Description
North Cray Poultry Farm was formerly part of the site of a C19th villa, Cray Hall, the grounds of which are now in divided ownership as a result of the property being sliced through by the dual carriageway of North Cray Road. There are several good trees including a large weeping beech in the forecourt. The lodge is no longer part of the property. Other trees include lime, horse chestnut and Lebanon cedar, and there is vestigial parkland to the south.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Cray Hall; Honeyden |
|---|---|
| Site location | North Cray Road, North Cray |
| Postcode | DA14 5HE |
| What3Words | ///metro.type.glaze |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Rail: Albany Park. Bus: 492. |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ485711 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | c.1830 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Cray Hall (141 North Cray Road) |
| 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 | 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
St James's Church dates from at least the C12th, and was once the private chapel for North Cray Place, a number of whose owners were buried here. The church was substantially rebuilt in 1852 and enlarged in 1870. The small churchyard is surrounded by brick walls on 3 sides, its east wall once forming a boundary with the kitchen garden of North Cray Place. At the west end of the churchyard are handsome early C18th gates.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Once part of an estate dating back to Tudor times, the park is essentially mid C18th, with C19th and C20th landscaping overlaid. Foots Cray Place, built c.1754, was acquired by Nicholas Vansittart in 1822, who also purchased the adjoining estate of North Cray Place, whose landscape had been designed by 'Capability' Brown. The estate was divided once more in the late C19th, and subsequently the Foots Cray Place gardens were redesigned. North Cray Place and its grounds were acquired by Sidcup and Chislehurst UDC in the late 1950s. The mansion was demolished and its site built over for housing but the grounds were converted to public open space of Foots Cray Meadows.
Once part of an estate dating back to Tudor times, the park is essentially mid C18th, with C19th and C20th landscaping overlaid. Foots Cray Place, built c.1754, was acquired by Nicholas Vansittart in 1822, who also purchased the adjoining estate of North Cray Place, whose landscape had been designed by 'Capability' Brown. The estate was divided once more in the late C19th, and subsequently the Foots Cray Place gardens were redesigned. North Cray Place and its grounds were acquired by Sidcup and Chislehurst UDC in the late 1950s. The mansion was demolished and its site built over for housing but the grounds were converted to public open space of Foots Cray Meadows.
All Saints Church dates from Saxon times, dating from the time when Paulinus brought Christianity to settlements on the River Cray in the C7th. The area around the hamlet of Foots Cray remained rural until the C20th. The churchyard was enlarged to the east in the C19th on part of the parkland of Foots Cray Place and has a large Cedar of Lebanon. In the C20th it was again enlarged to the north. There are some good monuments including a record of a gravestone of 1656. Mature trees include yew and lime, and there is a lych-gate.
