Category Archives: leisure

On Saturday 22 October, Cllr Sarah Phillips unveiled a panel detailing the amazing history of the Clock House area.

WBRA Chair, Marie Pender, thanked Cllr Phillips for helping to opbtain the money to produce the panel, which we hope will also stretch to improving Clock House Parade by cleaning the pavements and putting in flower baskets. Now that Venue 28 is thriving, the area has had a great uplift and we hope that it too will thrive.

Clock House area is named after the clock on the stables of the manor house that was located close by the panel. The house was built in the early 18th century by William Lethieuller, son of a wealthy merchant and occupied in the early 19th century by Lady Annbelle Byron, estranged wife of Lord Byron and mother of Ada Lovelace, mathematician and first computer programmer.

It has had a varied history since then, and most interesting of all is the large number of famous people who lived, studied and worked in Clock House. The panel lists many of them. You can download the panel clock-house-history.

Members of WBRA along with Councillors Ian Dunn (Clock House ward) and Michael Tickner (Coper Cope ward and chair of the Beckenham Town working group) gathered to see Cllr Phillips unveil the panel, and then enjoyed coffee and cake at the cafe in The Spa.

As we reported previously, the Friends of Croydon Road Recreation Ground have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help restore the iconic Edwardian ‘Bowie’ Bandstand in Beckenham. They are running this campaign in order to restore the much-loved historic bandstand where David Bowie performed at the Beckenham Arts Lab Growth Summer Festival in 1969.

Friends of Croydon Road Recreation Ground say ……..

 “Whilst we are putting every effort into fundraising for the project, the restoration of the bandstand will not be possible without a lot more help! To reach our crowdfunding target of £72,747 by 8^th November, we need to raise approximately £51,000 in addition to the £21,700 that we have already achieved.

 Supporters have different opportunities to contribute to the restoration of the bandstand:

1.   By pledging a donation at www.spacehive.com/bowiebandstand and/or

2.   By purchasing a personalised brick for £100. It can commemorate a loved one, promote a business or be a personal tribute to David Bowie. The bricks will form a circular pathway around the bandstand.  Please see: www.bromley.gov.uk/bowiebandstand

 For more information, please visit their website: www.becrec.net

Saturday 13 August was a great day for the latest Bowie concert at Croydon Road Recreation Ground. The weather was glorious for a change and the music was great. The Bowie tribute act looked and sounded very much like Bowie, and was kept on stage for encores.

The ground was full, with many families sitting on rugs or chairs. There were facepainting stalls, a bouncy castle and a slide, a tent showing Bowie memorabilia, book signing stalls and lots of food and drink.

The event was  held to raise money for the restoration of the bandstand where Bowie held his “free concert” in August 1969.