The History of the Harvington Estate

HARVINGTON ESTATE Cont'd...

Soon after Bertrand’s death, his widow Florence gave the land for St John’s church to be built in Eden Park Avenue. Its foundation stone was laid in 1932. She gave the new church her full support and donated the organ in her husband’s memory. This did not mean that she forgot Christchurch. The annual outing to Harvington was by horse-drawn coal cart for a tea in the house followed by a visit to see the farm animals, geese, chickens, dogs, pigs and cows. Florence played the church organ and had a grand piano in the house that eventually she willed to her son Philip. She was playing the organ at the church when a V2 dropped in the field in February 1945 killing two Jersey cows and a hen but thankfully not even waking the vicar’s baby asleep in the vicarage garden.

The Harvington estate as owned by the Petleys included the houses called Homewood and Chalfont together with their lodges and stables. During the war Florence Petley leased out Homewood and Chalfont to the Metropolitan Electric Light and Power Company for their offices.

When Florence died in 1946 at the age of 73, the Beckenham Council bought the 37 acres of land for £36,000. It included the land used for allotments between Chalfont and the adjoining house, Oakfield. In her will, Florence had hoped that her unmarried daughter, Dorothy, would take over the Harvington house. Dorothy had assisted in the running of the farm. A letter that she wrote in 1935 gave William Chilver of the neighbouring Kelsey Manor farm a reference to apply for work at Wellcomes. His farmland had been taken over for the construction of Stone Park Avenue.

All three houses were leased to the LEB for ten years from 1948. When the leases expired, the lodges continued as rented accommodation for the Park’s staff but the houses were demolished in 1960 by the firm of Sid Bishop. The stone bearing the family crest was sent to Hugh Henry Petley at his house in Old Heathfield Sussex where it remains today. The family motto is Toujours Pret (Always Ready).

As for the family, Dorothy lived at 70, Manor Way and continued as a Sunday school teacher at the church. Both the boys were keen members of the Beckenham Cricket and Tennis Club. Hugh Henry was a stockbroker with offices in Gt Winchester St and Philip Theodore was a Company Director at 56 Warwick Square.

Previous | More..