Description
The 1st edition OS Map of 1871 shows the site as farmland. The park is named after the Norman family whose estates once dominated Bromley; their name dates back to 1661. The land for Norman Park was acquired from A C Norman by Bromley Council in the 1930s. Norman Park is a large open space mainly given over to sports, its main entrance up a tarmac road from Hayes Lane on the western side.
Practical Information
| Site location | Hayes Lane/Bromley Common |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BR2 9PF |
| What3Words | ///forms.impact.hands |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am weekdays/9am Sat/Sun/BHs - half hour after dusk |
| Facilities | Children’s play area, toilets; car parks |
| Events | Various events |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bromley South. Bus: 61, 261, 320, 358, 402. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Norman family's strong connections with Bromley Common date from 1755 when James Norman first rented and then bought The Rookery, a house that is now part of Bromley College of Further and Higher Education (q.v.). The entrance road, bordered by tall hedges, leads to a large car park. A tarmac path runs around the perimeter of the park leading on the southern side to a running track and athletics area and beyond that a children’s playground. There are four sports pavilions around the site and a second entrance at the north-eastern end. The southern side of the site is bounded by a golf course, the northern side is bounded by private sports clubs and residential housing lies to the north. The Ravensbourne river runs through the park.
The park 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 park 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 | TQ410675 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 56 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | idverde |
| Dates | 1930s |
| 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 - Fisher Wood to south-west of site |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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 of Further and Higher Education was established here as Bromley Technical College in 1959, the college campus set in extensive grounds that are vestiges of the C18th/19th landscape of the Rookery estate. The 1st edition OS Map of 1871 shows the estate and the college campus retains the same shape. Remnants of the former landscape include the lake, boathouse, fishing house, icehouse, and an oak clump in fields to the west of Elmfield House.
Landscaping and communal lawns to Hayesford Park, a modernist housing development built in the 1960s, with echoes of Garden City and Garden Suburb ideals. The first phase was built in 1960-63, laid out with generous planting. A good example is the hidden square between the larger flats of Fairacre, which were built in the last phase of the development in 1965; the central garden has mature trees and an ornamental pond at one end.
Whitehall Recreation Ground was created in 1904-05 at the instigation of Bromley UDC in order to provide recreational facilities for the rapidly expanding population of Bromley Common and Bickley. Now a largely level site surrounded by residential housing, the park was originally three fields that were part of Whitehall Farm, from which it takes its name. The Recreation Ground originally had numerous facilities for sports, including tennis, football and cricket, as well as a boating pool but much was lost over the course of the C20th. The perimeter tarmac path is partly tree lined within semi-mature horse chestnuts, oak, lime and sycamore. To the south-west is a bowling green enclosed within tall privet hedges, now used by Bromley Croquet Club.