Click HERE for Events in the Recreation Ground NEWS Bowie Bandstand Planning Application The state of the park's toilets Latest news update July 2022 Council discuss Bowie Bandstand restoration report Programme Timetable for Bandstand Restoration work Gate Lodge and adjacent
Gateway to Croydon Road Recreation Ground David Bowie's festival bandstand gets Grade II listing (August 2019) Events in the Recreation Ground Paddling Pool status update
Paddling Pool status - The Paddling Pool is now OPEN and will remain so through the Summer Bowie Bandstand Planning Application
(The above image may be viewed in more detail as part of PDF document 'PROPOSED NORTH-WEST & SOUTH-EAST ELEVATION PLANS' within the planning application documentation via the Planning Permission link below) The planning applications for the Bandstand Restoration have been published and may now be viewed on the London Borough of Bromley's planning portal via the links below: Planning Permission: Listed Building Consent: Future Plans LBB Neighbourhood Management is working with the Friends of Parks borough-wide forum on a parks-wide signage improvement project and our Friends Group will be putting forward some ambitious proposals to improve park signage at Croydon Road Rec. specifically. London Borough of Bromley is now accepting applications for their £1Million Platinum Jubilee Parks fund, an LBB-administered parks improvement fund. .Details of how to apply for some of the fund have been circulated to community groups and The Friends are planning to apply to the fund for replacement of our park's grossly out of date signage, which could include a story board of the bandstand. We will keep you informed of the progress of our application in due course. Also, toilet refurbishment has been brought up by ourselves, the cafe and the Ward Councillors as a priority for the park (see the article below).. Another longer term improvement for the park will be refurbishment of the paddling pool, for which we have already started fundraising. LBB are also planning to refurbish the smaller gazebo/shelter in the park this year, should the external funding prove forthcoming. The state of the park's toilets
The Friends are increasingly concerned about the state of the park’s toilets, following several recent complaints. idverde ground staff are contracted by Bromley Council to clean and re-stock the toilets every morning when the toilets are unlocked; the Service level Agreement is once a day. The toilets have deteriorated recently and
have experienced vandalism and anti-social behaviour. The
state of the toilets has led to the ward Councillor
escalating the situation with the Portfolio Holder for
parks at Bromley Council. Due to these problems, the idverde team has committed to monitoring the toilets at various times during the day and cleaning and restocking them as necessary. Time sheets have now been placed in the toilet for the operative to sign on each visit and a supervisor will visit periodically to assess the condition and request a clean, if necessary. The team will inform management immediately if there are any signs of anti-social behaviour and record any damage to the toilet block so that this can be reported to Bromley Council, for repairs to be initiated. We would encourage all Friends to report
issues with the toilets direct to the council. The more
we report it the more pressure we put on Bromley Council
to address the issues . Please report all issues with the
toilets (and any other matters in the park) here: Longer term we are campaigning for a full refurbishment of the toilet block to coincide with the bandstand renovation and we would welcome support from all Friends to pressure Bromley Council to provide funding to support this. If any Friends are interested in volunteering to help with repainting and refreshing the toilets in a community day partnership with IdVerde and Bromley Council please email John Backway, Membership Secretary at jmbackway@yahoo.co.uk. All materials will be provided and no toilet cleaning would be expected ! Latest news update (July 2022) All our parks are still recovering from the extra visitors they had during covid but the Summer bedding has recently been planted and after nearly 10 years of fundraising by the local community and other park stakeholders, the long-awaited bandstand restoration will be underway before the end of the year, for completion in 2023. Updates concerning that will be on the Council and here on the Friends’ website soon. London Borough of Bromley (LBB) Neighbourhood Management is working with the Friends of Parks borough-wide forum on a parks-wide signage improvement project and the Friends (FoCRR) have flagged up some ambitious proposals to improve park signage at Croydon Road Rec specifically. Details of how to apply for some of the Platinum Jubilee fund – an LBB-administered parks improvement fund - are to be circulated to community groups shortly, and the FoCRR’s proposal to improve the noticeboards and internal communication within the Rec will be part of an FoCRR application for that fund. Toilet refurbishment has been brought up by FoCRR, the Cafe and the Ward Councillors as a priority for the park also. Another longer term improvement for the park will be refurbishment of the paddling pool area, for which the Friends have already started fundraising. There are also plans to refurbish the smaller gazebo/shelter in the park this year, should the external funding prove forthcoming. We hope that park users will be pleased to see these, and other park improvements to come, in the following months and years. Please do consider becoming a member of the Friends’ group, if you would like to make a positive contribution to the Rec.
Bowie Bandstand, Croydon Road
Recreation Ground The table below shows the indicative timetable for the delivery of the bandstand refurbishment, restoration and repair works project:
For more details about the bandstand refurbishment, restoration and repair works project, follow the link to the Bandstand Project page Gate Lodge
and adjacent Gateway to Croydon Road Recreation Ground
HISTORIC ENGLAND HAS STATED THE FOLLOWING REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION The gate lodge and gateway to Croydon Road Recreation Ground, Beckenham, built in 1890 to 1891, are recommended for listing at Grade II for the following principal reasons: Architectural interest: A late Victorian gate lodge forming a strong architectural composition alongside the gateway at the entrance to the park, including wooden verandas, a circular bay window for the supervision of the park covered by an elegant ogee dome, and a pyramidal roof rising to a tall central chimney stack; The lodge survives relatively well and compares favourably to listed lodges of the period. Historic interest: For the historic association with the wider expansion of the public park movement in the late 19th century, following the Public Health Act (1875), when parks developed in suburbs and small towns for recreation and as an expression of civic pride. Group value: As a component of a fine late Victorian and Edwardian ensemble alongside the Grade II-listed (2019) Bowie Bandstand (1905), which is also associated with the 1969 Summer Growth Festival and David Bowie’s rise to fame after performing in the park, adjacent to housing of the same period. David
Bowie's festival bandstand gets Grade II listing Singer performed to audience of few hundred at Beckenham landmark in summer of 1969
The
Beckenham bandstand, known to fans as the Bowie bandstand
was used for singer’s 1969 summer festival Fifty years after a young David Bowie performed from a south London bandstand in front of a tiny crowd at a summer festival he organised, the historic iron structure that served as his modest stage has been Grade II-listed. Known to fans as the "Bowie bandstand", and thought to be the only surviving example from the Glasgow-based McCallum and Hope iron foundry in the UK, it was the centrepiece of the Growth summer festival, held by Bowie and friends on 16 August 1969 in Beckenham. London Borough of Bromley press article 2022 Events in the Recreation Ground Saturday 13th August 2022
Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th September 2022
Previous events in the Recreation Ground
? The Friends of Croydon Road Recreation Ground 2008 - |
