| Kelsey Park | |
|---|---|
 Main lake with Heron Island in distance, October 2021 | |
 Interactive map of Kelsey Park | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | London, England |
| OS grid | TQ 376 689[1] |
| Coordinates | 51°24′07″N0°01′23″W / 51.402°N 0.023°W /51.402; -0.023 |
| Area | 32.25 hectares (79.69 acres)[1] |
| Established | 1913[1] |
| Etymology | Kelsey family who owned estate in 15th century[1] |
| Managed by | Bromley London Borough Council (in partnership with Friends of Kelsey Park)[1] |
| Status | Open year-round |
| Connecting transport | Rail:Beckenham Junction[1] Bus:162,352,358 (to south);54,227,354,367 (to north)[1] |
| Facilities | Café, toilets, children's play area, tennis courts, mini golf course, tree walk, children's nature walk[1] |
| Website | Friends of Kelsey Park |
Kelsey Park is a public park inBeckenham in the borough ofBromley, Greater London. It historically formed the landscaped park of theKelsey Manor Estate. Theriver Beck runs through it.
The original mansion was built around 1408 for William Kelshulle and demolished around 1800.[2] A second mansion was built for Richard Bennett around that time and then acquired by Peter Richard Hoare, the elder (a partner in the banking firmC. Hoare & Co) in 1835.[2] Peter Richard Hoare, the elder converted the manor into a ramblingGothic Revival house.[2] The house passed to Peter Richard Hoare, the younger in 1849: he added a chapel, designed bySir George Gilbert Scott, in 1869.[2] It then passed toCharles Arthur Richard Hoare in 1877.[3][4]
The land adjoining Wickham Road was sold in the 1890s and laid out with largeArts and Crafts movement houses designed byFrancis Hooper.[5] The house became aconvent for theAll Saints Sisters of the Poor in 1895 and then became Kepplestone School for the Daughters of Gentlemen in 1901.[2] Following the death of Charles Arthur Richard Hoare in 1908, Beckenham Urban District Council acquired the estate in 1911.[2]
Kelsey Park was officially opened to the public by Right HonourableJohn Burns MP, President of the Local Government Board, on 31 May 1913.[6][7][8] The house itself was used by theBritish Army during theFirst World War and was demolished in 1921.[2]
Kelsey Park School which was opened in 1968 takes its name from the fact it was built on the historic Kelsey Park Estate; however following Academy conversion in September 2011 it was renamed toHarris Academy Beckenham.[9]
Kelsey Park is managed byBromley London Borough Council in partnership with Friends of Kelsey Park, anon-profit organisation formed in 1997 that consists of around 600 members and publishes the triannualKelsey Park Magazine.[1][10]
Kelsey Park is part of theKelsey and Eden Park ward for elections toBromley London Borough Council.[11]
![Kelsey Lodge, a Grade II–listed late Victorian Tudor Revival lodge by the eastern entrance off Wickham Rd.[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKelsey_Park_eastern_gate_lodge.jpg)
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![Ice house near southern end of park, probably dating from the early 19th century[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIce_Well_in_Kelsey_Park%2c_Beckenham_(02).jpg)
