Description
Although much of the wood has been planted in recent years there is a record of woodland here in Tudor times and also mention is made of tile kilns when it was part of the Manor of Baldwyns in the C16th. On a map of Kent of 1769 it is named Jordan's Wood and was part of the Mount Mascal estate, but by 1805 the spelling had become Joydens Wood. In 1884 parts of the wood were sold off, some of it later developed for housing in the 1930s. In 1956 the Forestry Commission took over what was then known as the Big Wood, cleared much of the stunted oaks and other native trees in order to plant compartments of cash crop trees.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Jordans Wood |
|---|---|
| Site location | Birchwood Road/ Parsonage Lane |
| Postcode | DA14 |
| What3Words | ///wires.full.pumps |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bexley then bus. |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
A major part of Joydens Wood is in Dartford. It is ancient woodland that has existed since at least 1600 and there are many indicator plants which confirm this. It was part of the Manor of Baldwyns in the C16th. On the Andrews, Drury and Herberts Map of Kent dated 1769 the woodland is named Jordan's Wood and was part of the Mount Mascal estate. By 1805 on the first 1 inch Ordnance Survey map, the spelling had become Joydens Wood. In 1884 parts of the wood were sold off, some of it used for housing development in the 1930s. In 1956 the Forestry Commission took over what was then known as the Big Wood. The Commission cleared much of the stunted oaks and other native trees in order to plant compartments of cash crop trees. There are marked paths and bridleways throughout the wood.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ501717 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Bexley/Forestry Commission |
| Site Management | LB Bexley/Forestry Commission |
| Dates | C16th |
| Listed Structures | SAM: Faesten Dic |
| 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 | Yes - Metropolitan Importance |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| 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
Chalk Wood is a belt of woodland that with the adjacent Joydens Wood to the north forms an extensive block of ancient woodland that has existed since at least 1600. In the middle is an area of old heathland.
Vale Mascal was built as the Dower House for the Mount Mascal Estate in 1746, the grounds stretching along the river Cray from Woolett Hall almost to Bexley village. The gardens may have been laid out by Lancelot Brown who worked at North Cray Place in 1782. The river was treated with great ingenuity, with lakes, cascades and weirs. The Gothic Bath House was built on one of these channels and housed a cold plunge bath. Vale Mascal and the Bath House are now in separate private ownership following the break up of the estate in 1935.
Built in the C18th on the site of an earlier house, the house was known in the C19th as North Cray Cottage or Villa, and was once home of Foreign Secretary Viscount Castlereagh. It was purchased by Goldsmiths College in 1939 and renamed Loring Hall after the first warden of the college, the house used for accommodation and the grounds for sports. The property was sold to BUPA in the 1980s, then used as a nursing home before it became the Malcolm Sargent Children's Cancer Centre in 1999. Since 2004 it has been a private residential care home for people with learning disabilities. The grounds have remnants of earlier planting, including a terrace near the house, lower garden with some good specimen trees, a walled garden, a sunken garden and woodland.
