Thames Tributary Ravensbourne - Norman Park

Thames Tributary Ravensbourne
The Ravensbourne continues north until it reaches an ornamental lake from where it has been diverted to the west


Post to the west Hayesford


Bromley Common
St.Luke. Begun in 1886 designed and built for Arthur Cawston, but the committee fell out with him because of his extreme views, foundation stone laid 1886 but the top of the tower and the spire were only completed in 1910. It is red brick, with dressings of stone and yellow brick and externally it seems thoroughly conventional. It has a spacious interior. It had an organ installed which had been built for the People’s Palace by Lewis of Brixton. Wind vane stands outside and had been removed because of its weight in 1954.
Bromley College of Higher Education, This was built 1957/62, simple, straightforward brutalist design as Bromley Technical College by George Trew, Dunn. Two colleges in one building. Detached hall block, workshops by the road and at the lower end. Basically simple, the part at the top end has angular workshop skylights and various protruding concrete pieces. Since rebuilt. New buildings opened 2007. The history of the college goes back to 1873 when evening classes ran in Masons Hill. Funds were raised from George Scott of Sundridge Park, as well as from Sir John Lubbock and Charles Darwin. In 1878 the Bromley School of Art opened in Tweedy Road. Min the late 1950's plans were drawn up to re-house this college and Beckenham College in Rookery lane. Later the art part of the college moved out as Ravensbourne College
Pavilion of Blue Circle Sports Club. 1964 light-hearted by Hammett Norton. Gone. Opening in 1931 as the Bromley and District Sports Club, by 1934 it had become a country club. Taken over by Blue Circle as a staff facility in the early 1950s. Housing built on the site.
Elmfield. 18th Red brick Door case with bulgy Tuscan columns and a triangular pediment. Contemporary staircase. This was next door to the Crown on its original site.
155 Crown Pub 1765 and called ‘Pye House’. Rebuilt 1863 in its present site across the road from the original. Present building is 1960s but has been tarted up as a Toby Chain restaurant.
Woodlands – another long gone big house.
Ravensbourne Lodge - another long gone big house
Lodge. Flint and brick
Bromley Common Methodist Church
Five Bells. Probably established about 1860 by Henry Harris, as part of the development of Shooting Common that followed the arrival of the railway in 1858. It was converted from an original cottage style pub to a mock Tudor building behind around the time of the Second World War.
Great and Little Beggars' Bush were opposite The Rookery and were two polled elms and used for shelter by highwaymen.

Crown Lane
Ambulance centre. Built by the G L C. Special Works Department, opened in 1973. A low building in dark red engineering brick.

Hook Farm Lane
The name comes from a local farm
Hook Mission building. Picturesque courtyard.
Hook farm site. 1929. Very old, farmed by the Westbrooks from the 18th.

Norman Park. The name Commemorates the local Norman family, one of whom, James Norman, had a large residence on Bromley Common called The Rookery. Members of the family donated the site.
Bromley Football Club ground
Blackheath and Bromley Harriers track and Athletic Club.
Ravensbourne. In Norman Park the Ravensbourne flowed for 300m through a concrete-lined steel culvert. Old ditches flowed into the culvert. This has now been opened up.

Rookery Lane
Rookery. Queen Anne house and the Norman family home but it taken over by the army in the Second World War. Burnt down while the army were still there in 1946.
Rookery Lake. Used for carp fishing. In about 1750 the river was diverted to make the lake

Scrogginhall Wood
Unusual for coppiced alder and large quantities of aspen

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