Civic Voice: The national charity for the civic movement in England
Friends of Bromley Town Parks and Gardens: Local group supporting the seven public parks & gardens in Bromley town centre.
London Forum: Bromley Civic Society is a member of The London Forum which works to protect and improve the quality of life in London. It is a most influential body with input into Government and London Plan policy. Take a look at their regular NewsForum bulletins and see what is going on elsewhere and what other Societies like ours are dealing with. We are not alone!
https://www.londonforum.org.uk/newsforum.php
Ravensbourne Valley Preservation Society: Bromley based voluntary group that aims “to preserve the best and improve the rest of the environment” – in this part of the Ravensbourne Valley.
Bromley Council: Main website
Open Spaces Society: Aims to protect, increase, enhance and champion the common land, village greens, open spaces and public rights of way in England and Wales, and the public’s right to enjoy them.
Heritage Trails
Bromley Council have created a Bromley North Village Heritage Trail. Details can be found via the following link:
LBB Bromley North Village Heritage Trail
Bromley Civic Society has also issued its own heritage trail leaflets which cover a larger area of Bromley town centre. These are available as PDF documents for download as follows:
Bromley Town Heritage Walk no 1
Bromley Town Heritage Walk no 2
Bromley Town Heritage Walk no 3
Bromley Town Heritage Walk no 4
Bromley Borough Local History Society
Browse our old photos, in 
from being dominated by tower blocks: Look here and email our ward councillors about:
*
Hi, hopefully this reaches your vice chair, Peter Martin. I mentioned possibly writing little article about the recent tour and I’ve just got round to it. I’m pasting it here as I couldn’t see another way. Hope to come on more tours. Best wishes, Jan Brown.
A Picture Perfect Day
On Saturday 22nd June I lined up outside Boots in The Glades more out of curiosity than anything else, as a lifelong resident of the borough of Bromley I figured there wasn’t much I didn’t already know. How wrong I was, and what an absolutely fantastic day I experienced, along with at least 25 or 30 other folk. Our two hosts for the morning tour entitled ‘Bromley Palace and Park’ were clad in Victorian suits and hats and provided entertaining and illuminating information about aspects of Bromley previously unknown to me, and I’m sure others were equally surprised and delighted. What a privilege to wander inside the beautiful 18th Century building known as Bromley Palace, and you can even think about having your wedding reception there. With its grand staircase, wooden panels, high ceilings and even an Adams fireplace it was once home to the Bishops of Rochester and it has retained its grand air.
Back outside we learnt that the surrounding area is actually a peaceful park with a lake and fountains for all to enjoy but sadly parts of this beautiful environment have been shamefully neglected; a rude awakening indeed on our tour. How can we expect everyone to respect our precious open spaces when officialdom seems disinclined to support the protection of local heritage?
After half an hour break many of us hardy souls returned for another tour, this time on ‘Victorian Bromley’ in the area around Bromley North. We were joined by a delightful lady dressed in Victorian garb who was as knowledgeable as our two top hatted gentlemen. We walked and talked and listened, we saw how the growth of the railways led to the building of 19th century commuter housing and we discovered a quaint 200 year old cottage. There was more of course – if you look up above the modern shopfronts, you can see dates carefully crafted into the brickwork, 1876, 1884, 1903, further evidence of Bromley’s hidden history. Look down and you will see the plaque commemorating the Bromley youngster, H G Wells.
This enjoyable but thought provoking day was finished off in grand style with a visit to the newly opened Bromley Picturehouse. Tea and Coffee was kindly offered, allowing us the chance to see the truly beautiful renovation of this building, complete with vintage art deco screens panels.
A picture perfect end to a lovely day indeed, but for the worrying seeds of doubt – are the guardians of our heritage doing everything they can?