Kelsey Park is a public park in Beckenham in the borough of Bromley, Greater London. It historically formed the landscaped park of the Kelsey Manor Estate. The river Beck runs through it.
| Kelsey Park | |
|---|---|
 Main lake with Heron Island in distance, October 2021 | |
  Location within Greater London  Location within England | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | London, England |
| OS grid | TQ 376 689[1] |
| Coordinates | 51°24′07″N 0°01′23″W / 51.402°N 0.023°W |
| Area | 32.25 hectares (79.69 acres)[1] |
| Established | 1913[1] |
| Etymology | Kelsey family who owned estate in 15th century[1] |
| Managed by | Bromley London Borough Council (in partnership with Friends of Kelsey Park)[1] |
| Status | Open year-round |
| Connecting transport | Rail: Beckenham Junction[1] Bus: 162, 352, 358 (to south); 54, 227, 354, 367 (to north)[1] |
| Facilities | Café, toilets, children's play area, tennis courts, mini golf course, tree walk, children's nature walk[1] |
| Website | Friends of Kelsey Park |
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History
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The original mansion was built around 1408 for William Kelshulle and demolished around 1800.[2] A second mansion was built for Richard Bennett around that time and then acquired by Peter Richard Hoare, the elder (a partner in the banking firm C. Hoare & Co) in 1835.[2] Peter Richard Hoare, the elder converted the manor into a rambling Gothic Revival house.[2] The house passed to Peter Richard Hoare, the younger in 1849: he added a chapel, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, in 1869.[2] It then passed to Charles Arthur Richard Hoare in 1877.[3][4]
The land adjoining Wickham Road was sold in the 1890s and laid out with large Arts and Crafts movement houses designed by Francis Hooper.[5] The house became a convent for the All Saints Sisters of the Poor in 1895 and then became Kepplestone School for the Daughters of Gentlemen in 1901.[2] Following the death of Charles Arthur Richard Hoare in 1908, Beckenham Urban District Council acquired the estate in 1911.[2]
Kelsey Park was officially opened to the public by Right Honourable John Burns MP, President of the Local Government Board, on 31 May 1913.[6][7][8] The house itself was used by the British Army during the First World War and was demolished in 1921.[2]
Kelsey Park Sports College which was opened in 1968 takes its name from the fact it was built on the historic Kelsey Park Estate; however following Academy conversion in September 2011 it was renamed to Harris Academy Beckenham.[9]
Kelsey Park is managed by Bromley London Borough Council in partnership with Friends of Kelsey Park, a non-profit organisation formed in 1997 that consists of around 600 members and publishes the triannual Kelsey Park Magazine.[1][10]
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Information board by northern entrance off Manor Way -
Gate lodge near northern entrance -
![Kelsey Lodge, a Grade II–listed late Victorian Tudor Revival lodge by the eastern entrance off Wickham Rd.[11]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Kelsey_Park_eastern_gate_lodge.jpg/150px-Kelsey_Park_eastern_gate_lodge.jpg)
Kelsey Lodge, a Grade II–listed late Victorian Tudor Revival lodge by the eastern entrance off Wickham Rd.[11] -
River Beck waterfall just north of main lake -
Ornamental cat in a flowerbed
![Kelsey Lodge, a Grade II–listed late Victorian Tudor Revival lodge by the eastern entrance off Wickham Rd.[11]](/wiki/File:Kelsey_Park_eastern_gate_lodge.jpg)
.jpg)
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Paths and benches near main open area -
![Ice house near southern end of park, probably dating from the early 19th century[12]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Ice_Well_in_Kelsey_Park%2C_Beckenham_%2802%29.jpg/150px-Ice_Well_in_Kelsey_Park%2C_Beckenham_%2802%29.jpg)
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Wildlife of Kelsey Park -
More wildlife of Kelsey Park -
Water birds of Kelsey Park
![Ice house near southern end of park, probably dating from the early 19th century[12]](/wiki/File:Ice_Well_in_Kelsey_Park,_Beckenham_(02).jpg)
References
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kelsey Park. London Gardens Trust.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kelsey Estate". Beckenham History. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ "St Barnabas Beckenham". Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Callaghan, A. (2020). History of Kelsey Park. Kelsey Park Magazine, Autumn 2020. pp. 16–17.
- ^ Nairn's London, Ian Nairn, 1965
- ^ "Beckenham's Kelsey Park prepares to mark 100 years of opening to the public". Bromley Times. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Sheldon, V. (2013). Tom William Thornton and Kelsey Park. Kelsey Park Magazine, Summer 2013. pp. 5–7.
- ^ Lindsay, G. (2022). Memories of Kelsey Park and the Thornton family connection. Kelsey Park Magazine, Early Spring 2022. p. 11.
- ^ "Beckenham School at centre of Harris Academy row deemed 'satisfactory'". Bromley Times. 14 January 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Home. Friends of Kelsey Park. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ Historic England. "Kelsey Lodge (1186808)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ^ Longley, P. (2020). The Kelsey Ice House. Kelsey Park Magazine, Autumn 2020. p. 7.