Description
Kingswood Glen is an area of woodland containing four ponds that was bequeathed to Beckenham Council in 1962 by its owners, two sisters, who stipulated it should be preserved and protected. Research undertaken over the years has established that the land had remained unchanged for up to 800 years and may once have been the site of an Anglo-Saxon hill fort, the ponds believed to be fire pits. Tree and plant species suggest it is ancient woodland and the park is designated as an important site for nature conservation.
Practical Information
| Site location | South Hill Road/ Kingswood Avenue, Shortlands |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BR2 0RL |
| What3Words | ///admiral.pints.wool |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Train: Bromley South. Bus: 138, 162 |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2017 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land here was enclosed as part of a large property known as Romanhurst, later demolished for housing development to become Romanhurst Avenue. The woodland was acquired by two sisters, Edith and Winifred Jay and it became part of their property at No. 41 South Hill Road. They gifted it to the Borough of Beckenham in 1962 with the proviso that it should remain undeveloped and public open space. Local school teacher and historian Len Hevey instigated research of the plants at Kingswood Glen by a plant physiologist at King's College, which revealed that the land was little changed over many centuries. These findings supported an earlier study carried out in the 1800s, which had suggested that the land was once an Anglo-Saxon hill fort, and the ponds were thought to be fire pits. In 1980 pollen analysis concluded that the land may have been undisturbed for up to 800 years. Trees and plants on the site are indicators of ancient woodland and a Great Crested Newt was found in one of the ponds in recent years.
The Friends of South Hill Wood and Kingswood Glen were set up in 2009 to protect and develop their local green spaces. The Group has undertaken improvement projects, including new paths, planting and other works to conserve the woodland here as well as nearby South Hill Wood (q.v.).
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 Friends of South Hill Wood and Kingswood Glen were set up in 2009 to protect and develop their local green spaces. The Group has undertaken improvement projects, including new paths, planting and other works to conserve the woodland here as well as nearby South Hill Wood (q.v.).
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 | TQ392681 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | idverde; Friends of South Hill Wood and Kingswood Glen |
| Dates | ancient woodland |
| 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 | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Space |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
South Hill Wood opened as a public park in 1959 but has remnants of ancient woodland and is the former grounds of South Hill Wood (now No. 1 South Hill Road), built for local philanthropist Sir Thomas Dewey. He laid out the gardens from the 1880s, which included lawns and flowerbeds, woodland walks, water garden, kitchen garden and orchard. During WWI he provided his Music Pavilion as a VAD hospital. In 1926 South Hill Wood became the family home of the King family until the 1940s. Canadian soldiers stationed in the area cut messages into the brickwork of the boundary wall and graffiti from that time was preserved when the wall was rebuilt in the 1990s. The estate was purchased in 1952 and the grounds converted as a public park, although the house is now separate. The park has remnants of earlier garden features and planting. Numerous improvements have been undertaken by the active Friends group since 2009. Its transformation was celebrated by the opening of the park's Diamond Jubilee Gates in 2012.
Queensmead is public open space, part of the complex with Martin's Hill and Church House Gardens. Formerly a meadow and hop gardens, the area below Martin's Hill was purchased by the local Board in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee and set aside for recreational use, renamed Queen's Mead. It was a traditional gathering place for fairs and events, one such being 'Broom Day', an annual celebration when thousands of people gathered wearing sprigs of broom, in celebration of the shrub that gave Bromley its name.
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.