Kemnal Manor

At the very north end of Kemnal Road lies Kemnal Manor. It is one of the earliest estates in the Chislehurst area, if not the earliest, and was continuously occupied for at least 700 years. Its long history has been influenced by well known events and people – The Holy Roman Empire, the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt, the French Revolution, and more recently, the Second World War. But today it is the site of a burial ground, although much of the remaining land of the once desirable estate grows wild and unkempt, while the last house, deserted and ruined, was destroyed by fire in 1964.
From Chomehole to Kemnal
The first time the property is mentioned in documents it is called Chomehole. At various times in its history it is also called Cunehale, Kimehole, Kimenhale, Kymenhole, or Kemenhole. For most of its recent life, up until 1871, it was consistently referred to in legal documents retained at New College, Oxford as Keminghole. However it was also known as Keming Hall, and the contracted form of the name, and the way it was referred to locally, was Kemnall. In the 19th century the use of the name Kemnal became more common in documents, including letters and valuations, with references to Kemnal Park, Kemnal Mansion and Kemnal House.
After New College sold the freehold to Mr Samuel Asser in 1871 he named the house Kemnal Manor. This was an affectation on Mr Asser’s part: naming a house ‘Manor’ was fashionable at this time (as it is again now), regardless of whether it had ever been a true manor – ‘land belonging to a nobleman who had the title of lord of the manor’. But the property had been referred to as a manor in earlier documents. Although the house does not appear to have had the manorial rights associated with a true manor (see the 1847 valuation extract below), it may have become a manorial holding as the ownership came about through a royal grant.
The early years
The first available reference to the house and lands is in 1250, in a deed witnessed by one Alexander of Chomehole, which is kept at New College, Oxford. Alexander is the first owner of the land and the house that can be traced. He lived here with his wife Matilda.
Under a deed dated around 1260, Alexander surrendered the lease of the house and its lands to the ‘Canons and Brethren of the House of St Nicholas and St Bernard of Monte Jovis in England at Haveringes’. The home of this monastery was in Switzerland, high up in the Great St. Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps. It is renowned for its hospitality to travellers and for the breed of dogs, the St. Bernard, which were kept there and used for rescuing lost or injured travellers. According to Bushell, King Henry III gave the lands at Chislehurst to the monastery somewhat earlier. The king had sent envoys in about 1159 to Frederick I, the Holy Roman Emperor, and while crossing the Alps his envoys were ‘succoured and entertained by the canons and brethren of the Hospital of St Bernard’. When Henry heard of the hospitality rendered to his envoys, he gave property he owned at Havering, London (including the site of the Savoy Palace) and Chislehurst to the Hospital ‘for the endowment of a religious house church at Havering’. The Chislehurst element of the property included the Kemnal Estate. Roy Hopper has suggested that the original gift to the monks was an interest in the land, and over the following century the monks consolidated their interest by buying the freehold.
This would explain why, after the surrender by Alexander, the monks immediately leased the house and most of the land back to Alexander. There was a proviso that if his wife predeceased him he should once again surrender the house in return for provisions of food and clothing for life from the monastery. There is nothing in the arrangements determining what would be provided to Matilda if he died first. We don’t know what happened to either Alexander or Matilda, but by 1301 Hornchurch Priory (the name then used by the order in England), is named as the owner of the Kemnal Estate, and was taxed as such by Edward I (at the rate of 1/15th). The house would have been occupied by the Steward of the Priory, as it was later (1386) when leased by a Nicholas de St Remigius, who was a prebend of the Priory.
Endowment on New College, Oxford
During the course of this lease, in April 1391, the Priory sold all its English properties, including Kemnal. This was 10 years after the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The unrest resulted from the imposition of a Poll Tax following the labour shortages created as a result of the great loss of life (in some areas as much as 2/3rds) during the period of the Black Death. The Kentishmen who took part in the revolt were led by Wat Tyler, and on their march to London, they would have passed close by, but probably to the north of Chislehurst, on their way to Blackheath and from there to London Smithfield, where Wat Tyler was killed. The unrest was in part directed towards ‘alien religious houses, and led to the seizure of the lands of many of these monasteries by the Crown. In the case of Hornchurch Priory seizure was pre-empted by a sale of all its English properties for 2,000 marks to William of Wykeham, then Bishop of Winchester, who endowed the property on his new foundation, St Mary’s, known as New College, at Oxford. New College was to retain the property for 480 years.

Bishop Wykeham was one of the most important men in England at the time. He was twice appointed as Chancellor of England, first to Edward III, and later to Richard II. This role was equivalent then to the Prime Minister. He had amassed a great fortune during his rise to power in the 14th Century, and during his holding of high office, but he spent the last years of his life using this wealth ‘for the good of his friends, the poor, and his country’, and his involvement here is an example of this. It was Wykeham who built Windsor Castle. He died in 1404 aged 84.
The first tenancy granted by New College was in 1402 to John Arom of Foots Cray, for an annual rent of £8.13s 4d (£8.67), though he did not lease all the woods. Simon à Dene was a later tenant (lease granted in 1437), followed by Danyelle in 1458.
The Comporte family
In 1538 John Comporte (also written at various times Comport, Compord and Comporde) leased the Estate, the start of what was to be a 250 year ownership by the Comporte family and their heirs. The family had lived in Chislehurst ‘from very early times’, and were yeoman farmers, who prospered such that by the early seventeenth century they obtained a grant of arms, and married into some of the leading families in the area. Many of the family are said to be buried in St Nicholas churchyard, but we have not been able to locate their tombstones.
Comporte family ownership from 1738
John held and renewed the lease for 20 years until his death in 1558. His wife, Johan, died in the following year. They had four children that we know of, and the eldest, Edward, succeeded to the lease until his death in 1605. Edward’s son Richard farmed the Estate for another fifteen years, and in turn Richard’s eldest son, Christopher, took over the lease. Christopher is mentioned in documents still held at New College, which confirm the annual visits from members of the College, and Christopher’s responsibilities in collecting rents for the College, and dealing with disputes.
He was to stay at Kemnal for forty-five years until he died in 1665. Despite marrying twice, Christopher left no heirs, and the lease was bequeathed to his younger brother Richard, who at that time was fifty-nine years old. Their sister Mary also inherited part of the Estate lands.
Richard himself left no sons, and his daughter, Anne Comporte, was heir to the Estate. By this stage the family had clearly become rather grand, and Anne had married Thomas Fytch of Mount Mascall, North Cray, who was later knighted. When he died in 1688 the Estate passed to their son, the second Baronet, who had been given the name Comport Fytch. Sir Comport died thirty two years later in 1720, but his wife, Lady Anne Fytch, outlived him by 17 years, until 1737. Anne was herself a daughter of a Baronet, Sir Lumley Robinson, so by this stage the house was owned by some of the more well-connected in English society.
Anne renewed the lease under her own name in 1726, and continued to do so until her death. Her son, Sir William Fytch, died the year before his mother, so her elder daughter Alice inherited the lease. Alice married Sir John Barker, 6th Baronet, owner of Sproughton Hall, Suffolk, four years later, and styled herself Dame Alice Barker. Her only son, Sir John Fytch Barker, died relatively young, and although Alice renewed the lease in 1775, there was now no family to inherit it on her death. Alice therefore sold it outside the family shortly afterwards.
George Nassau purchased the lease from the Comporte family sometime before 1790. He was also the owner of the Belmont estate, possibly acquired at the same time, the adjoining land to the Kemnal Estate to the west. Nassau had also acquired the Fytch Baker family home, Grimston Hall, Suffolk. It is doubtful that he lived at Kemnal, since he is described as being ‘of Trimley, Suffolk’ in New College papers.
During these 250 years or so of ownership by the Comporte family, the Estate had continued to be a working farm but it was now the property of the landed gentry. In these later years it was almost certainly sublet to tenant farmers, and the farmhouse would not have been very distinguished. It is also clear that during these later years the Estate suffered from neglect. A valuation was undertaken for New College in October 1791. The valuer said of the property ‘I never saw lands more foule or in worse condition….the buildings also being a house and barn are much out of repair’.
A plan of the Estate was produced in 1790. It is kept at New College, Oxford, and reveals a number of interesting features. The farmhouse was located some way from where the new Kemnal House was to be built. The farmhouse was situated close to (and to the northwest of) the junction of Kemnal Road with what is now called Belmont Lane, the footpath which crosses Kemnal Road at North Lodge by a small stream.

Access to the Farm was by means of Belmont Lane, which was then called Keminghole Lane; there was no footpath north onto the Maidstone Road, but Keminghole Lane did continue eastwards towards Sidcup, and is marked on the 1790 map as a right of way. This right of way still exists today as the footpath eastwards from North Lodge. There was also a right of way to the south over Woodheath – there had been a dispute which was settled in 1607 to allow the Comportes to continue using the footpath there. A further feature of the map is the naming of the fields and woods that comprised the Kemnal Estate.
The plan and the valuation were produced as a result of a dispute between New College and at least one of the neighbouring land owners about the location of the boundaries. George Nassau was certainly involved, and a letter from him regarding the dispute is held at New College.The dispute was resolved by means of arbitration, which required taking evidence from the landowners, and older residents of the area, and resulted in the Kemnal Estate being clearly defined in the plan and valuation.
A desirable residence
The neglect noted above was soon to change. After Nassau’s death the remainder of the lease of the Estate was sold to a Mr Barrett; his ownership of the lease was confirmed by New College in March 1793. Barrett, of whom we know very little, decided to build a new house, some way from the original location of the farm buildings. The new house was built on higher land to the north-east of the original location, on part of what was called Gravelpit field. It had open fields to the north and south, such that it could be said to be in a residential park and had a good view of Shooters Hill to the north. The style of the house was such that the house and its location would appeal to the gentry or the wealthy middle classes.
The new house: Keminghole House, 1798
The new house was on two floors, with additional rooms in the attic, and a substantial cellar. The Georgian style house, facing north, had an extended bow front which made its otherwise square and plain façade more distinctive.
It was later described as “An admired abode, with its manorial rights and privileges, in the immediate vicinity of Chiselhurst, ten miles from the Metropolis and with pretensions that few of its contemporaries possess. It is happily placed on a fine and commanding spot, overlooking the Estate and a rich Valley, protected during the wintry season from the cold winds by The Woods and Plantations.”
On the first floor were six bedrooms and two dressing rooms with a room for a night commode. The ground floor comprised a Drawing Room, Breakfast Parlour, a Study and separate Library, a Dining Parlour, and a Conservatory. The Butler’s Room, Housekeeper’s Room, Servants’ Hall and interestingly a Gamekeeper’s Room, were also on the ground floor. The Kitchen, Scullery and Larder were in the cellars. Farm buildings and a lodge on the Maidstone road were included.

The first evidence of its appeal to the wealthy was in 1798 when a new eight year lease was granted to Sir Archibald Macdonald. He was by then Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, one of the three parts of the High Court in London. Macdonald was head of the Court, the equivalent of the Lord Chief Justice now. He had been born in 1746, was a barrister, and was appointed Solicitor General in 1784 and Attorney General in 1788. He was clearly a man of importance and influence, and one of three members of the Pitt administration in the 1780s who lived in Chislehurst – himself, 1st Viscount Sydney at Frognal, and 1st Earl Camden at Camden Place. He must have thought that Kemnal ranked alongside these eminent houses. Macdonald stayed at Kemnal until 1806, before moving to Park House in Hanwell. He was created 1st Baron of East Sheen in 1813. He died in May 1826 aged 80.
After Macdonald left, without renewing his lease, Sir William Leighton took a new lease on the Estate, which he renewed twice, in 1814 and 1820. Leighton was a shipowner, born in County Durham, moving to London in 1779. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights, became an alderman and one of the Sheriffs of the City of London in 1803. In 1806, the year he took the lease on Kemnal House, he was appointed Lord Mayor of London and knighted. He was later appointed as a governor of Christ’s Hospital. He died at the house in 1826 and his family stayed on after his death since his representatives renewed the lease once more until 1831.
The new building and the lay-out and use of the Estate had clearly improved things, since a valuation of ‘Kemnell Farm’ in March 1812 records an increase in the annual value of the land, and notes: ‘This estate is rural and pleasantly situated. The lands are of a strong texture. The short distance from the Capital of London renders it capable of the greatest improvement, being only 11 miles [from London] on the Turnpike Road to Maidstone’.
Mr William Rice was the next tenant in 1832. He renewed in 1840, but for reasons unknown immediately put the unexpired portion of the lease up for sale. The buyer was Mr. Martin Atkinson. We can find no further substantial information on these two gentlemen.
The particulars of sale for auction, on 13th May 1841, make for interesting reading, and are reproduced on page 168. They describe the property as ‘Kemnal House (otherwise Keminghole). An admired abode, with its manorial rights and privileges….’. Estate agents were clearly willing to bend the truth then, as some are now, since in a valuation report in 1847, the valuer was forced to comment ‘We cannot ascertain that there are any manorial rights….’.
Martin Atkinson died in 1846, and his widow Elizabeth put the remaining part of the lease of the estate up for sale. This was once again by auction, and the same particulars that had been used only five years earlier were used again, with one significant change: a water-closet had replaced the night commode on the first floor!
Particulars of sale, 1841
Particulars &c. of Kemnal House, (otherwise Keminghole). May 1841 [and again in October 1846 with later amendments indicated with *]
An admired Abode, in the immediate vicinity of Chiselhurst1, Kent, surrounded by a Delightful Domain, of about 130 acres, of which nearly forty-five acres are Hanging Woods and very thriving plantations; being a famous Cover for Game, with which the estate abounds. The Farm Buildings are well placed, and include every thing essential to manage the Farm with profit.
The Entrée is by a Lodge Gate on the High Maidstone Road; which will be sold by Auction, by Mr. Geo. Robins, at the Auction Mart, London, on Thursday, May 13th, 1841, at Twelve o’Clock. (It can only be seen by Cards. Particulars, Twenty-one days prior to the Sale, with a Lithographic Plan and Drawing, to be had at the Residence; also at the best Inns at Chiselhurst. and Eltham; The Bell, Maidstone; of Messes Hodgson and Concanen, Solicitors, No. 21, Lincoln’s Inn Fields; The Auction Mart; and at Mr. Geo. Robins’ Offices, Covent Garden.)
An admired abode, with its manorial rights and privileges, in the immediate vicinity of Chiselhurst, ten miles from the Metropolis and with pretensions that few of its contemporaries possess. It is happily placed on a fine and commanding spot, overlooking the Estate and a rich Valley, protected during the wintry season from the cold winds by The Woods and Plantations.
The building is very substantial, with oak sashing throughout it, indeed Solidity has prevailed, with much of very good taste to direct it, and lots of comfort will be found throughout; *(it is in the most thorough and complete Repair, having been Painted and Decorated during the last summer.) A London Banker, or Merchant, or say one disposed to Field Sports, will live in clover at Kemnal. The Villa Residence is surrounded by A Shrubbery and Lawn.
The following accommodation will be found within, viz:- Four very airy Attic Chambers, Six best Bed Chambers, and Two Dressing Rooms, Commodite *(with Water-Closet); An elegant Drawing Room, about 22 feet by 18, with Cedar Floor; A Breakfast Parlour, about 21 feet 6 by 18, leading to the Conservatory, and leading to the Lawn; a Study; Dining Parlour, about 22 feet by 18, with elegant Statuary Marble ChimneyPiece, highly ornamented; a small Library; Housekeeper’s Room; Servants’ Hall; Gamekeeper’s Room; Butler’s Room; Pantry for Housemaid. Under Ground Floor – a large Kitchen, Scullery and Pump, cool Larder, Knifehouse, Wine, Ale and Coal Cellars.
The Out Offices include a four stall stable, harness room, a three stall stable, double coach house, Bath-house, Brewhouse, Cellar, Pighouse, with Three Sleeping Rooms for Servants above.
The Farm buildings comprise a capital double Barn, entirely new, with Deal Floor, Piggeries, Feeding Stalls for Bullocks, all new; Three loose Stalls, Pens for Six Cows and Two Calves, new; Standing for Horses and Cows, Cart-horse Stalls, Waggon and Cart Sheds, Stock Yard, Henhouse, Dog Kennel, Granary and cool Dairy.
There is a good Garden and Plantation Walk, which nearly encircles the Residence, and a Conservatory and Greenhouse to adorn it. There is also a pleasing Summer-House, and the South Wall is famous for its Fruit Trees. The Estate extends to 127 acres, 3 roods, 3 perches, of which near 45 acres are Hanging Woods and very thriving Plantations, a famous cover for Game, with which the Estate abounds, and the Underwoods in regular succession yield an Income of £100 a year.
The Farm Buildings are well placed, and include every thing essential to manage the Estate with advantage and profit. A Streamlet passes the Property very prettily through the Home Grounds. In respect to the quality of the soil, it cannot be better demonstrated than by stating Five Quarters of Wheat and Two Tons of Hay is an average crop, and that Bullocks are Fatted upon the Pasture Lands. Its easy access to London – the exceedingly respectable Society in the vicinage – and the delightful Walks within The Cool and Shaded Woods, Impervious to the Summer Heat, and must not be overlooked.
The Entrance is by a solid Lodge-gate of good design, on The High Maidstone Road, A little beyond the Ten Mile-stone, One Mile and a Half from Eltham, and all the Maidstone and Folkestone Coaches pass. The sporting of the Manor may be let for about £40 a Year, and the Annual Value of the Property is £376 per annum, at the least.
The Property is held upon Lease for Twenty Years from Old Michaelmas Day, 1841, from New College, Oxford, renewable every Seven Years, according to custom, for ever, upon payment of a Fine, subject to the Payment of the accustomed fees (about £1 18s. per annum); and also 434 gallons of Wheat Rent, or the Oxford market-place price thereof, which is estimated on an average of the last Nine Years at about £20 12s. per annum. The usual College Instrument for holding Courts and for Sporting, will be procured for the Purchaser at his expense. The Tithes are moderate: the Poor, Church, and Highway Rates, do not exceed £20 3s. 9d.; and the Land Tax is Four Guineas per annum.
The Growth of Underwood, Crops in the Ground, Manure, and Fixtures, must be taken by the Purchaser, at a fair Valuation.
Adolphus Slade
Adolphus Frederick Slade purchased the lease of the Estate for £5,500 in December 1846. He was a stockbroker, born in Battersea in 1804. He was forty years old when he married the nineteen year old Charlotte Amelia Hulme in 1844 in nearby Wandsworth. Slade was to live at Kemnal until 1871
His late marriage still allowed the pair to have eleven children, six sons and five daughters. At least three of his sons followed him into the stock-broking business: by 1871 the eldest son, Adolphus Hulme, was a Member of the Stock Exchange, and two of his sons, Edmund and Ernest, were described as ‘Clerks at the Stock Exchange’. At this time most of the family was living at home; none of the daughters, Fanny, Florence, Amy, Ada or Laura had married, though Walter and Sydney were away at school. Percy may have died in infancy. Adolphus proudly claimed in his entry in the 1871 census that he was ‘Landed Proprietor & Occupier of 246 acres of land – Employing 23 labourers, 5 boys & 3 women’. He made significant changes to the house and to the farm buildings during his twenty-five years here. He extended the house, so that there were now seven principal bedrooms, and a water-closet on each floor. There were more servants’ bedrooms, and the main reception rooms were also reorganised and increased in size. He achieved this by building an extension to the rear of the original house, thus maintaining the elegant north-facing front of the house. He also rebuilt many of the farm buildings, and converted much of the Estate land into pasture. He negotiated lengthy twenty year leases with New College, presumably to give him security of tenure in light of his expenditure on the house and lands. The comments in the valuation reports (reproduced below) at two dates, May 1847 and eleven years later in May 1858, show how the quality and value of the Estate continued to increase. These documents show that there was still uncertainty over the name of the house and Estate.
Two valuation reports, 1847 and 1858
In 1847 the property was referred to as Kemnal Manor Estate. The annual value was £320.
‘The property comprises a convenient and substantial residence, with good offices, in good repair. The present lessee has expended a considerable sum in decorative repairs. The out-offices comprise stabling for six horses, double coach house, etc. These buildings are slightly built of timber and tile. The farm buildings comprise a large barn, stabling for cart-horses, granary and cart shed, with timber and pan-tile. There is a good garden which has wall on one side only.
The Greenwich railway has greatly added to the facilities of reaching this district; by means of this line the Merchants can reach London in about three-quarters of an hour. This has considerably added to the value of property in this locality. We cannot ascertain that there are any manorial rights…The farmland is well cultivated…The timber is generally young and growing…The lessee is now creating a conservatory.
We are of the opinion, taking into consideration the eligibility of the situation for the Residence of a London Merchant of respectability…that the annual value is £320.’
By May 1858, it was referred to as Kemnal Park, with an annual value of £400, and a capital value of £12,000.
‘I have surveyed the Estate of Kemnal Park, held by Mr. Slade…It comprises a very convenient and substantial residence in good repair, containing Dining, Drawing, and Breakfast rooms, and a small Library, with suitable servants’ office and very good Bedroom accommodation.
There are two conservatories communicating with the Breakfast room, and extensive Pleasure Grounds. The Out Offices comprise Capital Stabling, Coach house, kennels, Coachman’s Lodge, a large range of Farm buildings and Bailiff’s House, all substantially built, but placed a little too near the Residence. Detached is the Gardener’s Cottage, which is of an ornamental character and an excellent walled garden…The Residence is approached from the Turnpike and by a neat Lodge and Carriage Drive…The acreage of the whole Estate is 133 acres. The Lessee has thrown down the fences, and laid nearly the whole of the land down to Pasture, thus giving it a Park-like appearance.’
Adolphus had agreed a lease in 1847. In 1854 he renewed for a twenty year period. But in 1861 that lease was set aside, and a new lease granted until 1881. There is no indication as to why this should be. However, this lease was not completed. New College had decided to sell its freehold interest in the Estate. Adolphus agreed to surrender the remainder of his lease for a capital sum of £6,000. The College had to raise this sum by mortgaging the property, by which means they raised £6,250. Adolphus and some of the family moved to Wandsworth. Adolphus Frederick died there in 1875, aged 71. Two of the unmarried Slade daughters stayed to live locally; Fanny and Ada Slade were still at Belmont Cottage on Belmont Lane (then called Kemnal Lane) near the junction with Green Lane at the end of the 19th century. Adolphus had previously acquired part of the Belmont Estate, to the west of Kemnal, where there is now a road named after him – Slades Drive. The family continued to own this property after they had left Kemnal.
The sale of the now vacant Kemnal Estate was by way of auction, on 8th August 1871, and brought to an end almost 500 years of ownership by the College.

The creation of Kemnal Road
Mr Samuel Bailey Verney Asser bought the house and lands at the auction in August 1871. The Sale Particulars are shown below, and a plan of the Estate at that time is reproduced here. New College’s agent reported to the Warden: ‘After much haggling I obtained the following terms–£23,000 for the Estate and timber, £500 for fixtures and £11 for rent due up to completion of sale’.
Asser was living at the time at Lessness Hall, which is now in Upper Belvedere. The agent described him in the same letter: ‘a gentlemanly looking man and retired Corn Dealer’. Clearly Asser had been impressed by the references in the 1871 Sale Particulars to the potential for development of the Estate. He did not live at the house, but set about increasing the value of the property. He demolished the 1794 house and built a new house on the same site. The new house, clearly named as Kemnal Manor was bigger and more modern than the house is replaced. It was described in the Sale particulars of 1894 as a beautiful building, built of yellow brick with attractive wood facings.

Kemnal Manor: Sale Particulars, May 1894
The Kemnal Manor Estate, Chislehurst, Kent. For Sale by Private Contract, David J Chattell, Auctioneer & Surveyor, 29A, (Corner of) Lincolns Inn Fields, London W.C., and at Lower Camden, Chislehurst, Kent
The Beautiful Freehold Residential Estate distinguished as Kemnal Manor enjoys a most eligible, convenient and salubrious position in the parishes of Chislehurst and Foots Cray, in the County of Kent, and comprises a thoroughly well-built & admirably-planned Mansion, replete with all modern requirements and sanitary appliances (erected in 1875 on the site of an Ancient Residence), protected by two picturesque lodge entrances, besides three separate dwellings for coachman’s and gardeners’ families; first-rate stabling for nine horses, farmery and outbuildings of an unusually complete description, conservatory, numerous plant and orchard houses, etc., the whole surrounded by a finely-timbered park, delightful old pleasure grounds of a charmingly diversified character; wilderness, woodlands, very prolific fruit and vegetable gardens, orchards, etc., the whole embracing a total area of upwards of one hundred and eleven acres (nearly in a ring fence), bounded on the North by the main road from London to Maidstone, to which there is frontage of 2,019 feet; on the West partly by the Kemnal Road, leading to Chislehurst and Paul’s Cray Commons, to which there are frontages of 5,680 feet, and partly by the Estate of A.F.Slade Esq.; on the South partly by a Private Roadway from West Chislehurst, to which there is a frontage of 720 feet, and partly by the Public Footpath to Sidcup; and on the East by the Estates of the late Earl Sydney, H.H.Berens, Esq., and H.F.Tiarks, Esq. The distance from the nearest part of the Estate to Chislehurst Railway Station is nearly two miles, From Eltham Station a little over half-a-mile, and from Sidcup Station nearly one mile.
The Mansion, which is of pleasing exterior, stands on an elevated plateau over 200 feet above the mean Sea Level, and contains the following accommodation:-
On the second floor – Two bed rooms for menservants, 16 feet 9 inches by 16 feet 4 inches, and 15 feet by 13 feet; landing, tank room, with hot and soft-water cisterns, box room, and bed room, 16 feet 6 inches by 15 feet 6 inches, all three fitted with stoves and two with wardrobe closets.
On the first floor (12 feet high) – Landing of back stairs, enclosed by railings and nursery gate; housemaid’s closet, with sink, hot and cold services, cupboards, shelves, &c.; Corridor and W.C.; Secondary bath room, with fitted bath, hot and cold water, marble mantel, stove, and cupboards; Two servants’ bed rooms, 18 feet by 14 feet 10 inches and 12 feet by 14 feet 10 inches, with stoves, marble mantels, and wardrobe closets; Day and night nurseries, 17 feet 7 inches by 16 feet and 17 feet 8 inches by 14 feet 9 inches, fitted with coloured marble mantels, stoves and wardrobe closets; Spacious principal landing and stair case and picture gallery lighted through tinted glass from the roof; large shelved linen store; Principal bath room, 13 feet by 7 feet 6 inches, with full-sized bath in mahogany case, hot and cold services, marble mantel and tiled stove, shelved closet, &c.; Bed room with bay, 22 feet 6 inches by 17 feet 6 inches, with marble mantel, tiled stove, hearth, and wardrobe closet; Dressing room, 18 feet 9 inches by 8 feet 3 inches, with marble mantel and stove, and to Bed room, 18 feet by 12 feet, with marble mantel, stove and wardrobe closet; Bed room with bay, 18 feet by 17 feet 9 inches, with marble mantel, tiled stove and hearth, lobby and W.C.; Bed room 18 feet 6 inches by 13 feet, with marble mantel and stove; Bed room, 20 feet by 13 feet, with marble mantel and stove; Bed room, 20 feet by 16 feet, with marble mantel, tiled stove and hearth, with lift thereto from the ground floor, and opening to Dressing room, 20 feet by 8 feet 6 inches, with marble mantel, tiled stove, range of wardrobe closets, and mahogany enclosure of fitted lavatory, with marble top, deep basin and water supply- affording in all fifteen bedrooms and dressing rooms, which could easily be added to if required.
On the ground floor (14 feet high) – Open porch, with sides glazed in leaded lights, and door to vestibule, paved with coloured tiles, opening through inner glazed doors to Noble and lofty entrance hall, measuring about 30 feet by 26 feet, and open to the roof, fitted with coloured marble mantel stove, tiled hearth, coil of hot-water pipes enclosed in ornamental oak and iron case with marble top, and parqueterie border to floor, corridor, with entrance to Lift, and concealed Plate Closet, and tile-paved passage to garden entrance, having Hat and Cloak Room with sliding doors, and Store Closets over same; Drawing Room, with bay and large plate-glass window looking into Conservatory. This charming apartment has expensively-decorated walls and ceiling, measures about 24 feet 6 inches by 23 feet 6 inches, and is fitted with carved statuary marble mantelpiece, steel and ormolu stove, with painted tile panels and tiled hearth. The Lofty embayed Conservatory, about 28 feet 6 inches by 22 feet 6 inches, is entered through casement doors both from the Hall and the Grounds, is paved with coloured tiles, heated by pipes encased in trellis case, with stages around, and has water supply; Study, 18 feet 6 inches by 13 feet, with panelled ceiling in pitch-pine, and casements opening to the Grounds, is fitted with veined marble mantelpiece, tiled stove, and hearth, and Milner’s Deed Safe built into wall recess; Tile-paved lavatory and Cloak Room, with marble fitment of Lavatory, with deep basin and water supply, shelved closets and separate W.C.: Billiard Room or Library, with bay, 30 feet by 18 feet, heated by coil of pipes in case, and fitted with a very valuable antique statuary marble mantelpiece, supported by inlaid fluted columns, with exquisitely wrought panels of Classical subjects in frieze, stove and tiled hearth; Morning room, 21 feet by 16 feet, and Smoking Room (or School Room), 21 feet by 16 feet, both fitted with marble mantels, tiled stoves and hearths, and opening through French casements to tile-paved Verandah and principal lawn on which are some fine old cedars; Dining Room, with bay, 28 feet by 17 feet, fitted with valuable arched mantelpiece in coloured marble, stove and tiled hearth, and having separate entrance from Service Lobby.
The Domestic Offices, on the same ground level, include – Kitchen, 21 feet 9 inches by 15 feet, with close range and double ovens, by Clark and Hunt, dresser and cupboards; Scullery, 18 feet by 9 feet 6 inches, stone paved, and fitted with close range, deep sink with hot, cold and soft water services, cupboards, shelves, and rails as fitted to walls; Butler’s Pantry, with stove sink and drainer, with hot and cold water supplies, dresser with lockers under, range of glass and china closets enclosed by sliding doors, sundry cupboards and drawers, Chubb’s safe for plate, and enclosure for folding bed; Housekeeper’s Room, 15 feet by 14 feet, fitted with coloured marble mantel and stove, and two ranges of shelved linen presses; large Store Room, with tiled floor and slate and wooden shelves; Larder, paved with flags and fitted with slate and wooden shelves; Servants’ Hall 20 feet by 15 feet, tile paved and fitted with stove, mantel, two shelved closets and bacon racks to ceiling; tile-paved covered corridor to Embayed Dairy, having walls lined with blue and white tiles, marble shelves, fountain in centre, raised floor paved in coloured tiles and surrounded by sunk border lined with white tiles; Game Larder, paved with flags and fitted with slate and wooden shelves; Wash-House, with copper, sinks and pump; Apple Store, fitted with racks, and staircase to upper room, with stove, mantel and cupboard; House Yard, paved with clinkers; Tradesmen’s Entrance, Kennel for watch dog, and Cellar Stairs for casks to Basement, Enclosed Yard with two large Coal Houses, Knife and Boot Room, and Servants’ W.C.
In the dry, well-ventilated and lighted Basement – (also approached by staircase from Service Lobby) extending under the whole house, are spacious and lofty binned Wine Cellar, Beer Cellar, Larder, large Pickling Room, with cement floor and slate shelves, Heating Chamber with boiler, and seven additional excellent and useful Cellars for Storage and other purposes.
The windows to principal rooms are fitted with Electric Burglar Alarms and Patent Brass Sash Guards, and there is a Fire Alarm Bell.
The conveniently-placed First-rate Stabling, stands in a large well drained Enclosure, approached by two roads. It is Brick-built and Slated, with Turret and Clock over. Tile-paved and drained covered Entrance and Washing Space, on either side of which is a Loose Box and Harness Room, fitted with stove, hot-water supply, closet and all necessary appliances. The Central Block is lofty, spacious, fitted with ventilating shafts, brick-paved and drained, and contains three roomy Loose Boxes and four stalls, door and staircase to extensive Forage Lofts over, with loop-hole door for delivery; Pony Stable at the rear, adjoining which is a Brick-built and Tiled Octagonal Brick-paved Granary, erected on raised brick piers, approached by a flight of steps, and containing seven wooden bins; also the Brick-built and slated Coachman’s Cottage, with Porch, Sitting Room, Kitchen, with range, dresser and sink, and two Bed Rooms, with stoves, and one small Bed Room upstairs; enclosure of small Garden and Yard at rear, with Wash-house and copper, Coal Cellar, Store Closet and W.C.
Detached Brick-built and Slated Coach-house, 29 feet by 19 feet, paved with with flags, paved and drained Washing Space outside, with gas lamp, and two Groom’s Sleeping Rooms over, approached by ladder. Adjoining is small Brick and Tiled Building now used as a Pigeon-house. Opposite the Stables are Ranges of Brick and Slated Buildings, comprising a large Workshop, Tool- Houses, Men’s W.C., three Dog Kennels, with railed-in yards and iron gates; two shelved potato and fruit stores, cart-house and bake-house, with oven. The adjoining Farmery comprises a spacious Enclosure surrounded by brick pathways, with Duck Pond, trough, pump, etc. and large Sewage Tank with overflow to larger Tank in Meadow. Cowman’s brick-built and slated Cottage, containing Sitting Room, with mantel and stove; Kitchen, with range, dresser, etc.; Stone-paved Wash-house, with glass roof, copper and sink; Stone-paved Entrance Passage, with store closet; and three well-fitted Bed Rooms upstairs; enclosure of Small Garden and Yard with E.C. Range of Wood and Tiled Cow-Houses, on brick foundations, paved with brick and flags, with standing for about twelve cows, and Bull House, with feeding passage at rear; Forage Store; Boiler House, and W.C. Range of Wood and Tiled Buildings, on brick foundations, containing Piggeries, fitted with pens and enclosures for turkeys and geese, with feeding passage at rear, and Forage Stores at either end. Range of Brick-built and Slated Buildings, containing a large room, formerly used as a gymnasium, and now as a Poultry and Chicken House; Open Card and Implement Shed and Barn for straw, tools, poultry food etc.; Cart-horse Stables, Wood Sheds, etc. Adjoining the Farmery is a Piece of Ground, enclosed by posts and wire fencing, for growing roots for cattle.
The Lodge Entrance in the Kemnal Road is brick built, with tiled roof and rustic verandah, and contains: Sitting Room, with bay window in leaded lights; Kitchen with range and copper; Coal Cellar; Store Closets and W.C.; small Garden and Yard; and two Bed Rooms upstairs. The Lodge Entrance in the Maidstone Road is newly built of brick, with slated roof, and contains: Porch, Entrance Passage and Store Closet; good Sitting Room, with mantel, stove and dwarf cupboards; Kitchen, with range and large cupboard; Scullery, with copper and sink; Larder and W.C., Landing and two good Bed Rooms, with mantels and stoves, upstairs; neat railed-in Front Enclosure and Garden.
The Head Gardener’s Cottage fronting the Carriage Approach from the Maidstone Road to the Mansion, has a picturesque exterior, and contains four good Rooms, Wash-house and W.C.
In the Park, and adjoining the Woodlands, is a substantial Wooden Building, with corrugated iron roof, and paved and drained, with standing for ten cows, calf-pens, etc.The Glass Houses include Succession Vineries, about 47 feet long, in two divisions, paved, heated with pipes, and stocked with thriving young vines of selected varieties, in full bearing; Orchard House, extending round two sides of fruit walls, about 120 feet long, stocked with peaches, nectarines, figs, etc.; Two ranges of Hot Pits; Melon and Cucumber House; Span-roofed Fernery and Greenhouses adjoining; small Plant-house; Azalea House, about 36 feet long; and an Orchard House, about 153 feet long, on south side of Kitchen Gardens, stocked with peaches, etc.; Wood and Tiled Shed for Implements and Flower Pots; enclosed ground with Cold Pits; Boiler House; Potting and Gardener’s Tool Sheds; Shelved Root and Bulb Store; Large Cemented Water Tank, with pump, and numerous Smaller Tanks.
The Principal Kitchen Garden completely surrounded by high brick walls, protected by glass screens, and clothed with a variety of choice fruit trees, is intersected by well-formed, thoroughly drained and brick-bordered gravel paths, and abundantly stocked with a great variety of bush fruit, strawberry and asparagus beds, raspberry canes, etc.; it is surrounded on two sides by a Second Kitchen Garden and Potato Ground, with a choice selection of pear, cherry and other fruit trees, trained against wall, and having access through folding gates to the Kemnal Road. On the other sides of the Principal Kitchen Gardens are Two Well-Established Orchards planted with standard fruit trees, and a Pleasant Walk, skirted by a wall clothed with a remarkably fine Wisteria, Magnolias, etc., and flanked by wide borders filled with Herbaceous and Old-fashioned flowering plants, and Rose Garden. Wilderness, with delightful winding walks, shady seats, Small Island, with Pond Garden, Rockery and Stepping Stones, and Collection of Alpine and other Plants.
The Mansion is surrounded by Wide-spreading Lawns & Beautiful Old Pleasure Grounds, of the most charming and diversified description, dressed with a great variety of Conifers, Evergreen Oaks, Laurels, Ornamental Trees, Double Thorns and Flowering Shrubs of unusually fine growth, clumps of the choicest Rhododendrons, Azaleas, etc., Terraced and Broad Gravelled Walks of considerable extent, bordered by Flower Beds, Standard and Bush Rose Trees, etc., and in part skirted by ancient Holly Screens, Rustic Summer-house and Seats, etc. The exterior of the Mansion, which is built of yellow brick with stone dressings and ornamental courses, is prettily overgrown with choice selected ivies, Roses, Climbing Plants and Virginia Creepers; and adjacent thereto is a Private Garden, surrounded by trellised encloser and concealed by a Shrubbery. The Eastern boundary is screened by Old Woodlands known as ‘Ashen Grove’, intersected by Paths, with Rabbit Warren, Sand Pit, etc.
The Park extending from the principal front of the Mansion to the Maidstone High Road (bordered by a belt of Limes and Evergreens), contains some fine ancient timber, is ornamented with clumps of Scotch Firs, etc., and is watered by a small running stream with Pond for Cattle. The fine approach from the Kemnal Road is entered through Solid Teak Carriage and Wicker Gates, with Gas Lamps on pedestals at convenient points, crosses a Stone Bridge spanning some Ornamental Water, and is bordered and channelled with granite; and there is a Second Carriage Drive from the Maidstone Road through Entrance Gates, flanked by massive piers of brick and flint. The Stabling and Farmery are reached by separate Carriage Roads from either extremity of the Estate.

This was completed in 1875. Meanwhile, in December 1873 he made arrangements for rights of way for the owner of the Kemnal Estate to the south, over Woodheath, at that stage owned by Viscount Sydney. This was referred to in the 1871 particulars as being a private road and it was the granting of a right of way that created Kemnal Road. At the same time he built the northern end of Kemnal Road, running along the edge of Kemnal Estate, parallel and to the west of the existing Entrance Drive from the Maidstone Road, thus creating the full extent of the Road from the Commons to the Maidstone Road. He built a new Entrance Lodge on this new road, and made this the principal Lodge.
On 24 June 1874 Asser sold fifty seven acres, including Great Horsey Mead, Old Alders, Upper Broomfield and Grubfield Woods, to Henry Tiarks, for the building of Foxbury as his country house, and granted him rights of way, both north and south. He also purchased additional land to the east of the property, mostly from Viscount Sydney, filling out the estate on that side to its current extent. He retained the Walled Garden and the Farm buildings, even though, as the 1858 valuation mentions, they were ‘placed a little too near the Residence’. He also called the estate Kemnal Manor, which it was now to be known as until the present day.
We should be thankful that Mr. Asser did not succumb to the temptation to maximise the development of the Estate as proposed in the Sale Particulars: ‘There can be no doubt that, if the Property is judiciously laid out for Good Homes, it may be made a Profitable Building Investment…’. The sale of land to the Tiarks and the creation of the rights of way took six years to complete, after which Asser sold the new house, the remaining lands, and the north part of Kemnal Road, to Richard Johnson, a seventy-one year old retired metal-merchant from Manchester, who had been president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and whose firm had provided the first undersea cables across the Atlantic. Johnson died in February 1881, so that at the time of the April 1881 census, his widow, Emma Johnson, is shown as the owner. Emma was born in Lancashire in 1815, and was aged 66 at this time. Her niece, Ramona Johnson, aged 38, and her grandson, Richard Johnson Walker, aged 12, were living with her.
After Emma’s death in 1894 Kemnal Manor became the property of Richard, her grandson, ‘son of the High Master of St Paul’s School’. He was a clerk in holy orders, living at the time at Little Holland Park in London. He let the house to Mr Thomas Brailsford from Newcastle upon Tyne. Thomas was born in 1841 and describes himself as a Gentleman in the 1901 census. His wife Martha was born in Yorkshire in 1847. They had five daughters and four sons with them in 1901. The eldest was 37, and the youngest 13. The daughters were Mary (37), Florence (26), Maude (25), and Beatrice (23), all born in Yorkshire, and Dora (18) born in South Wales. Their sons were Robert (22) and Harold (21) both born in Yorkshire, William (15) born in South Wales, and Alfred (13) born in Plumstead.
The Brailsford family had left by 1911, when the house was sold by Richard Walker to James Hermann Rosenthal. The sale was agreed on 22 November 1911, and for £14,000, James Rosenthal acquired the House, farm, woods and lands totalling 64 acres. He also acquired the rights of way, ownership of the northern end of Kemnal Road, and for a further £1,091.17s.6d. he inherited undertakings by Henry Tiarks not to build on adjacent land. Finally, he agreed to maintain the northern end of Kemnal Road open to other users.
Sir James and Lady Kemnal


James Rosenthal was British Managing Director of Babcock & Wilcox. He was instrumental in making the company successful internationally by leading the development of steam generated electric power, and the widespread use of the Babcock & Wilcox steam boiler. He was knighted in 1920 for services in support of the war. Before moving to Kemnal Manor, he and his wife Linda lived at Quarries, Park Hill Road, East Croydon. They changed their family name to Kemnal in 1915, after the uproar following the sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania in May 1915. Their only surviving child, Stuart, was born at Kemnal Manor in 1915, when James was 51. A local man, Mr Marchant, who worked on a nearby farm, remembered Lady Kemnal: ‘She was a bit of a tartar – she liked to have things her own way’. She complained to his boss when he shot rabbits, which she liked to see on her lawn, and there were tales of a chauffeur ‘who was unjustly dismissed’. On the other hand, short hand-written letters from Lady Kemnal that we have seen suggest a friendly, even playful, woman: ‘Kemnal Manor, 26th November 1927. Dear Rosyibus, What on earth is the enclosed about? I place the effusion, very gingerly at your feet!! Reichsschulden verwaltung – sounds like a growl – and Grafschaft – sounds like a bite! Much Love. Aunt Lyn’.
The Kemnals made substantial changes to the inside of the house. These were reported in the Architect Magazine in 1915: ‘The drawing room was added to, making this room 45 feet by 20 feet. Additions were made to the library and music-room. The lounge and music-room are panelled in oak, and the dining-room in mahogany. A new oak staircase leads out of the hall to the first floor, and a wide gallery runs all round the hall, serving all the principal bedrooms. The bedrooms on the first floor are arranged in suites with dressing-rooms and bathrooms attached to each. The elevations of the house were built in brick, and when the alterations were made these were rough-casted and treated with half timber, giving the house a more interesting character. The architect was Mr Victor Wilkins.’
Interior views of the last house, 1915
The Kemnals had a holiday home, ‘Storm’, at Banks Road, Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset. They maintained at least one steam yacht here, The Onara, which was featured in The Yachting World, and they spent as much time as they could there. It was here that James died in February 1927, following an illness that incapacitated him the previous September. He was buried in Shirley, south of Croydon. After her husband’s death Lady Kemnal and her only son, Stuart, spent increasing amounts of time at Sandbanks. One of the reasons for this was that the Sidcup bypass was extended at the north east of their property in 1935, and this had the effect of increasing the amount of traffic which would be seen and heard at the house. By 1939 they were living at Sandbanks almost permanently, and the fate of the house was sealed when it was requisitioned for military use at the outbreak of war. Lady Kemnal died in July 1943, and Stuart committed suicide in 1950. Under the terms of his will, the ownership of Kamnal Manor was assumed by Stuart’s three cousins, whose interests were managed by the Trustees of his will, advised by solicitor George Wates, who had been Lady Kemnal’s lawyer.
Occupation by the War Office
The house was requisitioned in 1939 by the War Office. At first the Ministry of Supply was based here, but they later moved to Bickley, and the Ordnance Board was relocated to Kemnal Manor from Woolwich. The Ordnance Board consisted of munitions experts, whose purpose was to advise the Army Council on the safety and approval of new weapons. Kemnal Manor became the HQ for the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), Southern Command, and remained as such until 1961.
Read accounts of working at Kemnal Manor during and after the war
A report dated February 1957 from the Chief Inspector, REME Chief Inspectorate, whose address is given as ‘Kemnal Manor, Kemnal Road’, confirms that it was still actively being used at that time. However, the house was abandoned after REME left, and shortly afterwards, in 1964, it was destroyed by fire, and reduced to a ruined shell. The Chislehurst Times reported, on 13 March 1964: ‘…Kemnal Manor……was severely damaged when fire broke out on Wednesday. Firemen from Sidcup, Orpington and Eltham attended the blaze which was first noticed shortly before five o’clock. The fire had gained a firm hold by the time the firemen arrived, and it was an hour before it was brought under control. Part of the ground floor and a third of the first floor and roof were severely damaged. The mansion has been derelict for some time, and it is suspected that the cause of the fire was children playing on the site.’ The remains were pulled down for safety reasons some time later. Children had indeed found the ruins a great place to play in and you can read some of their accounts here.
The northern part of the Estate was sold by the Trustees of Stuart’s will to the London Dock Labour Board, and was later developed into a sports ground, but the rest of the estate has remained empty, and has since been designated as part of the Green Belt.
Proposals for development
Following the 1964 fire, the joint owners had been advised that the cost of reinstatement would exceed £35,000. However, the building had been insured for only a nominal amount, and according to their advisor’s letter, ‘having regard to the extent of the damage, the owners were ‘faced with substantial expenditure to re-instate the building’. They had, only 14 days before the fire, completed negotiations for the Estate to be taken over by a ‘London company’ for use as office accommodation. While the company was still interested in going ahead, it required re-instatement first. The owners felt that this was uneconomic, and proposed instead the demolition of the building, and the erection of one or more new buildings for residential use. They were prepared to negotiate with the Chislehurst and Sidcup UDC Planning Officer on what would be acceptable for the area, but mentioned that there was a ‘very substantial waiting list for rented accommodation in this area’. In support of their proposal they noted that Lady Kemnal had agreed only a nominal rent from the War Department when she let it to them in 1939. The present owners had therefore had no economic benefit from their ownership of the property since they inherited it, and ‘having suffered such considerable hardship through loss of income throughout the period they are now naturally anxious to use the property to some benefit’. They proposed three alternatives for residential development, being: A – one 7-storey block of 56 flats, B – one 3-storey block of 12 flats, and two 4-storey blocks of 24 flats each, making 60 flats, and C – five 3-storey blocks of 12 flats each, making 60 flats.
The development proposals referred to other developments such as at Holly Bowers, and proposed that traffic access to this development should be both directly onto the Sidcup By-Pass and through Kemnal Road to the south.
The request was turned down, and in June 1965 there was an appeal from the decision of the Council to the Secretary of State (who was then Richard Crossman). The appeal document noted that the appeal site was in an overgrown, neglected condition; the manor house had been severely damaged by fire; it did not appear to have been a building of any special architectural character; the stables and other outbuildings were in ruins; and the land around the house was left as a continuous expanse of grass and woodland.
The council recommended that permission should not be granted:
- The proposed development site now fell within the Metropolitan Green Belt (designed to preserve an area of mainly open country available for the purpose of recreation and enjoyment to those living in heavily built-up areas). The only development permitted in this area would therefore be limited to agricultural development, education or recreational development, or other open development, where the development was appropriate to the size of the site.
- Earlier requests had been made for development, including the erection of 36 married officers’ quarters, and housing development adjacent to the Sidcup By-Pass, and all but one had been rejected. The one that was allowed was the proposal to allow the use of the house as office accommodation, and this was subject to a number of restrictions on extending the house.
- There were references to other requests for development at Foxbury, in 1938 and in 1951 (granted and then revoked, leading to compensation of £65,000), and at Holly Bowers in 1961 (denied, and then agreed when the size and extent were reduced to the 40 flats that were allowed, but only on appeal to the minister).
- The proposed access to the Sidcup By-Pass would be dangerous given the speed and density of traffic then using the road [what would they think now?].
The appeal was dismissed, and most of the land has remained undeveloped since then. The security bunker was sold for development in 1998 and renamed the Glass House, and in 2000 the remainder of the estate was sold privately to a local resident. Since then there have been a number of applications for development of the land, but until 2006, all failed to win approval from the Borough of Bromley, largely based on the reasons set out for the original application mentioned above. However, in November 2006, permission was granted for the owner to change the use of the land to ‘use for human burials’. While the land lies within the Green Belt, it was argued that there was a shortage of land for burials within the London area, and this need persuaded The London Borough of Bromley to accept this proposal (reduced in scale from an earlier proposal). There were a number of conditions, including the preservation of ancient woodland, landscaping to hide the limited number of buildings proposed, access to the site only from the A20 via a new access road, and an agreed programme of archaeological work.
Kemnal Park Cemetery & Memorial Gardens was opened in October 2013 by the Mayor of Bromley, Cllr Ernest Noad. It comprises 55 acres in total and in addition to the proposed 30,000 burial plots, features a garden of remembrance, and a non-denominational chapel. As the Cemetery is extended, it has become increasingly difficult to identify the different parts of the old Estate, though Ashen Grove is still a prominent tongue of wood around the small stream, and many of the footpaths have disappeared. It requires a huge feat of imagination now to visualise what the estate looked like at the height of its glory.
Domestic servants at Kemnal Manor
There were five servants in 1861: John Chitteridge, (39), Butler, born in Bleasford, Dorset, with his wife Elizabeth, (42), from Norfolk, Maria Sheath, (23), housemaid from Brompton, Middlesex, Charlotte Enfield, (22), Nursery Maid from Maidstone, and Betty Howze, 22, Schoolroom Maid, from Chislehurst. In 1871 there were again five: Sarah Barker, (22), Nurse, from Greenwich, Emma Emery, (26), and Maria Sheath, (31), both housemaids, and both from Brompton, Henry Fardo, 48, Butler, from Marylebone, and Penelope Murlefs, 31, Cook, Somerset. There were five servants in 1881: Thomas Bough (21), the footman, from Wiltshire; Cecilia Hyles (22), housemaid, from London; Sarah Roase (40), ladies maid, from Cirencester; Jane Stokes (42), a nurse, from Poole, Dorset; and Emma Wall (25), the cook, from Shrewsbury. In 1891 there were only four. The servant in charge was James Packer (34) the butler, from Bagshott. The cook was Sarah Powell (43) from Worcester, and there was a housemaid and parlour-maid: Frances Bolton (21) from Rutland, and May Mandall (18) from Hampshire. There were four servants in 1901 whose duties are not disclosed: Bessie Kirk (24) from Bedfordshire, Sarah Albrook (19) from Plumstead, Ellen Larking (15) from Woolwich, and Ethel Parks (16) also from Woolwich. There is also a nurse, who is described as ‘sick’, Annie King (33) from Clapham. This seems a small number of servants given that they were supporting a family of eleven, most of whom were grown up. The house was empty at the time of the census in 1911.
More on the Kemnal Manor Estate and properties there.