Manor of Scadbury

Scadbury is a historic manor in the London Borough of Bromley. Much of the estate survives as Scadbury Park, a 300-acre Local Nature Reserve. The manorial chapel, Scadbury Chapel, still stands in St Nicholas church at Chislehurst. It once served as the burial place for the estate’s owners. The Walsingham family held the manor for centuries. Their connections include marriages, political roles and patronage of Christopher Marlowe. The estate passed through generations until it was sold in the 17th century. The manor first appears in records from the 13th century. Thomas Walsingham, a wealthy London merchant and MP, bought it in 1424. His son James married Constance Dryland, linking the family to Kent gentry. Sir Edmund Walsingham became Lieutenant of the Tower of London under Henry VIII. His grandson Sir Thomas Walsingham was a patron of Christopher Marlowe. The estate later belonged to Col. John Selwyn and then Thomas Townshend, after whom Sydney in Australia is named. Visitors to Scadbury Park find wide woodlands, meadows and ponds across 120 hectares. The park’s varied habitats support wildlife and rare plants. The remains of old estate buildings lie scattered through the reserve. The Scadbury Chapel in St Nicholas church holds heraldic glass from the Walsingham family. The park offers quiet paths for walking and nature watching. It remains a peaceful green space in suburban London.