Description
Queen’s Gardens are now set in the shade of The Glades Shopping Centre. By the C19th the site was known as The White Hart Field after a nearby inn and used for public recreation and sports. In 1865 part of the inn was opened as a homeopathic dispensary and in 1889 Bromley's first homeopathic hospital opened. When a new homeopathic hospital was under discussion, the Lord of the Manor, Coles Child, presented White Hart Field to Bromley in 1897, part given for the hospital and the rest laid out as a public recreation ground. This was initially named Victoria Gardens in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. When The Glades Shopping Centre was constructed in 1990, a portion of the gardens including the original main entrance with its ornamental gates was lost, but the gates were moved to the southern part of the gardens.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | White Hart Field; Victoria Gardens; Queens Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Kentish Way, Bromley |
| Postcode | BR1 1HD |
| What3Words | ///swaps.refuse.staple |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Special Conditions | No dogs |
| Facilities | Numerous toilets and cafes can be found in The Glades shopping centre |
| Public Transport | Rail: Bromley North; Bromley South. Bus 61,119,126,138,146,162,208,246,261,314,320,352,358,367,402,726 |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Queen’s Gardens are set in the shade of The Glades Shopping Centre that opened in 1991 in the centre of Bromley, with Kentish Way a major thoroughfare to the east. By the C19th the site was known as The White Hart Field and shown as such on the 1st edition OS map of 1871; it was used for public recreation and sports, and was named after the Inn of that name that stood to the side of the site. County cricket was played here until 1847. In 1865 the ground floor of the White Hart Inn was opened as a homeopathic dispensary by Edward Gould, providing medical care to Bromley residents. The popularity of homeopathy led Dr Robert Phillips to open another practice in 1874 in 19 Widmore Road; he soon began collecting funds for building a much-needed hospital and in 1889 Bromley's first homeopathic hospital opened. When it was decided to expand or build a new hospital, Coles Child, Lord of the Manor, presented Bromley with The White Hart Field in 1897, a section of which was given for the new hospital. The rest of the field remained in use for public recreation and was laid out with paths and planting, renamed Victoria Gardens in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The gardens have since become known as the Queen's Garden or Queen's Gardens.
The original main entrance to the gardens in the north west corner was at the apex of a triangle adjacent to Market Square where there were fine ornamental iron gates, donated by Lord Kinnaird, a close friend of Coles Child. The gates, which Kinnaird had purchased at auction, date from the 1850s and had stood in front of his residence, Plaistow Lodge, on London Lane. In 1990, when The Glades Shopping Centre was constructed, the gates were moved to their present position in the southern part of the gardens.
Phillips Homeopathic Hospital had opened in 1900, was enlarged further in 1907, but it was bombed in WWII by a direct hit and although it temporarily became a home for homeless people, escalating costs meant that it was eventually demolished in 1951. From the outset patients had used the adjacent recreation ground during convalescence. When The Glades Shopping Centre was built, the site was reduced somewhat in size. The naming of The Glades, chosen through a competition in which local residents participated, reflected the leafy, green image of the borough in which Queen's Gardens plays a part. Today the gardens have formal beds of annual bedding plants, tarmac paths, seats and a number of mature and semi-mature ornamental trees. The copper beech are especially fine.
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 original main entrance to the gardens in the north west corner was at the apex of a triangle adjacent to Market Square where there were fine ornamental iron gates, donated by Lord Kinnaird, a close friend of Coles Child. The gates, which Kinnaird had purchased at auction, date from the 1850s and had stood in front of his residence, Plaistow Lodge, on London Lane. In 1990, when The Glades Shopping Centre was constructed, the gates were moved to their present position in the southern part of the gardens.
Phillips Homeopathic Hospital had opened in 1900, was enlarged further in 1907, but it was bombed in WWII by a direct hit and although it temporarily became a home for homeless people, escalating costs meant that it was eventually demolished in 1951. From the outset patients had used the adjacent recreation ground during convalescence. When The Glades Shopping Centre was built, the site was reduced somewhat in size. The naming of The Glades, chosen through a competition in which local residents participated, reflected the leafy, green image of the borough in which Queen's Gardens plays a part. Today the gardens have formal beds of annual bedding plants, tarmac paths, seats and a number of mature and semi-mature ornamental trees. The copper beech are especially fine.
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 | TQ404692 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 2.5 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bromley |
| Site Management | idverde |
| Dates | 1897; 1990s |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Ornamental cast-iron gates |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bromley Town |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Archaeological Interest |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Space |
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
This site is that of the late C18th/19th landscaped grounds of the former palace and official residence of the Bishops of Rochester, who had been given Bromley Manor in the C10th. The present building was erected in 1775, with later additions made in the 1860s after the Manor was sold to Mr Coles Child, who also made changes to the gardens. Much of the once extensive Palace parkland was eventually sold for housing and road construction, the old Palace became a girls school in the 1930s. In 1982 the site was purchased by Bromley Council for the Civic Centre. What remains of the former park is south of the Old Palace ruins, and includes the lake, once part of the medieval moat, two Pulhamite rockeries and a Folly incorporating medieval stonework created for Child, and possibly an C18th ha-ha, although this may also be the work of James Pulham & Sons.
Christians have worshipped on this site for over 1000 years, but the present church of St Peter and St Paul was built in the 1950s following the destruction of the old church in an air raid on 16 April 1941 that left only the C15th tower standing. The churchyard was enlarged in 1843 and 1863 and contains many tombs and monuments, including the pink granite obelisk to Coles Child, Lord of the Manor (d.1873). There are mature lime and horse chestnut trees, and a beech hedge surrounds the WWI memorial, initially positioned outside the east end of the church. The C19th lych gate was also relocated to its present site after the church was rebuilt following WWII bombing.
Church House Gardens and Library Gardens are now one public park but were originally two sites: Library Gardens formed from the grounds of 'Neelgherries', and those of Church House. Neelgherries was bequeathed to Bromley Town Council in 1900 and the Library and Gardens were opened to the public in 1906. Church House Gardens, purchased by Bromley Town Council in 1926, were connected to the Library Gardens and opened in July 1927. The two open spaces were combined in 1930 and have dramatic topography with a lake at the foot of richly planted slopes.