Tour of Scadbury Manor - Saturday 29th June 2024

At the invitation of the Orpington and District Archaeological Society (ODAS), twenty or so BBLHS members were given a private tour of this ancient site with the informative guidance of the ODAS chairman, Janet Clayton. On a very pleasant day, we found our way down the long track from Perry Street to the site, to receive a warm welcome from Janet and several colleagues.

Building first took place on this prominent hill location, now hidden by trees, around 1200 and the manor house has gone through many changes and rebuilds. From the de Scathbury family, it passed to the Walsinghams and Townsends until the last heir died in 1975 and it was purchased by Bromley Council (those were the days!). Much of what is visible today is the remains of 1920's reconstructions of the medieval manor hall and a lot of the original material is underground, hence the work of ODAS which started  in 1986 and continues unabated today.

The 300 acre park which surrounds the manor excavations is open to the public and well worth a visit. ODAS normally hold an open day every year in September giving full access to the listed site. Regrettably, the area is  subject to vandalism and for this reason cannot be left open at all times.

Some pictures of our visit are below. Click on one to see a larger image and use the side arrows to move forward and back.