1. Sylvan Way/Layhams Road bus stop

Walk round to Coney Hall Recreation Ground, which is also on route 119. Apart from the sheer expanse of the grounds, it’s remarkable for the Prime Meridian that is sited bang in the middle of the park. One side of the stone states Prime Meridian of the Worlds while the opposite side says Greenwich Meridian Line 0° Longitude, The London Borough of Bromley.

From here, make your way to the Daughters of Mary and Joseph. This is a convent with its own chapel, situated next to a Retirement Home and is adjacent to Wickham Court Farm. The horses attached to the farm roam freely in a field opposite the convent. The Daughters were founded in Belgium in 1817 and arrived in England in 1869. They educate and take care of those who aren’t able to fend for themselves, teaching in schools all over the world. The convent and its chapel are naturally closed to the public but you can get a feel of them from outside.

2. Birch Tree Avenue/Layhams Road bus stop

Alight here to visit Well Wood. This area is ancient semi natural woodland with a variety of trees – oak, ash, hazel, yew, sweet chestnut to name but a few. Well Wood was once part of the Wickham Court Estate with some of the trees being used by wood colliers (charcoal makers). Not so long ago there were huts covered with turfs beside a smoking kiln that provided temporary dwellings for workers. In autumn, locals would collect nuts, berries, mushrooms and firewood and poachers were never far away so gamekeepers were on hand to patrol the woods in the hope of catching them.

Beckenham Council bought Well Wood in 1934 for £6,500 but it wasn’t until 1947 that public access was granted and then only for restricted access from 10 am to sunset. Full access was given a year later. These days it’s mainly used for amenity and biodiversity.

Along one of the paths, you’ll come across an oak bench, decorated with oak leaves and dedicated or created by Mark, whose name is writ large on the bench.

3. Addington Road/Glebe Way bus stop

At another bus stop, but not far to walk, is a Banksy-style mural of a young boy wearing a mask and watering a rainbow. Street artist Chris Shea started painting a series of these murals to raise money for St Christopher’s Hospice in Croydon, at the outset of Covid in 2020. He charged businesses and individuals to carry out the artwork and donated some of this to producers of personal protective equipment for medical staff. He wanted to lift people’s spirits at the time when the pandemic was necessitating solitude.

4. Crest Road bus stop

This is the stop to see Hayes Free Church. The church is believed to be on the site of Pickhurst Manor, which came into existence in medieval times, though not at this exact spot. It was moved here by the 18th century and was lived in by a variety of gentry until early 20th century when it was dilapidated and eventually pulled down in 1936. These days, the church seems to be open for worship only on Sundays and it was certainly closed mid-week. There is an interesting sundial in the grounds that has the words “The chimney on the lodge demolished October 1959” which could be that the stone is from the original lodge house.

5. Westmorland Road/Cumberland Road bus stop

There are a number of Victorian post boxes in London and if you want to see one, take a walk round to Durham Road. Roadside post boxes were introduced in the reign of Queen Victoria and both hers and every subsequent monarch has their cypher immortalised on the front – so this one has VR, thereby dating it to the 19th century.

Walk back to the bus stop and you’ll come across St Mark’s Church, which even if it’s not open, do take a look round the back to see the Prayer Garden. It has been laid out with plants that are referred to in the Bible and has benches around the garden where you can rest and contemplate. The church itself dates back to 1898 when it was consecrated. The daily service the following day (a Sunday) was so crowded that not all worshippers were able to gain admittance to the church. It has quite an imposing tower, with only the bottom part having been built originally, housing the main porch. It was another 5 years before the tower was raised to its full height. As with so many buildings in London, St Mark’s suffered bomb damage during WWII and it was rebuilt post-war with a grand opening and rededication in 1953.

Opposite the church is a bronze statue called “One of Us on a Tricycle” and also known as “Sir Trike”. This sculpture is one of 9 created by Steven Gregory and was made in 2005. It is a headless elephant with a hollowed out neck riding a vintage green tricycle. It has certainly sparked controversy with many residents hating it while others, particularly the younger generation, enjoying using it for climbing and playing on.

6. Bromley Civic Centre bus stop

Other bus routes also stop here but there are still new places to see. Queen’s Gardens was established in 1897 when Coles Child (Lord of the Manor of Bromley) donated two fields for use as a public garden, to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. It was originally named Victoria Gardens and later became Queen’s Gardens. A plaque at the base of a majestic tree in the middle of the gardens, states that “this field formerly known as The White Hart Cricket Field now named The Queen’s Garden”.

Take a walk round the corner and you’ll come across a couple of really lovely buildings. First is the former School of Science and Art, now
called the Clock House. The external relief terracotta panels include representations of both science and art. It was built in 1878 at a cost of £3,000. The public opening at that time included a display of the first working telephones ever made. The building was extended in 1894 to provide Bromley’s first library and it is now a private residential building.
Over the road is the former Town Hall which was built in 1906 in a neo-Wren style. It has a hipped slate roof with a central cupola made from timber which sits on top of a striking entrance porch. This building is on the site of former Widmore House, the home of Colonel J Newman Tweedy.

7. Bromley North station bus stop

Final stop on this route is to see College Green and its surroundings. Set inside the green is a magnificent Bug Hotel, made by a local Brownie pack. The Green is a new addition to open spaces in Bromley, being only opened in 1982. It is also known as Slip Pocket Park, which is home to Bromley Green gym. In the green is a pretty pergola as well as some old trees, one of which is a mulberry of indeterminate age.

The green is situated at the rear of Bromley’s most historic and important building, the Grade I listed Bromley & Sheppards College. The original Bromley College was founded in 1666 by the Will of John Warner, Bishop of Rochester to provide housing for “twenty poore widowes of orthodoxe and loyall clergiemen.” The bishop had been deprived of his see and palace during the Commonwealth, when he spent years moving around the West Country, staying with relatives and friends. Knowing what it was like to be homeless, he decided to use some of his considerable wealth to provide for the widows of clergy who had been killed in the Civil War, supporting the King.

It was intended that the college should be built in Rochester, Kent, but land was apparently not available. So after the passing of a special Act of Parliament, it was built in Bromley in 1672, near the Bishop’s palace which was on the site of the present Civic Centre. The original building consisted of twenty houses built around a quadrangle with a chapel and larger residences for a chaplain and a treasurer. This quadrangle, built in classical style, is usually referred to as the “Wren Quad” as it was thought until relatively recently that Sir Christopher Wren was its architect. It is now acknowledged that Captain Richard Ryder, one of Wren’s surveyors, had designed it.

Sheppard’s College was founded in 1840 for unmarried daughters who had resided with their mothers in Bromley College and who became homeless when their mothers died. It was named after Mrs Sophia Sheppard, the wealthy widow of Dr Thomas Sheppard, a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. The Colleges continue to provide accommodation for widows and daughters of clergy who have served in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, together with clergy and their spouses. It’s not possible to enter the colleges but you can get a glimpse from the street and the buildings really are remarkable.

After last week’s really interesting bus route, it was something of a disappointment today. Admittedly, I had visited other places on the route on different buses previously but I couldn’t find much to excite me this time. There were some beautiful buildings but it wasn’t possible to go inside any. One or two things were worth seeing – the Banksy-style mural, the sculpture at St Mark’s Square and certainly the old buildings in Bromley. It was possibly the shortest of the routes so far, with only 20 stops and it’s possible to walk from one place to another, without necessarily waiting for the bus which comes every 30 minutes.

I think the 139 will make up for it and I apologise to anyone who lives on this 138 route and who loves it!

Toilets that are open to the public and free of charge:

• I couldn’t find any – the best thing would be to find a café in one of the high streets