Bromley & Beckenham

A mural dedicated to Charles Darwin in Bromley

Having finished my tour of Chislehurst Caves, where I had encountered chalk and flint, I set off on the bus back to West Wickham via Bromley; however, with the weather being fair and having enough time before a planned family gathering in Beckenham, I decided to make my way on foot – encountering various points of geological interest on the way.

The church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bromley

Although closed by the time I got there, the church of St. Peter and St. Paul provides a good example of construction using knapped flint walling. Originally dating back to at least 1126, the oldest remaining part is the 15th century tower, with the rest being rebuilt 1949-57 after it was totally destroyed during World War II.

The tower at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The dressings are obviously a Jurassic oolitic limestone and, although these were not closely examined, Bath stone is typically used to provide structural strength to flint built churches in south-east London – once the Kennet and Avon Canal was completed in 1810; however, a reference to the restoration of the tower in 1924 cites Clipsham stone – another Jurassic oolite from the Lincolnshire limestone - being used to replace many of the grey/green Reigate stone quoins, which can still be seen in places.

The ambulatory at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Bromley

Although the ambulatory contains various memorials, paving stones and an interesting frieze that deserve further investigation, time was moving on and I therefore continued with my journey. At Beckenham Lane, I was surprised to discover a relatively steep slope that leads down to Shortlands railway station, which is set in a valley now occupied by the River Ravensbourne.

The geology around Bromley and Beckenham

As seen at Chislehurst Caves, where the Chalk inlier has been exposed by the River Quaggy, the River Ravensbourne has cut down through the Harwich Formation and the Lambeth Group into the Thanet Formation, to leave this locally distinctive local landform.

The lychgate at St. George's church in Beckenham

Finally arriving in Beckenham, St. George's church provides a prominent local landmark and, although it was essentially rebuilt 1885-1877 and was also damaged in World War II, it dates back to Saxon times and the 13th century lychgate is considered to be the oldest in England.

A general view of the north elevation of St.George's church

A quick circuit of the church shows it to be constructed with rock faced Kentish ragstone walling, with Bath stone quoins and dressings, and it has been rebuilt in a Decorated Gothic style.

The font at St.George's church

Internally, the stonework has been largely painted and I didn't see any exposed materials, except for the badly damaged 12th or 13th century limestone font of unknown provenance; however, it has fine examples of Gothic Revival encaustic tiles and very interesting modern stained glass.

Encaustic tiles at St. George's church in Beckenham