Description
The Commons comprise grassland, heath, ponds and woodland that were once grazing land for Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray. In the mid-C19th encroachment threatened the commonland in order to extract gravel and develop the land for housing, which was opposed by a group of local residents. Their successful challenge led to the Metropolitan Commons (Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray) Supplemental Act passed in 1888, which set up a voluntary Board of Conservators to protect and preserve the land for the benefit of the community. Woodland now covers much of the former scrub and grassland although ancient acid grassland remains in parts. Former gravel pits form the 2 largest ponds now found on the commons and there is also a well-preserved cockpit. Numerous paths cross the commons and a number of recreational facilities are located here, such as the West Kent Cricket Club Ground. The Imperial Memorial is found adjacent to Prince Imperial Road.
Practical Information
| Site location | Royal Parade; Prince Imperial Road; Ashfield Lane; St Paul Cray's Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BR7 6NN |
| What3Words | ///camp.sleepy.ages |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Special Conditions | no cycling permitted, horse riders on permissive bridlepaths |
| Events | Various annual events, including the Crowning of the May Queen, The Big Draw, Open-Air Cinema, Rotary Cub Summer Fair and Chislehurst Chase; plus special events. Guided Walks |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chislehurst. |
| Research Updated | 4 January 2023 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Historically the Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons were two entities associated respectively with the Manor of Chislehurst (since 974) and the Manor of Scadbury and St Paul's Cray, jointly owned by the Walsingham in the C16th. Chislehurst Common is located to the north-west with St Paul's Cray Common to the south-east. The commons remain privately owned by the Lord of the Manor and in September 2017 the Chislehurst Society purchased the freehold on behalf of the community. Chislehurst Commons was set up as a charity with a Board of Conservators, now known as Trustees, in order to maintain, protect, regulate and conserve the commons with funds raised through grants and charitable donations to cover its upkeep, which is undertaken by 2 paid full-time Keepers, with volunteers assisting their work. At least four of the 16 Trustees are required to be landowners or occupants of properties facing the common.
A number of monuments are located on the Commons, including the Prince Imperial Monument and the War Memorial. The Imperial Monument commemorates Louis Napoleon, son of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, who were exiled in 1870 after the Franco-Prussian War and came to live at Camden Place, now Chislehurst Golf Club (q.v.). It was raised by public subscription in 1881. Chislehurst War Memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Bloomfield and erected with donations from local people, was unveiled on 20 October 1920. Its site by Royal Parade was selected by Bloomfield and permitted by the Chislehurst Commons Trustees, who continue to maintain it, including bi-annual planting of the surrounding flowerbeds, donated by Coolings Nurseries.
West Kent Cricket Club has had its cricket ground on Chislehurst Common since 1822, making it one of the oldest places where cricket has been played. A number of other open spaces and woodland abut Chislehurst Commons, including the Petts Wood and Hawkswood Estate (q.v.), Scadbury Nature Reserve and Tong Farm.
A number of monuments are located on the Commons, including the Prince Imperial Monument and the War Memorial. The Imperial Monument commemorates Louis Napoleon, son of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie, who were exiled in 1870 after the Franco-Prussian War and came to live at Camden Place, now Chislehurst Golf Club (q.v.). It was raised by public subscription in 1881. Chislehurst War Memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Bloomfield and erected with donations from local people, was unveiled on 20 October 1920. Its site by Royal Parade was selected by Bloomfield and permitted by the Chislehurst Commons Trustees, who continue to maintain it, including bi-annual planting of the surrounding flowerbeds, donated by Coolings Nurseries.
West Kent Cricket Club has had its cricket ground on Chislehurst Common since 1822, making it one of the oldest places where cricket has been played. A number of other open spaces and woodland abut Chislehurst Commons, including the Petts Wood and Hawkswood Estate (q.v.), Scadbury Nature Reserve and Tong Farm.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ442702 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 73 |
| Site Ownership | Chislehurst Commons |
| Site Management | Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons Conservators |
| Listed Structures | LBII: The Prince imperial Monument; Chislehurst War Memorial; K6 Telephone Kiosk |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Bromley |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Chislehurst |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The church of St Nicholas surrounded by its burial ground forms a picturesque group on the edge of Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons. Its tall shingled spire has long been a local landmark. There has probably been a church here since Norman times; the present church is largely C15th with C19th alterations. The churchyard boundaries remained the same from at least 1680 to 1860s, with a lych gate to the south. A sign of the growing suburb was the extension of the churchyard in 1890 on a site previously occupied by 2 cottages, and in 1892 the lych gate was moved to the new boundary. Since then the layout of the churchyard has remained substantially unaltered. There are some good monuments in the church and churchyard, in part accounted for by the fact that the highly influential Walsingham family were Lords of the Manor of Scadbury; their Scadbury Chapel is in the church.
St Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1853 to serve the Catholic community in Chislehurst. The land it was built on was given by Captain Henry Bowden, who also endowed the church, set in a rural environment near Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons. In 1870 the exiled Imperial French family, Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenie and their son, the Prince Imperial, took residence in Camden Place, Chislehurst, then owned by Nathaniel Strode, a firm francophile. The Imperial family brought Chislehurst and St Mary's into greater prominence; after the Emperor's death a Mortuary Chapel was erected at the behest of the Empress on the south side of the church to house his sarcophagus. St Mary's churchyard is the burial place for many people of note, including Captain Bowden, past parish priests and French names are found on a number of the tombstones.
Camden Park Golf Course was established for the newly formed Chislehurst Golf Club in 1894 on part of the former C18th landscape park of Camden Place. The old mansion was converted as the golf clubhouse and there are vestiges of parkland planting although it was largely altered when the golf course was laid out.
