Description
Now converted as a residential care home for the elderly, Frognal is an ancient site considered to be one of the most important historical landscapes in the borough, with occupation dating back to the C13th. Parts of Frognal House date back to Tudor times although it is mainly c.1670 with C18th and C20th additions. In 1780 it was inherited by Thomas Townshend, MP, later created Lord Sydney of Chislehurst, after whom Sydney, Australia is named. The property remained in private ownership until 1915, and then became Queen's Hospital, later Queen Mary's Hospital. Features in the grounds include earthwork remains of formal terraced gardens; C17th kitchen garden walls; a turkey oak possibly planted in the C17th; a ha-ha; remains of a yew walk with an C18th specimen; a C19th oak avenue and other mature specimen trees in the Garden Shaw plantation.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Sunrise at Frognal House |
|---|---|
| Site location | Frognal Avenue, Chislehurst, Sidcup |
| Postcode | DA14 6LF |
| What3Words | ///void.index.coats |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds; |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | residents and visitors only |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sidcup, Chislehurst. Bus: 160, 229, 269, B14, R11 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Frognal is an ancient site that is considered to be one of the most important landscapes in the borough historically. Occupation of the site dates back to the C13th. The name is thought to be derived from 'frog pool'. From 1327 until the early C16th the land was owned by the Cressel family, and following the death of Richard Cressel in 1508, a benefactor of Chislehurst church of St Nicholas (q.v.), it eventually passed to the Dyneley or Dyngley family, who probably built the original house. The next owner, William Watkins appears to have made major alterations to the house in keeping with the fashion of the day, also developing formal gardens, terraces, arbours and grottos. Watkins sold the property in 1649 and over ensuing years it had a number of owners until 1747, when the then owner Thomas Tryon went bankrupt and the estate was sold for the benefit of creditors. By 1752 when it was purchased by the Hon. Thomas Townshend, 3rd son of Viscount Townshend, the estate covered 442 acres. In 1730 Townshend's father-in-law had left him the adjoining estate of Scadbury, but after his wife's death in 1739 he abandoned his plans to build a new country house there and purchased Frognal as his family seat.
After his death in 1780, Frognal was inherited by his son, Thomas Townshend, MP. He later became Home Secretary and was rewarded with the title of Lord Sydney of Chislehurst by the King. The property remained in the family until Lord Sydney's grandson John Robert Townshend died childless in 1890. On the death of his wife, Countess Sydney, in 1893, Frognal passed to his nephew Robert Marsham on condition that he added Townshend to his name.
Robert Marsham-Townshend died in December 1914 and in 1915 Frognal and 1,740 acres of land were sold to the government as the site for a new hospital, named Queen's Hospital, Sidcup after Queen Mary. The first patients were admitted in July 1917 and Queen's Hospital became a pioneering centre for plastic surgery for wounded soldiers. The hospital closed in 1929, but re-opened in 1930 under the auspices of London County Council, renamed Queen Mary's Hospital. From 1948 it became part of the National Health Service. The old house was at one time used as administrative offices, but later converted for retirement homes. The Queen Mary's Hospital complex had extensive huts in the parkland, which were demolished when the new hospital was built in the 1960s to the west of the house. A hollow square, Frognal House has parts dating back to Tudor times but is mainly c.1670 with C18th and C20th additions. In November 1999, the house was converted as a residential care home, and is now Sunrise at Frognal House run by Sunrise Senior Living, who also provide a number of apartments to enable independent living. The 7 acres of grounds provide an important resource for the benefit of residents and their visitors. Landscape remnants from the earlier layout of the grounds include earthwork remains of formal terraced gardens as shown in Badeslade print of 1750; a turkey oak reputed to have been planted 1650-70; kitchen garden walls c C17th; early C18th wrought iron gates in the boundary walls; a ha-ha; remains of a yew walk in which an C18th specimen has been found; an oak avenue c.C19th and other mature specimen trees in the Garden Shaw plantation.
After his death in 1780, Frognal was inherited by his son, Thomas Townshend, MP. He later became Home Secretary and was rewarded with the title of Lord Sydney of Chislehurst by the King. The property remained in the family until Lord Sydney's grandson John Robert Townshend died childless in 1890. On the death of his wife, Countess Sydney, in 1893, Frognal passed to his nephew Robert Marsham on condition that he added Townshend to his name.
Robert Marsham-Townshend died in December 1914 and in 1915 Frognal and 1,740 acres of land were sold to the government as the site for a new hospital, named Queen's Hospital, Sidcup after Queen Mary. The first patients were admitted in July 1917 and Queen's Hospital became a pioneering centre for plastic surgery for wounded soldiers. The hospital closed in 1929, but re-opened in 1930 under the auspices of London County Council, renamed Queen Mary's Hospital. From 1948 it became part of the National Health Service. The old house was at one time used as administrative offices, but later converted for retirement homes. The Queen Mary's Hospital complex had extensive huts in the parkland, which were demolished when the new hospital was built in the 1960s to the west of the house. A hollow square, Frognal House has parts dating back to Tudor times but is mainly c.1670 with C18th and C20th additions. In November 1999, the house was converted as a residential care home, and is now Sunrise at Frognal House run by Sunrise Senior Living, who also provide a number of apartments to enable independent living. The 7 acres of grounds provide an important resource for the benefit of residents and their visitors. Landscape remnants from the earlier layout of the grounds include earthwork remains of formal terraced gardens as shown in Badeslade print of 1750; a turkey oak reputed to have been planted 1650-70; kitchen garden walls c C17th; early C18th wrought iron gates in the boundary walls; a ha-ha; remains of a yew walk in which an C18th specimen has been found; an oak avenue c.C19th and other mature specimen trees in the Garden Shaw plantation.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ464708 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.025 |
| Site Ownership | Sunrise Senior Living Ltd |
| Site Management | Sunrise Senior Living Ltd |
| Dates | C17th, C18th and C19th; 1992 additions |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: Frognal House. LBII: Early C18th Walls, Gate Piers & Gates to south of Frognal House; C18th red-brick garden walls to north of House |
| 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 | Bexley |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | 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
Sidcup Place is the oldest surviving building in the area, the core of the house built in 1743. Although the landscape is predominantly C19th overlaid with C20th municipal planting, the bones of the design may well be C18th. Between 1822-1919 it was owned by the Berens family, but part of the estate was sold in 1896. The house was a school from 1907-1916 and became Council offices in 1934. To the east of the house are terraced gardens and a ha-ha overlooking vestigial parkland. The walled garden of the original house remains to the south.
Although the area remained largely undeveloped until late C18th, Sidcup Green was recorded as commonland in the tithe return for Chislehurst. Goats and donkeys grazed here in earlier times. It was once known as Place Green; part of the commonland was encroached in the late C18th when Charles Minshaw built Place Green House, since renamed Manor House, which faces the Green from the north. The Green appears little changed over the last century and has grass with trees along east and west edges; a raised bank forms the south boundary planted with a line of well grown Lime trees, beyond which are the grounds of Sidcup Place. A C20th War Memorial with ornamental planting faces the Manor House.
St John the Evangelist Church Bexley was originally established as a daughter church to the Bexley parish church of St Mary when the local population was growing, and became a parish church in its own right in 1936. It was consecrated in 1882, built on a site provided by the University of Oxford. Its tall tower and spire were added in 1890. The churchyard was originally surrounded by wooden fencing, with a wooden gate, replaced by a wall in 1949 and iron gates in 1952.
