Description
The Manor House, formerly Place Green House, was built c.1790 by Charles S Minshaw on land acquired from the Frognal Estate where Shotts Farm stood. The garden is thought to have been laid out around the same time. In 1905 Manor House was bought by E J Elgood who then sold the north part for the Grassington Road residential development. Since 1952 the house has been used for Council offices and the gardens have suffered further encroachment for car parking. A few Corsican and Scots pines survive to the south, a notable cedar of Lebanon stands in the front garden of a house to the west and there is a large Arbutus north-west of the house.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Place Green House |
|---|---|
| Site location | The Green, Sidcup, Kent |
| Postcode | DA15 6BS |
| What3Words | ///pans.blame.dunes |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sidcup. Bus: 160, 229, 269, 286, B14. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ462715 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Bexley |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | late C18th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Manor 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | The Green, Sidcup |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Space |
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
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.
The first church of St John the Evangelist to serve the village of Sidcup was consecrated in 1844. Following arrival of the railway in 1866 more capacity was needed for the congregation and a chancel, Lady Chapel and vestries were added in 1882. In 1899-1901 the current brick church was built, although part of the existing churchyard walls date from 1844. The churchyard was enlarged in 1898 and again in 1934 and contains numerous monuments; there are mature and semi mature trees including a large horse chestnut. The churchyard is now closed for burials.
