Description
Sidcup Place is the oldest surviving building in the area, the core of the house built in 1743. Although the landscape is predominantly C19th overlaid with C20th municipal planting, the bones of the design may well be C18th. Between 1822-1919 it was owned by the Berens family, but part of the estate was sold in 1896. The house was a school from 1907-1916 and became Council offices in 1934. To the east of the house are terraced gardens and a ha-ha overlooking vestigial parkland. The walled garden of the original house remains to the south.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Sidcup Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | Chislehurst Road, Sidcup, Kent |
| Postcode | DA14 6BT |
| What3Words | ///excuse.normal.locked |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Toilets, Car park, tennis courts, 9 hole pitch and putt, 18 hole putting green. Steak house restaurant |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sidcup then bus. Bus: 160, 229, 269, 286, B14*. |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The landscape is predominantly C19th with C20th municipal planting overlaid but the bones of the design may well be C18th. Sidcup Place is the oldest surviving building in the area, the core of the house built in 1743 for an Officer in the Engineers as 'Star Fort' with regular bastions in the angle of a square, possibly to a design by Joseph Trought. Subsequently the house was much altered. Between 1822-1919 the estate was owned by the Berens family although it was used for a school from 1907-1916 and it became Council offices in 1934. Part of the estate was sold in 1896 for housing (Church Avenue). The original approach was planted with limes and with a group of holm oak and yews and Wellingtonias on the lawn near to the house, some of which survive. To the east of the house are terraced gardens with floral displays and a ha-ha overlooking vestigial parkland including one or two good oaks. There are the remains of peripheral planting including Scots Pine, Oak and Lime. The walled garden of the original house remains to the south and has been laid out with rose beds and the east wall replaced with a Yew hedge. The original drive from Chislehurst Road is guarded by the C19th Red Lodge, recently renovated. Sidcup Park is separated from The Green (q.v.) by an unnamed private road.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ463713 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 13.8 |
| Site Ownership | L B Bexley; Bexley Hospital Trust (part) |
| Site Management | LB Bexley Parks and Open Spaces, Highways and Amenities Department |
| Dates | C18th; C19th; C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Sidcup Place. Local list: Red Lodge, Wall to kitchen garden |
| 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 (part only, includes garden and part of parkland) |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Space; Green Chain Walk |
Gallery
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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.
Now converted as a residential care home for the elderly, Frognal is an ancient site considered to be one of the most important historical landscapes in the borough, with occupation dating back to the C13th. Parts of Frognal House date back to Tudor times although it is mainly c.1670 with C18th and C20th additions. In 1780 it was inherited by Thomas Townshend, MP, later created Lord Sydney of Chislehurst, after whom Sydney, Australia is named. The property remained in private ownership until 1915, and then became Queen's Hospital, later Queen Mary's Hospital. Features in the grounds include earthwork remains of formal terraced gardens; C17th kitchen garden walls; a turkey oak possibly planted in the C17th; a ha-ha; remains of a yew walk with an C18th specimen; a C19th oak avenue and other mature specimen trees in the Garden Shaw plantation.
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.
