North Cray Place, Sidcup, England

Site is open to the public. Opening may be limited, please check Visitor Information for any restrictions.

Part/component area of: Foots Cray Place

Brief description of site

This is public parkland comprising a lake spanned by a five-arched bridge, tree belts and individual trees. The house was demolished in the 1960s, but the remaining parkland was purchased by the local authority and reunited with that of adjacent Foots Cray Place to become Foots Cray Meadows, Bexley’s largest public open space.

Brief history of site

The earliest record of any formal layout of gardens and pleasure grounds around North Cray Place dates from 1769. Pleasure grounds laid out with paths and water features appear to extend north-west from the house across the River Cray as far as North Cray Woods which formed part of the western boundary of the estate. Thomas Coventry instructed Lancelot Brown in around 1780 to carry out alterations to the estate at North Cray Place. Brown’s account book records that he received £1300 in 1781/2 for the work.

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