High Elms Country Park, Shire Lane, Orpington BR6 7JH
Site of Former High Elms Mansion House
Historic estate
Place photograph
5.3
Wildland
1–2 hours
Time
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Cost
Atmospheric
Feel
Why it's Wildland
5.3A greensward marks the footprint of a mansion that once had more than 60 rooms and drew visitors including Charles Darwin and William Gladstone. The house burned down in 1967, but paths through its former grounds still reveal traces of the Lubbock family’s landscaped estate.
The former mansion is gone, but its story is unusually legible in the landscape: a marked walk links the house site with estate features, gardens and specimen trees, turning a short visit into a walk through a vanished country-house world.
Atmospheric · Historic
Find your way
Open mapHigh Elms Country Park, Shire Lane, Orpington BR6 7JH
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Know this place a little better?
The experience
Follow the short mansion-and-grounds walk for the former house site and estate features, or take the longer estate walk to explore more of the landscape shaped by the Lubbock family.
Things to do
Walk to the former mansion site
Follow the mansion-and-grounds route to the site of the original house and the later mansion footprint.
About 1 hour
Take the longer estate walk
Follow the waymarked route through more of the former Lubbock estate; the council leaflet describes it as approximately 3.5 miles with gradual gradients.
Allow about 3 hours
Find the Giant Sequoia
Look for the Giant Sequoia planted in 1867, noted on the mansion-and-grounds walk.
Look for the old library marker
The council walk describes semi-circular brickwork marking the location of the former library.
Make a day of it
Quick escape · About 1 hour
Quick escape: mansion and grounds
- 01
Start from BEECHE and follow the black and yellow waymarkers.
- 02
Walk the approximately half-mile mansion-and-grounds route.
- 03
Pause at the former house site and look for the marked mansion footprint and estate features.
Half day · Allow about 3 hours for the estate walk
Make a half day of it: explore the Lubbock estate
- 01
Begin near the car park noticeboard, following the waymarked estate route.
- 02
Walk the approximately 3.5-mile route through the former estate landscape.
- 03
Look for the specimen trees, roundels and memorial features described along the route.
Verified history
The Lubbocks bought High Elms in 1808 as a country retreat. A new mansion, built in 1842, had more than 60 rooms and employed 30 staff, according to Bromley Council’s trail leaflet. The house attracted visitors including Charles Darwin and William Gladstone. The mansion burned down in 1967; the grounds and marked walks preserve features associated with the estate. A local history account also describes the house’s Italianate design and surviving estate structures.
Hidden details
The mansion footprint — The waymarked mansion-and-grounds walk passes the former mansion footprint, helping visitors picture the scale and position of the lost house.
A giant tree with a date — The trail leaflet identifies a Giant Sequoia planted in 1867 among specimen trees associated with the Lubbock family.
Brickwork marking the old library — Look for the semi-circle of brickwork identified by the trail leaflet as the marker of the former library.
When to go
· No specific time of day is documented; check current park and route conditions before visiting.
The supplied sources do not identify a particular season as best. The estate walks are described without seasonal restrictions.
Check current conditions before setting out; route surface and weather-specific advice are not provided in the supplied sources.
The route
- distance
- Mansion and grounds walk: approximately half a mile. Estate walk: approximately 3.5 miles.
- duration
- Mansion and grounds walk: about 1 hour. Estate walk: allow about 3 hours.
- difficulty
- Mansion and grounds walk: gentle. Estate walk: more strenuous, with gradual gradients.
- waymarking
- Black and yellow waymarker discs.
- start point
- The mansion-and-grounds walk starts from BEECHE; the estate walk begins near the car park noticeboard.
- parking start
- The leaflet refers to a car park but does not confirm current parking arrangements. Check before visiting.
- shorter alternative
- Choose the approximately half-mile mansion-and-grounds walk instead of the 3.5-mile estate walk.
- Former mansion footprint
- Giant Sequoia planted in 1867
- Estate landscape and specimen trees
- Features along the marked Lubbock estate walk
What to look for
Look for the marked former mansion footprint, the semi-circular brickwork marking the old library, the Yew Walk, and the Giant Sequoia planted in 1867. The longer estate walk also passes features including roundels and a stone family memorial.
The story
Industry
Best time to go
Year-round; choose a clear day to appreciate the estate landscape.
No season-specific timing is documented. Choose a clear day for the estate walk and check current conditions before visiting.
How long to spend
1–2 hours
Perfect for
Walkers · History lovers
Before you go
Address
Google rating
Practical information
Opening & access
A marked walk in High Elms Country Park passes the former mansion site. Follow the black and yellow waymarkers; check current access and conditions before visiting.
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Parking
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Toilets
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Food & drink
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Dogs
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Accessibility
The mansion-and-grounds walk is described as approximately half a mile and wheelchair accessible. A separate estate walk is around 3.5 miles, with gradual gradients, and is described as more strenuous. Check current route conditions before setting out.
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Cost
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Gallery
Place photographs
Keep exploring
Around Site of Former High Elms Mansion House
Within 50 km · approximate straight-line distances
