Description
Although laid out relatively recently, College Green was originally part of the lands of Bromley College almshouses and was long used for a nursery. In 1985 Bromley Council demolished the greenhouses here and created this new public open space. The landscape was improved in collaboration with the Friends of Bromley Town Parks & Gardens, including tree clearing and planting using plants recorded in the C17th, recalling the connections of this area with the Bishops of Rochester. Improvements were made to enhance the space in 2015, creating College Green and Slip Pocket Park, which provides a pleasant space close to the busy town centre for commuters and shoppers.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | College Green and Slip Pocket Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | North Street/College Road, Bromley |
| Postcode | BR1 1PA |
| What3Words | ///them.drops.focal |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bromley North |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2015 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Bromley College (q.v.) was owned by the Lord of the Manor, the Bishop of Rochester, the C17th almshouses founded under the will of Dr John Warner, Bishop of Rochester. The land where College Green is now was used as a nursery, which in the mid C18th was reputedly the second oldest nursery in Greater London with 250 years of unbroken use; the seedsman's cottage on College Slip was built around mid C18th. The site has been variously named over the years, reflecting the different nurserymen using it over the years, who included Pococks and Stiddolphs, and more recently Stephens and Cramphorns. It has also been known as Mulberry Field after the old black mulberry that is still here, one of three planted on Bromley College lands, although the date is given variously as late C17th, c.1720 and later.
The land was used as a nursery up until 1985 when Bromley Council demolished the greenhouses and created a new public space, College Green. The landscape has been improved in collaboration with the Friends of Bromley Town Parks & Gardens, including tree clearance to improve views of Bromley College, creation of a wildflower meadow, circular planting bed around the mulberry using plants recorded in the C17th, including 'Bishops Hat', which recalls the connections of this area with the Bishops of Rochester.
Improvements were made to create College Green and Slip Pocket Park in 2015, the work undertaken with Green Gym. This was funded through GLA’s Pocket Parks scheme, an initiative of the Mayor of London’s drive to create 100 Pocket Parks across London launched in 2013, with community grants of up to £20,000 available. The community fund was part of a £2m investment to bring 100 underused urban spaces back into use by March 2015. The scheme was delivered by Groundwork and enabled the creation of more than 100 pocket parks across 26 London boroughs, and ranged from community orchards to edible bus stops, the first to open being in Stockwell. A Pocket Park, defined as ‘a piece of land of up to 0.4 hectares, which may already be underdeveloped or derelict’, is considered to provide a small area of inviting public green space where people can relax, exercise, socialise and play, and can be natural and/or formal in character.
In 2016 the Pocket Parks initiative went England-wide with a £1.5m fund launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Community groups were invited to apply for grants up to £15,000, but applicants were also required to raise match funding from other sources. This led to 87 funded projects across the country, although no projects were in London. In 2018 the Pocket Parks Plus Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), eventually making £3.75m available when it was widened to include not only new pocket parks but also projects to refurbish existing parks or parts of parks. This led to funding 198 projects, which included 32 projects in London. The third funding round was launched by MHCLG in 2019 and on 3 March 2020, World Wildlife Day, the recipients of the £1.35m fund were announced. Of the 68 winners, 10 are in London. The government has now provided 352 grants to support community groups to create 146 new parks and give a vital boost to 206 derelict urban spaces in towns and cities in every region of the country.
The site is now managed by idverde UK, which in June 2015 was contracted by Bromley Council for the management of the borough's parks, green spaces and countryside service, a relationship that was extended in April 2019 for a further 16 years.
The land was used as a nursery up until 1985 when Bromley Council demolished the greenhouses and created a new public space, College Green. The landscape has been improved in collaboration with the Friends of Bromley Town Parks & Gardens, including tree clearance to improve views of Bromley College, creation of a wildflower meadow, circular planting bed around the mulberry using plants recorded in the C17th, including 'Bishops Hat', which recalls the connections of this area with the Bishops of Rochester.
Improvements were made to create College Green and Slip Pocket Park in 2015, the work undertaken with Green Gym. This was funded through GLA’s Pocket Parks scheme, an initiative of the Mayor of London’s drive to create 100 Pocket Parks across London launched in 2013, with community grants of up to £20,000 available. The community fund was part of a £2m investment to bring 100 underused urban spaces back into use by March 2015. The scheme was delivered by Groundwork and enabled the creation of more than 100 pocket parks across 26 London boroughs, and ranged from community orchards to edible bus stops, the first to open being in Stockwell. A Pocket Park, defined as ‘a piece of land of up to 0.4 hectares, which may already be underdeveloped or derelict’, is considered to provide a small area of inviting public green space where people can relax, exercise, socialise and play, and can be natural and/or formal in character.
In 2016 the Pocket Parks initiative went England-wide with a £1.5m fund launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Community groups were invited to apply for grants up to £15,000, but applicants were also required to raise match funding from other sources. This led to 87 funded projects across the country, although no projects were in London. In 2018 the Pocket Parks Plus Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), eventually making £3.75m available when it was widened to include not only new pocket parks but also projects to refurbish existing parks or parts of parks. This led to funding 198 projects, which included 32 projects in London. The third funding round was launched by MHCLG in 2019 and on 3 March 2020, World Wildlife Day, the recipients of the £1.35m fund were announced. Of the 68 winners, 10 are in London. The government has now provided 352 grants to support community groups to create 146 new parks and give a vital boost to 206 derelict urban spaces in towns and cities in every region of the country.
The site is now managed by idverde UK, which in June 2015 was contracted by Bromley Council for the management of the borough's parks, green spaces and countryside service, a relationship that was extended in April 2019 for a further 16 years.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ401695 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.5 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | idverde; Friends of Bromley Town Parks & Gardens |
| Dates | 17th; 1985 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Bromley |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bromley Town Centre |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Space, Natural Park |
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
Bromley College almshouses were founded under the will of Dr John Warner, Bishop of Rochester (d.1666) to provide a 'hospital or almshouses for twenty poor widows of orthodox and loyal clergy men in a position near to Rochester cathedral'. The almshouses were built in 1670-72 around a quadrangle; a long frontage faced the road, with slightly bigger dwellings forming 2 wings. A second quadrangle was completed in 1805 and Sheppard's College added in 1840. After 1821 the Chaplain and Trustees bought land to the east to prevent building and improvements were made in the grounds. Elms on the north and south lawn were removed along with the rookery and replaced with 4 great cedars; sale of the wood enabled grass plots and gravel walks to be laid out. Over the years commemorative trees have been planted, such as those to mark the Jubilee of King George V in 1935, and a Tree of Heaven planted by The Queen Mother in the Chaplain’s Garden in May 1977 for a rededication ceremony.
Christians have worshipped on this site for over 1000 years, but the present church of St Peter and St Paul was built in the 1950s following the destruction of the old church in an air raid on 16 April 1941 that left only the C15th tower standing. The churchyard was enlarged in 1843 and 1863 and contains many tombs and monuments, including the pink granite obelisk to Coles Child, Lord of the Manor (d.1873). There are mature lime and horse chestnut trees, and a beech hedge surrounds the WWI memorial, initially positioned outside the east end of the church. The C19th lych gate was also relocated to its present site after the church was rebuilt following WWII bombing.
Reputedly named after a baker who lived here, Martin's Hill had long been a place where the people of Bromley promenaded. It was once famous for the broom that grew here, the plant after which Bromley takes its name. Between 1868 and 1872 only part of the hill was set aside for public use, the rest being open fields, the lower slopes formerly used for growing hops. In 1878, when the area was under threat of development, the site was acquired from the Ecclesiastical Board by Bromley Council and opened as the town's first ornamental park.