Park Langley

Park Langley is a suburb of South-East London, located in the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It borders Shortlands and Beckenham to the north, Bromley to the east, Hayes and West Wickham to the south, and Eden Park to the west.

Park Langley
Westmoreland Road junction, Park Langley
Park Langley Location within Greater London
London borough	Bromley
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Beckenham/West Wickham
Postcode district	BR3/BR4
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley

History

The area can possibly be traced back to 862, with the mention of 'landan leage' in a charter, however the first definite reference is found in the 13th century, when the Langley family (or de Langele) family are recorded as owning land in this area.[1] The area, known as Langley Park Estate passed through various owners over the centuries, ending up in the possession of the Goodhart family in the early 19th century, who later sold it to the Lewisham-based building firm H & G Taylor in 1908.[1]

Modern Park Langley was first developed in the 1900s by H & G Taylor Builders. The initial phase (1909–1913) was laid out under the influence of the garden city movement, with individual houses in a generous sylvan landscape.[1] The layout of the estate and the design of most of the houses was entrusted to Reginald C Fry.[2] Other architects who designed houses for this initial phase were Edgar Underwood, H. T. Bromley, Sothern Dexter, and Durrans & Groves. The first roads to be laid out were Wickham Way, Elwill Way and Hayes Way in 1909, with Malmains Way, Whitecroft Way and Styles Way following in 1910. Around 80 houses were complete by 1914, although by that time H & G Taylor had been succeeded by The London and Kent Estate Ltd. This initial phase of the estate was designated a Conservation Area in 1989. The estate development included a golf club (opened 1910), housed in the old LangleyPark Mansion, and a tennis club. The mansion was destroyed by fire in 1913.

The estates most historically interesting house is 2 Whitecroft Way by Reginald C Fry – the design for which won the Ideal Home competition in 1910 and was erected at Olympia in the Ideal Home Show of 1912.[3][1] The famous Langley Park Garage (Chinese Garage), built in 1929, adjoins the first phase of the Park Langley suburb but was not part of its development.

Henry Wellcome purchased part of the site in 1918 in order to construct a pharmaceutical testing laboratory.[1] This site was closed in 1995 and later developed for housing.[1] The area remains a wealthy one, and contains gated communities such as Langley Park and Langley Waterside. It is primarily residential, with small rows of shops located on the edge of the area on Wickham Road and Westmoreland Road.

In August 2012, Bromley Council granted planning permission for Langley Court, Beckenham|Langley Court, a £150 million regeneration scheme in Beckenham by the developers Altessen (a joint venture between Altyon and Essential Land).[4]

Park Langley has a committee called the PLRA.

Transport

London Buses routes 162, 352, 358 and night route N3 serve the area.[5]

Sport & Leisure

Beccehamians RFC a Rugby Union Club founded in 1933 plays competitive rugby at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill.[6] Langley Park Golf Club established in 1910 is located in Barnfield Wood Road and has hosted British Open Qualification rounds www.langleyparkgolf.co.uk

Park Langley is a football and sports club in the area.[7]

Gallery

• 
  Shops on Westmoreland Road
• 
  Entrance to the Langley Waterside gated community
• 
  Chart House, Bushey Way
• 
  The Chinese Garage, now listed at grade II[8]
• 
  Brabourne Rise, a typical street in the area, with a wide road lined by large detached houses
• 
  Shops at the bottom end of Wickham Road

References

1. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetteer, p 376-7
2. The Ideal Home Through the Twentieth Century, Deborah S Ryan, 1997
3. The Ideal Home Through the Twentieth Century, Deborah S Ryan, 1997
4. http://www.langley-court.co.uk
5. "Buses from Park Langley" (PDF). TfL. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
6. Beccehamians RFC
7. http://www.redboatdesign.com, Redboat Design. "Venue Hire | Wedding Receptions | Kent | Club Langley |". www.clublangley.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
8. Historic England. "Park Langley 'Chinese' Garage and flanking lanterns (1298991)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 August 2020.