Description
The land, part farmland and part woodland, was donated by Lord and Lady Waring in 1929 to provide a public park and playing field. It opened as Waring Park in May 1931. It was laid out with a raised terrace on the southern boundary with a number of shelters, since demolished as a result of vandalism in recent years. An area of woodland was retained and laid out with paths, and other areas were planted with flowers, shrubs and trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Lansdown Road, Sidcup |
|---|---|
| Postcode | DA14 4JL |
| What3Words | ///above.strut.hours |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Bexley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30 am - dusk |
| Facilities | Football pitch, changing rooms, toilets, hard tennis courts, cricket pitch, children’s play area |
| Public Transport | Rail: Sidcup. Bus: 269. |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The land, part farmland and part woodland, was named Birchwood on the 1st edition OS in 1867. It was donated by Lord and Lady Waring in 1929 to provide a public park and playing field. It was designed with a raised terrace on the southern boundary, and had shelters, toilets and a store shed. Two of the shelters were brick built and thatched with Norfolk reed. Woodland in the north-east corner was retained and laid out with paths. In another area a belt was planted with flowers, evergreens, shrubs and forest trees. The cost to lay out the park was £11,447 and the official opening took place on 2 May 1931. Although it is now dominated by playing fields the park retains the original raised terrace on the southern boundary, backed by poplars, with central concrete steps leading to a brick shelter with shingle roof. A pair of hexagonal brick shelters with pyramidal shingle roofs used to face each other from south-east and north-west corners of the park but have since been demolished as a result of serious vandalism. The Dell area to the north-east has an area of vestigial oak and alder. The playing fields are on raised ground and the children's play area is in the south-east corner. Rose-beds are set on the west side of the grounds and shrubs border the approach from Lansdown Road.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ467724 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 5.2 |
| Site Ownership | LB Bexley |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | 1929-31 |
| Designers | K Dalghiesh ARIBA assisted by W A Farnham (Council surveyor) |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Urban Open Land |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Farmland up to the C20th, Abbey Hill Park became public open space between the 2 World Wars as the area was developed for housing. It is named from a property called Abbeyhill to the north shown on old maps surrounded by fields. The park is bounded to the south by South East Railways Dartford Loop line, from which it is screened by trees.The entrance from Canterbury Avenue is lined with shrubs and the park consists of an area of level grassland with a small circular area left unmown in summer. Since 2007 a former allotment site that is now Millennium woodland has been added to the park.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The former Lamorbey estate lands now comprise a mix of usage: a public park, a private golf course, institutional grounds and schools with their playing fields. The first recorded owner was Thomas Sparrow or Lamienby, Deputy Reeve of the Manor of Bexley in 1495. His daughter inherited the estate and with her husband James Goldwell built a house called Lamienby-Goldwell. The grounds appear to have first been formally laid out in the mid-C18th when the estate was owned by Wllliam Steele. Between 1761 and 1783 the estate was for a short time divided. It remained in private ownership until 1910 when the house became a hotel, remaining as such until it was purchased in 1947 by Kent Education Committee. The Glades was opened as a public park in 1948.
The former Lamorbey estate lands now comprise a mix of usage: a public park, a private golf course, institutional grounds and schools with their playing fields. The first recorded owner was Thomas Sparrow or Lamienby, Deputy Reeve of the Manor of Bexley in 1495. His daughter inherited the estate and with her husband James Goldwell built a house called Lamienby-Goldwell. The grounds appear to have first been formally laid out in the mid-C18th when the estate was owned by Wllliam Steele. Between 1761 and 1783 the estate was for a short time divided. It remained in private ownership until 1910 when the house became a hotel, remaining as such until it was purchased in 1947 by Kent Education Committee. The Glades was opened as a public park in 1948.
!['Sidcup Golf Course and Lamorby [sic] Hotel from the Air', postcard c.1930. Courtesy Bexley Local Studies & Archive Centre](https://secure.londongardenstrust.org/inventory/images/historic/BEX030-H1-hist.jpg)
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.
