Langley Park
When Bromley eventually overwhelmed its neighbour and assumed control over the areas finances it gained a lot more than money. It gained something far more valuable – Park Langley, and it has become the jewel in Bromley Borough’s crown. It is an island set within the sea of south London. Park Langley bestrides city, suburbia and country and is either unwilling or unable to commit itself into becoming any of them.
It just assimilates the best parts of each and has grown into something that man alone could never have planned. Its proximity to London has been a Godsend enabling commuters to enjoy the best quality of lifestyle and yet remain within a short distance of the capital. It is comforting to know that escapism is close at hand and not something to remain a dream! It is a fact that living close to urban green spaces with high levels of biodiversity and not sanitised little blocks of lawn are good for ones physical and mental health. With the rise in population in cities people become isolated from nature and are unable to balance their lives with what was naturally intended.
The green spaces around Park Langley are much more than somewhere to walk they are a way of taking time out and communing with the natural world around us. People who don’t have this facility suffer from far more mental anguish created by the stresses of modern life. The quality of life benefits more than ones well being, one of the more diverse benefits is a reduction in crime. If you live in a beautiful well cared for area it is less likely to suffer from any of the negative impacts of crime such as vandalism. So Park Langley is more like the Garden of Eden than a suburb on the outskirts of London!
What springs to mind when one thinks of the many places that have grown around the capital are vast avenues of pre war bungalows and mock Tudor semis, this affluent area of south London couldn’t be further from one’s preconceptions. A lot of thought went into the development of not only Langley Park gated community but also the surrounding estates.
Modelled on an Indian colonial town, glimpses of the Edwardian core are still apparent because it now protected within the conservation area. With wide tree lined avenues and large house with generous gardens that were originally built to entice the wealthy away from the city. These were not the only properties built, the architects who were responsible were aware that there were many who aspired to such a lifestyle so smaller developments quickly sprung up to satisfy the demand. Between the 1920’s and 1950’s building was sporadic and although not of the same exceptional standard it was still high in comparison with other estates built at the same time. Although the houses and the gardens may be smaller, the high hedges that surround the properties reflect the designs of those larger properties. At no time was the dream of a “garden suburb” sacrificed for a “fast buck”! The same can be said for today’s development within Langley Park’s gated community. The old estate was sold in the 1990’s for redevelopment
The estate is secluded because of the amount of parkland contained within and the mature trees that surround the development have been retained and offer a further screen to protect the privacy of the estates residents. The community is a sought after modern residential development that has managed to combine architecture inspired by the 19th century “Arts and Crafts” movement with everything that you would expect of a newly built estate but also including private woods and parkland that only the very wealthiest could expect!
Langley Park originally started life as a country estate located along with Beckenham Place and Kelsey on the slopes of the hills above Beckenham village. This was done to avoid the regular floods that plagued Beckenham and to keep apart from the lower orders of the village. It has been said that the romantic ties within the families living in the three grand houses could easily have equalled any Catherine Cookson novel!
The history of the place stretches much further back into the dim and distant past, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon remains still exist. The earliest recorded reference to a Langley Estate in Kent is said to be an Anglo Saxon Charter dated 862 in the British Museum. The name crops up again in the Domeday book which tells us that the area was part of Bishop Odo’s (William the Conqueror’s brother) estates. Hence the reason why there are so many “conqueror” named trees. Henry VIII would often stop overnight in the area on his way to one of many assignations with Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle. The most important landowner at the time was Sir Humphrey Style and his home was Langley Park which still stands today.
The Langley family bestowed its name upon the estate in 1350. Unfortunately the manor house was destroyed by fire in 1913. The “French châteaux” style mansion that still stands today was actually part of Langley Farm and not a replacement for the manorial house.
As in the past because the area was only ten miles from the capital it attracted a certain class of individual, bankers, industrialists and other moneyed people were attracted to the area. The same can be said of today, large houses, open spaces and good schools all contribute to the areas success.
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
Can you help? Contact us if you know the history of a town or village in Kent near you. We're also looking for Photographs of Kent, submit online
Comment about this article: editorial@wikikent.co.uk
|
