Site details:
| Beckenham Place Park |
Lewisham |
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Beckenham Manor has mediaeval origins; the estate passed through various owners, some with royal connections, Henry VIII apparently a visitor. For a time divided, by the C17th the whole estate was owned by Walter St John in whose family it remained until 1773 when John Cator of Bromley bought the manorial rights. Cator (d.1806) built the present house, Beckenham Place Mansion, near which is the Stable Block, and behind it the walled garden with cottage. Other buildings include homesteads and Southend Lodge. Among Cator's friends were the Swedish botanist Linnaeus and he was son-in-law of Peter Collinson, who approved his planting and may have influenced his introduction of exotic trees and the lake (now dry). There are reputedly 60 species of tree on the estate and areas of ancient woodland. Although it remained in the Cator family until purchased by the LCC in 1927, the Mansion was tenanted by a boys school in the late C19th and then a Sanatorium. The golf course opened in 1929, the Mansion becoming the clubhouse; much of the land had been used for farming and was lost when the golf course was laid out. The park retains much of the form of a landscape park in terms of plantations, but parkland standards are reduced and blurred by golf course planting. |
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| Previous / Other name: |
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| Site location: |
Beckenham Hill Road/Old Bromley Road/Foxgrove Road/Westgate Road/Crab Hill, Beckenham |
| Postcode: |
SE6/BR1/BR3 |
| Type of site: |
Public Park |
| Date(s): |
Late C18th, 1929 |
| Designer(s): |
? Peter Collinson advisor to John Cator |
| Listed structures: |
LBII*: Beckenham Place Mansion, LBII: Stable block, homesteads |
| Borough: |
Lewisham |
| Site ownership: |
LB Lewisham |
| Site management: |
Glendale Grounds Management/Beckenham Place Park Working Party & Friends of Beckenham Place Park |
| Open to public? |
Yes |
| Opening times: |
unrestricted (Visitors Centre 12-3pm Sat/Sun) |
| Special conditions: |
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| Facilities: |
Golf course, Café/bar in the Mansion, toilets; playground, paddling pool, tennis; Nature trails |
| Events: |
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| Public transport: |
Rail: Ravensbourne/Beckenham Hill. Bus: 54, 136, 208, 181, 351, 361. |
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The information shown above was correct at the time of the last update 01/02/2002
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.lewisham.gov.uk
