Foots Cray Meadows

Foots Cray Meadows is an area of parkland and woodland 97 hectares (240 acres) in size, within the London Borough of Bexley, England.^[1] It borders the suburbs of Albany Park, Sidcup, Foots Cray, North Cray and Ruxley. The River Cray runs through it in a north-easterly direction. The London Loop, a public recreational walking path around London, also known as the "M25 for walkers", runs through the meadows parallel to the river from Sidcup Place, just south of the meadows. Two notable bridges cross the River Cray in the meadows: Five Arches bridge and the smaller Penny Farthing Bridge.

The Meadows are a Local Nature Reserve^[2]^[3] and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.^[4] They have also received a Green Flag Award.^[5] There is access from Rectory Lane, among other places. Adjacent to the meadows is what was the kitchen garden and stables which included a boules alley with a summer house which is still standing.

History[]

The area was originally a part of the Footscray Place estate, and during the 18th century the Five Arches bridge was built. At the same time, an almshouse was built adjacent to the woods, which, as of 2008, was being excavated by archaeologists belonging to Bexley Archaeological Group.^[6]

On 18 October 1949 Footscray Place caught fire and the house was destroyed.^{[citation needed]} The ruins were subsequently demolished and the grounds became Foots Cray Meadows, a public park.

In the early 2000s, Five Arches bridge was renovated with new stone, along with the 'Penny Farthing' bridge just upstream.^[7]

Gallery[]

Foots Cray Meadows
Lake in Foots Cray Meadows
River Cray in Foots Cray Meadows
The 18th century Five Arches bridge after its renovation in the 2000s
Five Arches in winter
Sweet chestnut tree at the Meadows, one of the oldest documented trees in the region
Fallen masonry

References[]

^ London Borough of Bexley, Bexley Civic Offices (19 March 2009). "Foots Cray Meadows". Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
^ "Foots Cray Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
^ "Map of Foots Cray Meadows". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
^ "The River Cray". Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
^ London Borough of Bexley, Bexley Civic Offices (19 March 2009). "Foots Cray Meadows". Archived from the original on 2016-08-12. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
^ "Current sites". Bexley Archaeological Group.^{[dead link]}
^ A History of Foots Cray Place Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography[]

Dunning, G. C. (1959). "Medieval Discoveries at Cray House, Bexley" (PDF). Archaeologia Cantiana. 73: 211–213.

External links[]

Friends of Foots Cray Meadows

show v t London Borough of Bexley
Districts	Abbey Wood Albany Park Barnehurst Barnes Cray Belvedere Bexley Bexleyheath Blackfen Blendon Coldblow Crayford Crook Log Crossness East Wickham Erith Falconwood Foots Cray Lamorbey Lessness Heath Longlands North Cray North End Northumberland Heath Ruxley Sidcup Slade Green Thamesmead Upton Welling West Heath
Attractions	Crossness Pumping Station Danson House Erith Playhouse Hall Place and Gardens Lesnes Abbey Red House (NT)
Parks and open spaces	Abbey Wood SSSI Braeburn Park Crossness Nature Reserve Danson Park Erith Marshes Foots Cray Meadows Joyden's Wood Lamorbey Park Lesnes Abbey Woods Shoulder of Mutton Green
Constituencies	Bexleyheath & Crayford Erith & Thamesmead Old Bexley & Sidcup
Rail stations	Albany Park Barnehurst Belvedere Bexley Bexleyheath Crayford Erith Falconwood Sidcup Slade Green Welling
Other topics	Coat of arms Council Grade I and II* listed buildings People Public art Schools
Category Commons

show v t Parks and open spaces in London
Royal parks	Bushy Green Greenwich Hyde Kensington Regent's Richmond St James's
Large urban parks	Alexandra Arnos Barking Barra Hall Battersea Blackheath Brockwell Burgess Clissold Crystal Palace Dulwich Enfield Town Finsbury Forster Memorial Hampstead Heath Hanworth Holland Mayesbrook Mountsfield Old Deer Parsloes Primrose Hill Pymmes Queen's Park Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Ravenscourt Ruskin Southwark Valentines Victoria Wandsworth Wanstead Waterlow Park West Ham Wimbledon
Country parks	Bayhurst Wood Bedfont Lakes Belhus Woods Eastbrookend Fairlop Waters Foots Cray Fryent Hainault Forest Havering High Elms Hornchurch Lee Valley South Norwood Stanmore Stockley Trent
Commons	Barnes Blackheath Bostall Heath Clapham Ealing East Sheen Eel Brook Eltham Hackney Marshes Hainault Forest Ham Hampstead Heath Hayes Keston Mitcham Monken Hadley Peckham Rye Plumstead Stanmore Streatham Sutton Tooting Tylers Wandsworth Wimbledon and Putney Winn's Woolwich Wormwood Scrubs
Village greens	Camberwell Crooked Billet Islington Kew Newington Parsons Richmond Shepherd's Bush Turnham
Marshes and wetlands	Aveley Crayford Erith Hackney Hornchurch Ickenham Ingrebourne Leyton Rainham Tottenham Walthamstow Wennington Woodberry Wetlands WWT London Wetland Centre
Woodland	Bostall Braeburn Coldfall Copse Dulwich Epping Forest Grangewood Park Highgate Lesnes Abbey Mad Bess Old Park Oxleas Park Petts Queen's Russia Dock Sydenham Hill
House gardens	Avenue House Belair Park Boston Manor Park Broomfield House Cannizaro Park Chiswick House Danson Park Grovelands Park Grove Park Gunnersbury Park Hall Place Hampton Court Park Hillingdon Court Kenwood House Lamorbey Park Langtons Manor House Gardens Marble Hill Park Morden Hall Park Morden Park Osterley Park Syon House Valence House Museum Walpole Park
Entry-fee charging	Kew Gardens London Wetland Centre
Community gardens	Phoenix Garden

show v t Parks and open spaces by London borough
Barking and Dagenham Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith and Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth City of Westminster

show v t Local nature reserves in Greater London
Barking and Dagenham	Beam Valley Beam Valley (Environment Agency) Dagenham Village Churchyard Eastbrookend Country Park Mayesbrook Park South Parsloes Park Squatts Ripple Nature Reserve Scrattons Ecopark and extension The Chase - Barking
Barnet	Big Wood and Little Wood Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Coppett's Wood and Scrublands Glebelands Moat Mount Open Space Oak Hill Wood Rowley Green Common Scratchwood Totteridge Fields
Bexley	Crossness Danson Park Bog Garden, Welling Foots Cray Meadows Lesnes Abbey Woods
Brent	Brent Reservoir/Welsh Harp Fryent Country Park Masons Field
Bromley	High Elms Jubilee Country Park Scadbury Park
Camden	Adelaide Belsize Wood Camley Street Natural Park Westbere Copse
Croydon	Bramley Bank Foxley Wood Hutchinson's Bank Selsdon Wood South Norwood Country Park
Ealing	Blondin Park Fox Wood Grove Farm Gunnersbury Triangle Islip Manor Meadows Litten Long Wood Northolt Manor Perivale Wood
Enfield	Covert Way
Greenwich	Gilbert's Pit Maryon Park Maryon Wilson Park Oxleas/Shooters Hill Woodlands Sutcliffe Park
Hackney	Abney Park Cemetery Springfield Park
Hammersmith and Fulham	Wormwood Scrubs
Haringey	Alexandra Park Coldfall Wood Parkland Walk Queen's Wood Railway Fields
Harrow	Bentley Priory Stanmore Common Stanmore Country Park
Havering	Bedford's Park Cranham Brickfields Cranham Marsh Ingrebourne Valley Rainham Marshes The Chase - Havering The Manor
Hillingdon	Denham Country Park Frays Valley Gutteridge Wood and Meadows (Yeading Woods) Ruislip Local Nature Reserve Ten Acre Wood Yeading Brook Meadows
Hounslow	Bedfont Lakes Country Park Chiswick Eyot Cranebank Duke's Hollow Gunnersbury Triangle Hounslow Heath Isleworth Ait Kempton Pevensey Road
Islington	Barnsbury Wood Gillespie Park Parkland Walk
Kingston upon Thames	Bonesgate Open Space Castle Hill Coombe Hill Wood Edith Gardens Elmbridge Open Space Ham Lands Hogsmill River Park Jubilee Wood Raeburn Open Space Rose Walk Southwood Open Space Tolworth Court Farm Fields The Wood and Richard Jefferies Bird Sanctuary
Lambeth	Streatham Common
Lewisham	Beckenham Place Park Brookmill Road Burnt Ash Pond Dacres Wood Downham Woodland Walk Sue Godfrey Nature Park
Merton	Bennett's Hole Cannon Hill Common Cherry Wood Cranmer Green Derwent Floodwash Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads Lower Wandle Merton Park Green Walks Morden Park Myrna Close Oakleigh Way Pyl Brook Ravensbury Park Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Wood Wandle Meadow Nature Park
Redbridge	Hainault Lodge
Richmond upon Thames	Barnes Common Crane Park Island Ham Common Ham Lands Lonsdale Road Reservoir (Leg of Mutton Reservoir) Oak Avenue, Hampton
Southwark	Dulwich Upper Wood Lavender Pond Nunhead Cemetery One Tree Hill Sydenham Hill Wood and Fern Bank
Sutton	Anton Crescent Wetland Belmont Pastures Cuddington Meadows Devonshire Avenue Nature Area Roundshaw Downs Ruffett and Big Woods Spencer Road Wetlands Sutton Ecology Centre Grounds The Spinney, Carshalton Wandle Valley Wetland Wilderness Island
Tower Hamlets	Ackroyd Drive Greenlink Mudchute Park and Farm Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park
Waltham Forest	Ainslie Wood
Wandsworth	Battersea Park Nature Areas
Westminster	St. John's Wood Church Grounds

Coordinates: 51°25′33″N 0°07′38″E / 51.4258°N 0.1271°E / 51.4258; 0.1271