Beckenham The Village

THE VILLAGE HIGH STREET Cont'd...

Borrowman's map of 1723 also shows that Peter Burrell owned a house on this site. In 1845 it was occupied by the Misses Woodruffe, then by Dr. R.R. Stilwell and later by W. Levens, but about 1870 it became a licensed house when other building developments were going on in the Village. Borrowman says "the former residence has been modernised so completely as to destroy entirely the character of the building"; while 1962 saw yet another metamorphosis!

Borrowman also recalls that - "In January 1888 Beckenham lost the services of a much respected inhabitant, Dr. R.R. Stilwell, who practised in the Village, and was, in the early '60s, the only Medical Practitioner in Beckenham".

Opposite The Greyhound, at the foot of Church Hill, stood THE POUND, a wooden enclosure for impounding stray cattle at night; THE CAGE, a temporary prison for drunken men, on which was a motto 'Live and Repent' with the date 1787; and nearby THE STOCKS. Replicas of these were made for the Coronation Celebrations in June 1953 when an Old English Fayre was held in the afternoon, using the High Street from the bottom of Church Hill to Village Way.

Next to the Pound was another VILLAGE PUMP, mostly used for drawing water from the Beck for road watering.

The CAGE is first mentioned in a Vestry Minute of 1799, and it was demolished in 1856. The Pound which was removed in 1885, is also mentioned in a Vestry Minute as to its special use; but little is known about when The Stocks were last used as the only record is by comments in reminiscences from former village inhabitants.