Beckenham Place Park
| Beckenham Place Park | |
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Beckenham Place Park is the largest green space in Lewisham
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| Type | public park |
| Location | London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°24′54″N 0°01′13″W / 51.415137°N 0.020143°WCoordinates: 51°24′54″N 0°01′13″W / 51.415137°N 0.020143°W |
| Area | 96 hectares (237 acres) |
| Created | 1927 (golf course 1907-1929-2016) |
| Operated by | London Borough of Lewisham |
| Status | Open year round |
| Website | lewisham |
Beckenham Place Park is a large park located near Beckenham in the London Borough of Lewisham. It lies close to the border with London Borough of Bromley. It includes a recently closed (31 Oct 2016) 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.
Although so named because John Cator the younger established the park between 1757/60 and 1785 and acquired the rights of the Manor of Beckenham, it transpires that most of the land in the current park was in the neighbouring Manor of Foxgrove and some nearby Lewisham Lands that once belonged to the Forsters of Southend, Lewisham and the Earl of Rockingham/Sondes/Lees Court estate. Several accounts of the history of the park require amendment due to recent rediscoveries from different archives. The Friends of Beckenham Place Park endeavour to compile an accurate history based on archive material in the British Library, Kent, Essex and Surrey Archives. Bromley and Lewisham Local Studies Libraries.
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, and later by Frederick Viscount Bolingbroke, who sold the estate with manorial rights passing to the noted Quaker and MP John Cator in 1773. Records show John Cator acquired land here as early as 1757 and built his house by 1762. Cator built the mansion that stands today.
Cator's father-in-law, botanist Peter Collinson, visited in September 1762, commenting:
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. The association is unlikely but Cator's father in law had met Linnaeus in 1735/36 and continued a lifelong correspondence with him exchanging plant specimens and philosophical discussions. Collinson writes about Cator and his own son that they both pester him for plants from his own garden at Mill Hill and requests Rhodedendrons, Kalmias and Azaleas from his friend John Barham in America.
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