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• Hall Place

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Contact Details

• Open Space Booking
  Room 123 Civic Offices
  Broadway Bexleyheath
  Kent DA6 7LB
• 020 8303 7777

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Hall Place

Bourne Road, Bexley Kent

Location and Access

Hall Place is situated off the A2 on Bourne Road. (There is a map of the park at the end of this page which shows the location in more detail.)

Hall Place is the Borough's second Class I park and designated historic site. Tudor/Jacobean buildings are set in over 63 hectares of open space and ornamental gardens.

At the centre of the Hall Place Estate stands one of the most important late medieval houses in the south east. Today the house is managed by the Bexley Heritage Trust and offers a variety of permanent and visiting exhibitions as well as educational exhibits and is open for weddings and other functions. The house has a museum. The local studies centre is no longer based at Hall Place and has moved to the Central Library, Bexleyheath.

It has the added attraction of a working Nursery within its ground and offers many recreational facilities including rugby, football and cricket. The main entrance is dominated by a busy modern car park and a 1960s brick changing room block, which services the nearby sports fields. These fields are used throughout the year by a wide variety of local teams and clubs.

History

Since they were opened to the public in 1952 by the Duchess of Kent, the award-winning gardens at Hall Place have become a popular attraction, getting more than 100,000 visitors each year from far and wide. Guided tours are available to groups of visitors on request, throughout the year.

Hall Place is a Grade I listed 16th Century house constructed of rubble masonry with a red brick 17th Century extension the south side. Since the house was built in 1537-1540 it has changed ownership many times, and during the first half of the 19th Century it even existed as a school. Apart from the House, Nursery and Gardens, the park itself boasts many excellent features and offers something of interest to all ages, from sport to heritage. There is a sports field and flood plain.

Gardens

The layout of the grounds and nursery have changed many times over the years since the house was built, but many features date back nearly a century. Of course, such features are replanted from time to time. Many of the present day features seen in the gardens also date back in their concept in keeping with the age of the house. The many fine features displayed within the Nursery and gardens have resulted in London Borough of Bexley winning the 'London in Bloom' competition on a number occasions.

There is the Herb Garden, especially adapted for the blind with labels in Braille, and a Rose Garden of 4000 roses laid out in the Tudor fashion, with herbaceous borders.

The Enclosed Garden has a series of floral beds enclosed by manicured yew hedges with low growing box hedges to the front of the beds. The beds are planted twice a year to produce a spring and summer display of colourful bedding plants.

The Sunken Garden, once a pond, is below the level of the River Cray. The banks are covered in cricaceous, azaleas, camelias and campanulas which are particularly attractive during spring and early summer. The diamond-shaped flowerbeds within the close-mown lawn give a sense of formality before visitors venture into the informality of the island beds and spring gardens across the river via the red bridge. Also the flood plain, a meadow of wild flowers, has been created, which has provided another feature for visitors and dog-walkers to enjoy.

On the far side of the river is a Rock Garden built of Kentish ragstone, a Heather Garden and in the spring a particularly fine display of daffodils. The Granary, dating from the 19^th century comes from Manor Farm, Bexley and was restored by Parkhill Community Projects and re-erected in 1988.

Topiary

The art of shaping hedging plants can be seen on the topiary lawn. Lady Limerick planted the topiary chess pieces in 1935, while the the 'Queens Beasts' were planted in 1953 to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The yews are trimmed and tied in three times a year to maintain their shape.

The River Cray which runs through the grounds of Hall Place adds its own particular feature and is home to many different types of wildlife. Many large fish, including Chub, can be seen in the many pools within the rivers.

Hall Place 'Flora-for-Fauna' Garden

This garden has been developed by London Borough of Bexley's Highways & Amenities Department in conjunction with Jill, Duchess of Hamilton, and her colleagues at the 'Flora-for-Fauna' Society.

A taste of the Hall Place garden was displayed this year at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, where it was extremely well received. In addition to the many national experts and celebrities who showed considerable interest in the garden, a large number of keen Bexley gardeners visited the stand and hopefully they will now develop the 'Flora-for-Fauna' concept in their own gardens.

What is a 'Flora-for-Fauna' garden?

The garden actively promotes biodiversity and environmental sustainability, by providing habitats and food for wildlife such as birds, butterflies and small mammals.

Bexley wholeheartedly subscribes to this concept as part of its advanced and developing Local Agenda 21 sustainability strategy which operates in close partnership with the Borough's residents through our range of focus groups and the Public Environmental Forum.

The plantings in the Flora-for-Fauna garden are also solely of native British plants. This is another important part of the concept of the garden in assisting the use of often forgotten plants. These will be illustrated and named within the Hall Place garden to encourage residents and other visitors to plant these in their own gardens.

Hall Place Gardens

The gardens at Hall Place are not just a beautiful and restful 'Jewel in the Crown' for Bexley, although they hold a prestigious Green Flag Award and have been recognised as one of the premier gardens in the south of England. They are also an educational and thought-provoking service for visitors, with a number of model gardens and allotments suggesting ways that residents can develop their own gardens whatever their size or location. The greenhouses and plant beds also display a wide range of interesting and beautiful plants which attract visitors from a wide area.

Bexley's commitment to sustainability

William Morris, one of Bexley's most well-known past residents, passionately argued the need for gardens to be natural and promote what would now be called 'sustainability'. London Borough of Bexley is no less passionately committed to sustainability as part of 'everything we do'. Bexley's first Environmental Strategy was set down over ten years ago and following the Rio Summit has now developed into a robust Local Agenda 21 partnership with residents.

Nursery

The Nursery, with its high walls, has existed since the original house was built and would have supplied much of the 'green' food for the then residents of the house. With the erection of a modern greenhouse within the Nursery, Hall Place can now boast of one of the few places where tropical plants such as bananas can be seen bearing fruit. The Nursery has been developed as an educational and recreational feature and currently produces many of the bedding plants used in Bexley. The cafeteria adjacent to the Nursery offers a selection of meals, snacks, ices and hot and cold drinks.

The Miller & Carter Jacobean Barn

In 1990 the 18th century Barn underwent extensive refurbishment and now forms an attractive 'Miller & Carter' Restaurant whilst still retaining the character and charm of the original buildings.

Dog-Free Areas and Dog Facilities

There are several dog-free areas within the park, namely:

• Historic House
• Rose Garden
• Topiary Lawn
• Elizabethan Garden (Enclosed Garden)
• Herb Garden
• Rock Garden

There are 10 dog bins located around the park for dog owners to deposit waste.

Facilities and features include:

In the Formal gardens (dog-free):

• Historic House
• Rose Garden
• Topiary Lawn, with the famous "Queen's Beasts"
• Elizabethan Garden (Enclosed Garden)
• Herb GardenRock Garden
• River Cray

In the Open Space:

• Nine football pitches
• Seven cricket pitches
• Two cricket bay nets
• Changing rooms

Adjacent to the large car park:

• Nursery
• Cafe
• Toilets

Activities

Recreational Walks - Walking is almost perfect exercise; requiring no equipment or expense, it is the best way for people from all walks of life to become more active. Click the link here or the healthy walking logo at the bottom of this page for details on health walks in this park and others.

General Information

• Park Rangers Services
  Tel: 01322 356909
• Hire of Recreation and Sports Facilities
  Tel: 020 8294 6188
• Highways and Amenities
  Tel: 01322 356894
• Turfsoil Ltd.
  Tel: 01622 814063
• Jacobean Barn Restaurant
  Tel: 01322 552748
• Mansion and Museum
  Tel: 01322 526574
• Visitor Centre and Gift Shop
  Tel: 01322 558676

Hall Place Access/Opening and Closing Times

• Hall Place Mansion and Museum (with gift shop)
  
  Please telephone 01322 526 574 for information on opening times.
  Closed at dusk in Winter

• Hall Place Gardens
  
  Open 9am-dusk in Summer
  9am-4pm in Winter

• Hall Place Nursery
  
  Open 9am-7pm in Summer
  9am-4pm in Winter

• Visitor Centre and Gift Shop
  
  Open Daily during Summer months

Map of the park To view a printable map of the park , click the image below:

N.B. The map is a 59KB file which should not
take more than about half a minute to download.

 
Active Local Groups Bexley Civic Society
Bexley Natural Environment Focus Group
 East Wickham Conservation Volunteers
Foots Cray Meadows preservation group
Friends of West Heath
Lesness Abbey Conservation Volunteers
North West Kent Countryside Project

If you are interested and would like to know more about joining a group, please telephone the Nature Conservation Officer on 020 8294 6558 or email parks&openspaces@bexley.gov.uk.