. There are
three lodges to BPP, only one remaining in possession of the Local
Authority (London Borough of Lewisham. The two others at Foxgrove Road and
Westgate Road are now outside the bounds the public park. Garden Cottage
stands in the formal flower garden and was probably the 'Estate Managers'
residence. A mound with mature trees by the Drive near Garden Cottage is
thought to be the remains of an Ice Well. Land around the Mansion was laid
out as landscaped "Park Land" with rolling grassland interspersed with
single or groups of specimen trees as this was fashionably in the
eighteenth century. There was until the introduction of the golf course, a
two-acre lake in the valley at the back and to the left of the Mansion.
