Newsletter for April 2016.   see Events page for current and old newsletters links, as well as events for the coming months. News:  Lottery bid plans consultation dates, time and venues click this link Survey: Here are the results of the Friends park user survey which closed  in early December and has been sent to Lewisham Council and the Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, hopefully the results will be considered when a decision is made regarding the Golf Course in BPP and other aspects of the Lottery funding plans for the park. Significantly the closure of the golf course is strongly disapproved of by users whether golfers or not.   A new link click here for a young peoples survey Regretably there is not an adult focussed survey thus far. Park Lottery Bid, progress report in the newsletter. Lewisham Council have put an amended masterplan on their website see this  and information on 'The Future ' page and in recent newsletters. We suggest that if you want to make written representations to the Council you write to Gavin Plaskitt, London Borough of Lewisham, Rushey Green, Catford, SE6 and if possible copy your letter to the Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock. Various surveys on Topography, environmental impact, species surveys etc are being carried out in preparation of the Stage 2 bid.  A consultation process will begin soon so look out for information regarding this.   Comments can still be made to Lewisham Council via  bppfuture@lewisham.gov.uk Closure of the Golf Course proposed by the Lottery bid has prompted a Save Beckehham 18 campaign to prevent closure.  search Google for it, there is an online petition, website, facebook and twitter presence. Closure of the course would deny more than 500 park users access to golf locally and this decision is based on the preference of about 60 people in a survey of people who dont use the park.   Environment Agency flood alleviation scheme, Anxiety grows regarding progress, no news yet but see this pdf document. An announcement is expected soon regarding approval of the scheme. Some anxiety has been expressed that this scheme is not yet confirmed and that  if it does not go ahead then one half of the park will be left without some resources. I wouldn't say 'investment' as there would be no financial return anyway, but the infrastructure of the Downham side of the park is being allowed to deteriorate on the assumption that the EA scheme will restore the play area, paths, demolish old buildings etc. We don't oppose the scheme in principal but want to see what's proposed and ensure that improvements are included without destroying this almost natural stretch of the Ravensbourne.  More information on 'The Future' page link and recent newsletters. Lewisham Parks Forum a group made up of representatives of park Friends groups, for  example Friends of:  Chinbrook Meadows, Ladywell Fields, Telegraph Hill, Blythe Hill Fields, Hilly Fields, Sydenham Wells, Home Park, Mayow Park to mention a few.  The Forum will address issues and problems arising in park use and management. See the Forum page and newsletters. Sensory Garden - Our volunteer team regularly undertake work once a month and often every 2 weeks in the growing season, and the park staff also carry out routine maintenance. Sensory Garden pdf   A leaflet explaining the uses and design of the sensory garden. Volunteers welcome. Beckenham Place Nature Trail: the leaflet is on this link pdf file and on our pamphlets page via 'Events' page, or use this easy to print file for directions.  Also a .kml file  of waypoints which will work with smartphone, google earth and tablet map and gps apps to show the waypoints for the nature trail. Also, a .gpx file of the route so that you technofiles can have all the electronic aids available. I like the Maverick Android mapping app. Leaflets are still available in the visitor centre. We are working on a version that wont display upside down on a digital screen. Contact us at bpp.friends@ntlworld.com The Visitor Centre is open 1.30 to 3.30 on Sunday afternoons. Park Features: Childrens play area (by Old Bromley Road entrance) Sensory and Ornamental gardens (via Beckenham Hill entrances) Ancient Woodland Picnic and Meadow areas, Nature Trail and Riverside Walk Green Chain and Capital Ring Walks, Pay and Play 18 hole public golf course from Mansion Visitor Centre (Sunday afternoons) in the Mansion Historic Buildings, A wide variety of Wildlife The first time or occasional visitor to BPP may not appreciate its true extent. The Park lies on the Lewisham/Bromley border strictly speaking between Downham, Bellingham, Beckenham and Shortlands. It was acquired from the Cator Estate by the LCC circa 1927, passed through the hands of the GLC and then on to the London Borough of Lewisham. A 'well kept secret' from many Londoners, the park has been thought of as a private golf course or private house and grounds as it is not widely publicised. It does lie on the Green Chain Walk and Capital Ring. A railway bisects the park and the only routes joining both parts are the bridge north of woodland called the Ash Plantation or by leaving and re-entering the park in the viscinity of Ravensbourne Railway Station or bridge near Beckenham Hill Station. 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 of park and farm land. The history of the park and its environs is extensive and is covered in other Friends publications and the About and History pages on this site. Information is available in the Friends of BPP Visitor Centre (see navigation hyperlink). Various references to Beckenham Place Park, The Cator family and the history are on the internet and other publications, all are subject to some correction as varioius assumptions have been made. We attempt to seek accuracy where possible. The best references have been written by Pat Manning and the late Eric Inman.  Even these are updatable by more recent discoveries enabled by records appearing on the internet. The park's life as a public recreation area began around 1927/29 when the park was purchased by the London County Council and 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), Southend Lodge (gatehouse). See the About the Park page and other pages of this website for more information.

Beckenham Place Park

Beckenham Place Park
Beckenham Place Park is the largest green space in Lewisham
Type	public park
Location	London, England
Coordinates	51°24′54″N 0°01′13″WCoordinates: 51°24′54″N 0°01′13″W
Area	96 hectares (237 acres)
Created	1927 (golf course 1929)
Operated by	London Borough of Lewisham
Status	Open year round
Website	lewisham.gov.uk

Beckenham Place Park is a large park located in Beckenham in the London Borough of Lewisham. It lies close to the border with London Borough of Bromley. It includes an 18-hole public (municipal) golf course. The Palladian-style former mansion that gave the park its name now serves as an information centre and golf course clubhouse and cafe.

History of the park

Beckenham Manor has medieval origins and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to the Bishop of Bayeux. In the 17th century, the whole estate was owned by Walter St John, with manorial rights passing to the noted Quaker and MP John Cator in 1773.^[1] Records show John Cator acquired land here as early as 1757 and built his house by 1762. His father-in-law, botanist Peter Collinson, visited in September 1762, commenting:

"... went, for the first time, to visit my son-in-law John Cater [sic] (who married my daughter), at his new-built house, now finished, at Stump's Hill, half-way (on the south side of the road) between Southend and Beckenham, in Kent, began in the spring 1760, on a pretty wooded estate that he had purchased. The plantations about it, all of his own doing, I found in a thriving condition, and when grown up will adorn so stately a house, in so delectable a situation, and make it a Paradise."^[2]

Cator, reputed to be friends with Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, introduced many exotic tree species and a lake, which is now dry. Even today, there are reputed to be 60 species of tree on the estate. Cator built the mansion that stands today.^[1]

The mansion remained with the Cator family until the 20th century, although inhabited by tenants for most of the 19th century – including a boys school and sanitorium in the early 20th century – before being bought by London County Council in 1927. When the golf course (established in 1907) became in 1929 the first municipally owned course in England (and also reputedly the busiest). The mansion was retained as a clubhouse. During World War II, the park became a prisoner of war camp and defensive measures including anti-aircraft battery and barrage balloons were installed.^[1]

The park was later managed by the Greater London Council, then by Lewisham borough council from 1972. In 1995 after boundary changes the park is entirely within the Borough of Lewisham – formerly falling within two boroughs according to boundary markers which can still be seen in Summerhouse Hill Wood.^[1]

Layout and notable features

Beckenham Place Park is Lewisham's largest green space, extending to 96 hectares (237 acres), and including a wide range of facilities, including ball court, football pitches, tennis court and sensory garden. The par 69 pay-as-you-play course offers golf tuition from a PGA golf pro and also clubhouse facilities in the Grade II* listed mansion.^[3]

A railway bisects the park and the only routes joining both parts are the bridge north of woodland called the Ash Plantation or by leaving and re-entering the park in the vicinity of Ravensbourne railway station. Hence, the railway effectively divides the park into west and east sides.

Beckenham Place Park is considered one of the finest wildlife sites in the borough, containing ancient woodland as well as a variety of other habitats.^[3] Notable trees include oak, wild service tree, sweet chestnut and an ancient Turkey oak tree (reputedly the second oldest in Britain), that survived an arson attack in the 1990s but succombed to wind, old age and vandalism in 2002. There is also an old mulberry tree near the 18th hole of the golf course.^[1]

It is a Local Nature Reserve^[4] and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation^[5] It is also part of the Green Chain Walk and Capital Ring.