Inventory Site Record

Keston Common had three fishponds constructed in early C19th to provide water to Holwood House. Two of the lakes are now used for fishing. The land was previously owned by Lord Stanley who in 1926 donated the ponds and an area of the common to the parish. Near the junction of Fishponds Road and Heathfield Road is Keston War Memorial commemorating local people who died in WWI and WWII.

Site location:

Westerham Road/Heathfield Road/Fishponds Road, Keston

Postcode:

BR2 6BU

What 3 Words:

drive.audio.shut

Type of site:

Public Open Land

Borough:

Bromley

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Toilets, parking, mobile canteen. Fishing facilities on 2 lakes

Events:

Public transport:

Bus: 320

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/12/2006

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.bromley.gov.uk

An earthwork on the common was possibly a cattle pound. Overlooking the common off Heathfield Road is Keston Windmill, an C18th post-mill, which according to its inscription was built in 1716, making it the oldest dated post-mill in Kent. It is a 3-storey black weather boarded structure on a brick roundhouse, with the stumps of the sweeps remaining and some machinery intact. Keston War Memorial is within a semi-circular hedged area with a conical yew tree either side. In Portland stone with a bronze wreath, the memorial was unveiled on 10 March 1920; it was designed by sculptor Sydney March, who also designed the Bromley Memorial.

The site is now managed by idverde UK, which in June 2015 was contracted by Bromley Council for the management of the borough's parks, green spaces and countryside service, a relationship that was extended in April 2019 for a further 16 years.

Keston Common won a Green Flag Award in 2027/18.

Sources consulted:

B Cherry & N Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England, London 2: South' (1983, reprint 1999) p.187-9

Grid ref:

TQ418640 (541743,164076)

Size in hectares:

55.25 (21.48 registered common

Site ownership:

LB Bromley (part). Remainder registered under the Land Registration Acts 1925 and 1936.

Site management:

idverde

Date(s):

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

SAM: Camp on Keston Common (earthworks)

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

Yes: Common (CL80)

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Metropolitan Importance

Green Belt:

Yes

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance

Other LA designation:

SSSI - Keston and Hayes Commons; London Loop; within proposed World Heritage Site