Martins Hill- Deadman’s Steps
Welcome to Martins Hill. This location is the second stop in this park, on the heritage and biodiversity trail around the historic parks in Bromley Town Centre.
This post is a work in progress.
Deadmans steps is another name where the origin has been forgotten, but some local history experts think that the name is because they are on a Medieval “coffin way”, and the bottom step is where the coffin would have been unloaded, to be carried on people’s shoulders, because the hill was too steep for the horses to continue.
Fun Fact
something perhaps the sprites
Deadman’s steps is also known locally to be haunted: a badly injured man in breeches and waistcoat can be seen lying in a pool of blood at the top of the steps.
The road at the bottom of the steps used to be called ‘Swan Hill’ as the inn at the top is called The Swan and Mitre. Locals say that the swan represents the bishop’s mistress, the Bishops of Rochester have been Lords of the Manor in Bromley for over a thousand years.
All the stops in the Bromley Town Centre Parks Heritage & Biodiversity trail can be found on the page about it here.
To continue the Heritage Trail, go down the steps and up the hill to the junction. At the car park entrance, turn right down the uphill side of the car park, and the Bromley Zoo mural is on the wall to the left.
Browse our old photos, in 
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