Things to Do in Sidcup
 All
Saints Church
Rectory Lane,
Foots Cray,
Kent
 020 8303 7096.
An ancient church, heavily restored in the 1860s, set in the
attractive countryside of Foots Cray Meadows. All Saints has a wooden bell tower
with a shingled spire and a 12th century font.
 Five Arches Bridge
Foot Cray Meadows,
Sidcup,
Kent
Five Arches Bridge across the Cray is worth seeing but sadly Foots Cray Place,
a Palladian mansion built in 1756, was destroyed by fire in 1949 - only the walled
garden and stable blocks survived the blaze.
It was officially re-opened by the
Mayor of Bexley on Friday, 28 June 2002.
The bridge suffered extensive structural
damage when the weirs below it collapsed last July. It was repaired and reopened
to pedestrians within eight months. The repair work to the bridge involved constructing
a river bypass and dam to divert the river flow around the bridge.
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Foots Cray
Meadows
North Cray Road,
Sidcup,
Kent
Foots Cray Meadows is situated in the less densely populated, south east
corner of the Borough of Bexley. It is not only the largest open space in the
Borough, but also the least formal, which lends itself to the variety of wildlife
habitats present. Totalling 97 hectares, it consists of a rolling landscape,
ancient woodland, the River Cray and its adjacent woodlands and wildflower margins.
Large areas of Footscray Meadows are now managed as wildflower meadows, but
this has still left large swathes of amenity grassland for recreational pursuits.
Visitors are attracted to the site for a number of reasons but the majority enjoys
natural beauty and serenity in an informal and passive manner. Footscray Meadows
provides a wealth of diverse habitats for the site's flora and fauna. This has
been recognised by the management who balance the need for recreational facility
with developing the site's important conservation and education potential.
Footscray Meadows is an important site for wildflower and wildlife habitats,
attracting many nature lovers and bird watchers and an increasing number of visitors
who enjoy its unique character and diverse appeal.
Facilities
- Permitted horse rides
- Children's playground (dog free zone)
- Toilets (opened for special events only)
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 Gothic Bath House
112 North Cray Road,
Bexley,
DA5 3NA
01322 554894
"Built
circa 1766, originally in the grounds of Vale Mascal. Cold plunge bath house
in the Gothic style, beside River Cray. Flint with brick edging. Pairs of cinquefoiled
windows to north and south; entrance to west; all beneath labels. Cruciform gabled
roof, with chimney stack at west. Splayed corner butresses. Grade II*."
(Source: Department of the Environment: List of buildings of special architectural
or historic interest in the London Borough of Bexley.)
The busy, single-carriageway part of North Cray Road, just outside Bexley
Village, still follows today its 18th Century path, just above the spring-line
along the east bank of the River Cray. 250 years ago the slopes down to the River
were part of the Vale Mascal Estate, one of a number of wealthy estates in the
Cray Valley, which included Foots Cray Place, North Cray Place, Bourne Place,
Hall Place and older seats such as Woollett Hall and Mount Mascal. Of these only
Hall Place survives.
Vale Mascal was built in 1746 on part of the Mount Mascal Estate, stretching
along the Cray from Wollett Hall almost to Bexley Village. The gardens were laid
out professionally, probably between 1760 and 1775, either by Capability Brown,
(who it is known worked at Danson in 1760/61 and at North Cray Place in 1782)
or by one of his disciples.
The ingenuity with which the River was treated shows skill of the highest
order. Lakes were created and cascades and weirs built, developing channels and
sub-channels to give the whole River a braided appearance as it flowed around
the islands thus created. It was on one of these channels that the Bath House
was built, its construction involving a significant amount of hydraulic ability
to achieve a satisfactory inflow and discharge in the gradual gradient of that
part of the Cray.
The Bath House was fed, via a sluice gate on an almost level channel, approximately
150 feet downstream from a weir. A further internal sluice gate operated on the
outfall pipe of the Bath which discharged down a slight slope back into the Cray.
This enabled the Bath to be filled to a level of 4 feet and completely drained
when required.
The ownership of the Bath House has changed many times, the last major change
being in 1935 with the division of that part of the Estate into suburban building
plots. Two significant restorations were carried out, by the Revd. Egerton in
the 19th Century and by Robert Cooper in the early 20th Century. The Bath House
suffered major damage in the storm of 16th October 1987. The 1990 restoration
to its original 18th Century appearance was carried out by a local firm, and
funded principally by English Heritage, with contributions from Bexley Council's
Heritage Fund and the present owner's domestic insurers.
For further information on the history of the Gothic Bath House, consult:
Archaeologica Cantiana v.82 (1967) p227-34. Maps. Plans.
The Gothic Bath House is situated in the garden of a private house, and is
not visible from the road. Viewing is strictly by appointment only on Summer
Sundays, by prior arrangement with the owner.
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Lamorbey Swimming Pool
157 Station Road,
Sidcup,
Kent
DA15 7AN
020 8302 0556
 020 8300 7771
 Lamorbey website
There are many different types of swimming sessions available within this
25-metre pool. For more information please visit the Lamorbey
website.
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 Manor House
The Green,
Sidcup,
Kent,
DA14 6BW
020 8300 4537
020 8308 4967
The Register Office of the Bexley District is located at the Manor House
on The Green in Sidcup. This superb Georgian listed building has been beautifully
restored and has become one of the most popular venues for civil marriages in
the South of England.
 More about Manor House can be seen on the Registrars'
web pages.
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 Sidcup at Night
High Street,
Sidcup,
Kent
Sidcup High Street is a lively night time venue, and its vast array of bars,
pubs and restaurants cater for a wide variety of tastes.
On the high street alone you will find Indian, Chinese, Greek, Italian, in addition to the old stalwarts,
Pizza Hut, Southern Fried Chicken, McDonalds etc.
Sidcup offers a diverse range of bars and pubs, so you have a choice of places to go for a drink, either with friends or on your own: The Black Horse, The Hogshead and The Portrait, are the finest drinking establishments in Sidcup. Meals are available at each of these town centre pubs. The Alma, Horse and Groom and Sidcup Place are but a short walk away, each with a reputation built on good value catering.
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Sidcup Library
Hadlow Road,
Sidcup,
Kent DA14 4AQ
020 8303 7777 ext
5600
Sidcup Library is in the town centre, just off the High Street.
It was refurbished and modernised in 2005. New facilities include
a bright, colourful children's library, PCs for public use, study
spaces, refreshments and a Council Contact Point.
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![[Sidcup Town Centre logo]](../../images/townlogo-sidcup.gif "Sidcup Town Centre logo")