A British Summer Time Walk

Home , Chislehurst, Orpington, Petts Wood, Scadbury Park

A British Summer Time Walk Chislehurst to Petts Wood Station A walk through National Trust woods and farmland, focused on William Willett, the campaigner for daylight saving time.

William Willett (1856-1915) the campaigner for ‘daylight saving time’ lived for much of his life in Chislehurst. Although he did not survive to see daylight saving become law, he is generally credited with bringing the idea to public attention. He is buried in St Nicholas' Churchyard in Chislehurst, there is a memorial sundial in Petts Wood (that’s the actual wood, not the suburb) and of course there is also the Daylight Inn near Petts Wood Station. Also in Petts Wood there is a road called Willett Way, and the Willett Recreation Ground. It’s possible to take a pleasant two and a quarter mile walk from Chislehurst War Memorial to Petts Wood Station (or vice-versa) which takes you past his grave, the memorial sundial and the Daylight Inn. Most of the walk is through National Trust woods and farmland. In addition to the Grade II Listed Daylight Inn, there is also the opportunity to visit the two other pubs and a club in Petts Wood, plus the many pubs in Chislehurst, two of which are directly on this walking route. In the subsequent pages we describe the route, using the standard ‘Bromley Pub Walks’ format, plus we’ve also included some photographs taken along the route. Petts Wood and Hawkwood are owned and managed by the National Trust, and most of the former Hawkwood estate is still a working farm. More information about the history of Petts Wood and how it was saved from the threat of development, see the National Trust website, via this link.

Bromley Pub Walks Bromley CAMRA has published a series of on line walking guides to assist members and others to walk between the more than 30 pubs and clubs in the southern part of our branch area. Further guides are currently in preparation which include a further 15 routes which go ‘just over the borders’ into Kent, Surrey and Croydon. More information about Bromley Pub Walks can be found on the Bromley Branch website.

Bromley Pub Walks

A British Summer Time Walk Chislehurst to Petts Wood Station

A pleasant walk through National Trust woods and farmland, dedicated to William Willett, the campaigner for daylight saving time

Please read the Bromley Pub Walks introductory notes for explanation about information provided in these walking guides This walk has been published to coincide with an item in the branch Newsletter in September 2020 Approx. Distance: 2.25 miles Approx. Time: 1.25 hours (excluding time spent at pub stops) Gradients: No significant steep gradients, but parts of the route can be muddy and/or slippery in wet weather Type(s) of path(s): Mostly woodland paths, or gravel paths, plus some tarmac Stiles / Gates: This route has no stiles or kissing gates Road Walking: All roads have footways, except Botany Bay Lane, which is a gravel track (ie. roads without footway) used by a few vehicles Livestock or crops: No paths are within fields containing livestock or crops OS Grid References: . Petts Wood Station: TQ 444676 . Chislehurst War Memorial: TQ 443701 Maps: . OS 1:25 000, No. 162 . The following maps and guides can be downloaded free of charge: o National Trust map of Petts Wood and Hawkwood (strongly recommended) o Part of the route is covered by the TFL guide to the LOOP, including maps o Most of the route is covered by the Bromley Council walk guide ‘Petts Wood’, which also includes a map Connections to other This special walk includes some of the paths on the following routes: Bromley Pub Walks: . 22, Petts Wood to Chislehurst, via Hawkwood . 23, Petts Wood to Scadbury Park . 30, Chislehurst Station to Scadbury Park From Petts Wood Station: . 21 to Farnborough Continues…

Bromley Pub Walks

Connections to other From Chislehurst: Bromley Pub Walks . There are no Bromley Pub Walks continued: . However the Green Chain Walk, from the High Street, links to numerous places in Bromley and South East London, see: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/green-chain-walk

Pubs: The following pubs/club are directly on the route, or very close to it:

Petts Wood Station: . Daylight Inn, Station Square, Petts Wood. BR5 1LZ . One Inn The Wood, 209 Petts Wood Road, Petts Wood. BR5 1LA . Sovereign of the Seas, 109-111 Queensway, Petts Wood. BR5 1DG . Royal British Legion Club, (*) Queensway, Petts Wood. BR5 1DHX Chislehurst, War Memorial: . Bulls Head Hotel, Royal Parade, Chislehurst. BR7 6NR . Crown Inn, School Road, Chislehurst. BR7 5PQ . Tiger's Head, Watts Lane, Chislehurst. BR7 5PJ There are also other pubs in Chislehurst, see below for more information (*) CAMRA members welcome, please show your membership card Public Transport: Petts Wood Station (Zone 5): . Southeastern, Victoria to Orpington via Bromley South . Southeastern, Charing Cross/London Bridge to Sevenoaks via Grove Park and Orpington . Thameslink, Orpington to Blackfriars/St Pancras via Bromley South (weekdays only) . 208, Lewisham to Orpington via Bromley . 273, Lewisham via Chislehurst . Plus other local ‘R’ buses to/from Orpington Chislehurst, War Memorial (or nearby): . 61, to Bromley North/South via Orpington . 160, Catford Bridge to Sidcup via Eltham . 269, Bromley North to Bexleyheath via Sidcup . 273, Lewisham to Petts Wood Notes: . CAMRA historians may be interested to note that the Bulls Head Hotel was the only Bromley pub to be listed in the first edition of the Good Beer Guide (1974). For details of all the Bromley pubs which have ever appeared in the Good Beer Guide see https://bromley.camra.org.uk/about-us/good-beer-guide-history/ The Route: (Starting at Chislehurst, War Memorial) . The walk starts in Royal Parade, opposite the War Memorial . Take School Rd, then almost immediately join the path on the common, running parallel to Church Row . After a short while, the Crown Inn is visible on the right; the depression in the ground opposite the pub was once a cockpit . On the left is St Nicholas Church, the grave of William Willett, is in the far corner of the churchyard,

Bromley Pub Walks

adjacent to the junction of Church Lane / Manor Park Road . If you leave the churchyard via the gate to Church Lane, and then turn left, the Bulls Head Hotel is about 200 yards walk away . The Tiger's Head is opposite the churchyard in Manor Park Road, not far from the grave . To continue with the walk, go past the Tigers Head, and then turn left to re-join the path through the common, until reaching Hawkwood Lane, at the junction with Morley Rd . Cross Hawkwood Lane and turn right and then follow the road, until it turns sharp left and becomes a gravel track called Botany Bay Lane . Continue along Botany Bay Lane, a tree and hedge-lined bridleway, for a short distance until reaching the junction with a path and bridleway on the left . Follow the path or bridleway until the two routes split; the bridleway goes left and the path right. Both end up at the same place, however the path takes a zig-zag route around Flushers Pond, with good views over the surprisingly-rural countryside. NB the path can be muddy, and the boardwalk around the pond can be slippery when wet. . The path and the bridleway both climb until reaching the main track through Petts Wood, which also forms part of the London Outer Orbital Path (‘LOOP’), the 150 mile long distance path around Greater London . To continue direct to Petts Wood, turn right onto the main track and keep following the LOOP signs . To see the William Willet Memorial Sundial necessitates making a short detour off the direct route, however there is no signage, and it can be difficult to find. It’s located at TQ 450691 . There are several paths and tracks, therefore it is recommended that you follow the National Trust map of Petts Wood and Hawkwood, which also shows the location of the sundial . After re-joining the main track running through the woods, continue to follow the track until you see, just off the track on the right hand side, the memorial to Francis Edlmann, and Robert & Francesca Hall . Shortly after this memorial, the LOOP turns to the right, however we go straight ahead, and pass under the railway lines in a subway . Turn left when reaching Hazelmere Rd, then right into Towncourt Crescent . Turn left when you reach Woodland Way. By now you are within sight of the shops etc of Petts Wood . You will probably have worked up a thirst by now, and you have a choice of 3 pubs and a club: o Turn right into Petts Wood Rd for the One Inn The Wood o Continue straight ahead for the Daylight Inn o The railway station is behind the Daylight Inn o The Sovereign of the Seas and the Royal British Legion Club are both on the other side of the railway, for these you need to cross the tracks via the bridge at the station. After crossing the bridge, walk to the main road, the Royal British Legion is just beyond Morrisons on the left, and the Sovereign is to the right, on the opposite side of the road (Starting at Petts Wood Station) . Leave the station platforms via the steps and then turn right onto the footbridge to exit the station through the ticket office

Continues…

Bromley Pub Walks

. Go down the steps and walk straight diagonally left, towards the left hand side of the Grade II Listed ‘Daylight Inn’. Turn left adjacent to the pub and continue straight on into Woodland Way, then cross the road and go diagonally right into Towncourt Crescent Other pubs in Chislehurst Most of the pubs in Chislehurst are grouped together in 3 locations: . As above, on this walk route, near the War Memorial o Crown Inn o Tiger's Head o Bulls Head Hotel . Towards the Station: o Bickley Arms o Imperial Arms o Ramblers Rest . Near the Pond: o Queen’s Head o Gordon Arms . In addition, the Sydney Arms is located near Scadbury Park It is possible to walk between all of the above pubs using Bromley Pub Walks guides, for more information see Route No 22

On next pages: . A selection of photos taken along the route . Sketch map

The Bromley Pub Walk guides have been prepared and published by Bromley CAMRA to encourage members and others to enjoy walking in the rural areas of Bromley and to visit the many pubs and clubs on the routes.

If you have any comments about the Bromley Pub Walk guides please send an email to: [email protected] rg.uk

Bromley Pub Walks

Photos, clockwise from top left: - St Nicholas Church, Chislehurst - Flushers Pond - 3 views over Hawkwood, looking towards Bromley - The Willett Memorial Sundial - The Boardwalk around Flushers Pond - The Crown Inn, with the cock pit in the foreground