Have you been to Beckenham Place Park lately?

Not too far away (and on the 54 bus route from Charlton and Blackheath!) lies a ‘new’ old park: Beckenham Place Park. The name can be confusing – it lies on the border between the London Boroughs of Bromley and Lewisham, but is run by Lewisham Council. It is larger than you might think, at 96 hectares (well over 200 acres), and stretches from Beckenham Hill railway station in the north to Ravensbourne railway station in the south, west into Beckenham ‘proper’ and east toward Bromley.

Beloved of dogwalkers, wild swimmers, park runners, bluebell spotters and vintage shoppers, since Heritage Lottery Funding was awarded in 2016 there have been many changes and a huge increase in community use. Old features of the 18^th century estate have been brought back, playgrounds added and the 1762 mansion (which was formerly a golf club house with a small visitor centre) is now home to artists’ studios, a café, a vintage shop and hosts multiple events.

But to the gardens…

Around the old stable block and yard which has been restored, there are several small(ish) gardens. There are areas of formal bedding, a sensory garden, community plots, fan-trained fruit trees, a dry bed, a small ‘woodland planting’ area and lots of grasses. There is a small army of volunteers who take care of these gardens very well – always lots to see.

In addition to these more formal garden spaces, there are large areas of grass, some managed as meadow and some for recreation (there are self-guided nature trails too). Acres of woodland, some designated as ‘ancient’ (ie: likely to have existed pre-1600), some ‘wet woodland’ (a rare habitat), and some newly planted in winter 2018. There is a restored and modified lake which is now used for wild swimming and other water activities, and an ancient pond. For those interested in water and environmental management, it’s worth looking into the ongoing project on the eastern side of the park around the River Ravensbourne and the swales, ditch and reedbed managing water to the lake.

All in all, it’s an interesting and beautiful place to visit and worth revisiting as it changes so much throughout the year.

Ali H