High Elms Country Park is an extensive public park on the North Downs in Farnborough in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a Local Nature Reserve, and together with the neighbouring Downe Bank, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The park surrounds High Elms Golf Course, and has extensive woodland, chiefly oak and beech, chalk meadows and formal gardens. It also has a cafe, a visitor centre, nature and history trails and car parks. The idverde Countryside Team, who manage Bromley owned parks, are based at High Elms. There is access from High Elms Road and Shire Lane.
History
The history of the High Elms estate can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, when it was given by William the Conqueror to his half-brother, Odo, bishop of Bayeux. For successive generations afterwards the land occupied now by the golf course was given over to farming. In 1809 a wealthy London Banker and Member of Parliament, John William Lubbock, bought the 260 acres, which we now know as the High Elms Estate as a country residence and in 1840 the astronomer and banker, Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronetinherited it. He built a grand new mansion in the Italian style. After Charles Darwin moved in 1842 into the nearby Down House on the other side of the village of Downe, Lubbock's son, also called John Lubbock, the fourth baronet, and later Baron Avebury, befriended him, being a frequent visitor to Down House. In 1938 the estate was sold to Kent County Council and the house became a nurses' training centre. In 1965 the area became part of the London Borough of Bromley, and the estate was transferred to the new borough. The land then became public open space, but in 1967 the mansion burnt down.
Listed buildings
There are the following Grade II Listed Buildings in and around the park:
BEECHE
Bromley Council has established the Bromley Environmental Education Centre at High Elms at the park, with environmental programmes for schools and public events in the school holidays.] https://www.bromleyparks.co.uk/beeche/
How to get there
Bus routes
R1 Green St. Green to St. Pauls Cray via Chelsfield, Orpington and St. Marys Cray.
R5Petts Wood Stn to Halstead via Orpington, Green St. Green and Cudham/Pratts Bottom.
R8 Orpington to Biggin Hill via Green St. Green, Shire Lane and Down.
R11 Green St. Green to Sidcup via Orpington, St. Marys Cray, St Pauls Cray and Footscray.
146 Broimley North Station to Downe via Hayes and Keston.
261 Green St. Green to Lewisham via Farnborough, Bromley, Grove and Lee.
358 Orpington to Crystal Palace Park vis Green St. Green, Farnborough, Bromley, Eden Park, Beckenham, Penge and Anerly.
402Bromley North, to Tunbridge Wells via Farnborough, Green St. Green, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Hildenborough and Tonbridge.
Trains
The nearest train Station is Orpington
Car Parks
There are three car parks accessible from High Elms Road.
* The main car park - Close to the formal gardens, BEECHE centre/visitors center and cafe.
* The golf course car park - a very short walk to the formal gardens and BEECHE centre, etc.
* Cuckoo Wood car park - This car park is further out in Cuckoo Wood, on the opposite side of the road is Blacklands Wood both of which are SSSI.
There is one car park accessible from Shire Lane
* The BEECHE car park - This is for staff and blue badge holders only.
During busy times the car parks may be full, due the SSSI designation of large portions of the estate the carrying capacity of the site must be limited to a degree to attempt to limit damage from heavy use.
Car parks full?
The High Elms footprint trail starts in Farnborough Village for a pleasant walk over the nearby Churchfield to the Park. This is quite a short walk, meant to provide an alternative to the site car parks and directions for people who's bus journey ends in Farnborough Village.
