London: Beckenham Place Park

Working together with London Borough of Lewisham to deliver education services in Beckenham Place Park.

Discover Beckenham Place Park with Field Studies Council

Field Studies Council London delivers dynamic, hands-on courses in Beckenham Place Park. We use the Urban Park to bring learning to life — helping students sharpen their geography and science fieldwork skills and connect with the natural world around them.

The Homesteads Education Centre

A new education Centre was developed in the Homestead, opening in 2019 in a beautifully restored Georgian stable block. With two classrooms and facilities, this provides a base for us to explore the Park. The Park and the teaching sites we use is accessible and easily reached by public transport or coach. During the day we will walk between the teaching sites. We provide any equipment, resources and handouts required for the day.

An inspiring location for study

Beckenham Place Park, a Local Nature Reserve as well as a Site of Metropolitan Importance, has been transformed from a country estate into a golf course, and now into 96 hectares of Urban Park, with .meadows, ancient woodland, lakes and many features that support and enhance biodiversity. providing opportunities to explore the natural world.

Working together

Working together with London Borough of Lewisham to deliver education services in Beckenham Place Park.

Projects and Bursaries

To support our education partnerships, we are pleased to offer schools a 20% discount on the student price for day courses for Lewisham Schools. Find out more

Our mission is to create outstanding opportunities for everyone to learn about and connect with the natural environment and be passionate about preserving its future. That’s why we make every effort to help disadvantaged young people access the benefits of environmental education. Current funding and bursaries can be found here.

“Impressive day out! The pupils loved the activities and learnt how to respect the creatures they found and the environment too.”
Key Stage 1 Teacher, Surbiton High Girls’ Preparatory School

Facilities

Cafe: Public cafe
Capacity: 60 in two classrooms, larger groups possible
Car Parking: Public car park
Disabled Access: The location has disabled access.
Public Transport: Close to rail or tube stations and bus stops
Toilets: On site toilets
Wi-Fi: Free guest Wi-Fi is available throughout the centre.

Local area

Beckenham Place Park

John Cator bout the estate and built the mansion in 1762. The Park has been managed by Lewisham Council since 1972 and the park was used as a public golf course. In 2016 Lewisham was awarded a £5 million grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of the Homestead buildings and the renovation of the pleasure gardens and formal gardens. The 96 hectares of Urban Park is listed as a Local Nature Reserve as well as a Site of Metropolitan Importance. The Park has a range of habitats including meadows, grasslands, 37 hectares of wet and ancient woodland, lakes and many features that support and enhance biodiversity. providing opportunities to explore the natural world.

River Ravensbourne

The River Ravensbourne runs along the eastern edge of Beckenham Place Park. Flowing north from Bromley through Lewisham, it is a tributary of the River Thames joining at Deptford Creek. The 900m through Park is the last semi-natural reach of the river and it is being restored and re-naturalised. As it is a single stretch of river, it is suitable for primary and lower secondary geography investigations.

Travel to London: Beckenham Place Park

Navigate with:

As part of our environmental commitment we encourage all visitors to travel by coach, train or public transport.

By train – the nearest station is Beckenham Hill

By bus – a number of local bus routes serve the Park.

By road: Find out more on the London Borough of Lewisham website. Before travel, please check the TFL website to plan your journey or for status updates. Car parking available in the Park car park