Bromley Gloss - London Borough of Bromley - Current, Upcoming, Historic

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Bromley Gloss - London Borough of Bromley - Current, Upcoming, Historic

LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY! PLUS occasional pieces on ANYTHING from ANYWHERE. You Can Share EVERYTHING Local Bromley Borough & there Abouts to This Page.

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Debz: facebook.com/dzadewalsh
Page Founder/Manager/Editor/Narrator, Researcher - Historical/Topical, Post Creator, Administrator, Videographer/Photographer. Bjorn: Page Researcher, Videographer, Photographer
Dave: Page Researcher; Historical Detail, Current Affairs. Lucas: Page Researcher; Historical Detail, Current Affairs.

13/10/2026

BROMLEY HIGH STREET BACK IN TIME The Green Line 725 coach is pulled up outside Allders department store. Your peak pre-digital Saturday shopping spree starts here. Look at the window display, that boxy portable CRT television. The classic car, and the coach itself a distinct 'Y' registration plate, built in 1983—dating this snapshot probably to the mid 1980s.

13/10/2026

SAME ERA DIFFERENT NAMES, CHURCH HOUSE GARDENS & LIBRARY GARDENS

There used to be plenty of local finger-wagging whenever someone dared to call it Church House Gardens😵 instead of Library Gardens. Having known and loved it as Church House Gardens since childhood, it turns out that actually no one was wrong and everyone was right!

The postcards themselves only reveal that different publishers called the exact same park layout by different names during the same era, labeling it as shown plus everything from Bromley Gardens to Town House Gardens. However, historical research some time back uncovered the backstory: these grounds originally belonged to two separate parks sitting side by side.

The long-standing identity puzzle was finally resolved in 1930 when the two spaces were officially merged into one unified public park. What was from then onwards officially named Church House Gardens, carrying the history of both, standing as a shared legacy for the people of Bromley.

11/10/2026

BROMLEY SOUTH, c. 1935. This photograph shows the beginning of Masons Hill at the foot of Bromley South, looking south down a narrow road layout that has since been entirely replaced. While people sometimes view this specific stretch for a continuation of Bromley High Street—assuming Masons Hill only starts around the corner—this spot has historically been, and officially remains, the true start of Masons Hill.

To the left is the curved facade of the Railway Signal pub, which closed and was demolished around 1986. Following its clearance, a gravel car park and a makeshift skate park occupied the empty space during the 17-year gap before the modern Bromley Police Station was constructed on the site, opening in 2003.

Further down in the background distance sits the Two Brewers pub near the corner of Simpson Road, which was pulled down in the 1940s to facilitate local road widening. On the right side of the street are local businesses, including a weatherboarded Footwear Repairs shop and the brick frontage of Edwin A. Co. Coal Merchants.

Every single structure visible in this shot has been demolished.

11/10/2026

BROMLEY NORTH RAILWAY STATION on Tweedy Road 1929, showing the entrance to Sherman Road before construction of Bromley North Postal Sorting Office where there stood a series of buildings, unsure what they were used for. According to a sign above the entrance of the Sorting Office on Tweedy Road, it opened in 1949. The new location was constructed due to the towns ever expanding postal needs.

The photo shows the spot bottom left that would eventually house Northside House that stands there today. Across the way other side of Tweedy Road there was a series of wooden/brick huts that stood at the corner of North Street. These days that space is reserved for greenery. Just out of shot is The Railway Tavern. Notice how narrow Tweedy Road was going down towards Widmore Road. Photo Credit: Britain from Above.

11/10/2026

END OF AN ERA? BECKENHAM’S HISTORIC ABC REGAL CINEMA SET TO CLOSE. The landmark Odeon Beckenham, which originally opened its doors as The Regal Cinema in September 1930, is officially scheduled to close for the final time on 29 November 2026.

The closure follows a commercial real estate deal where Odeon agreed to an early surrender of its lease to the building's new owner, Citygate Church. The new owners intend to pull the plug on commercial movie screenings entirely. They plan to strip out the current multi-screen setup to turn the Grade II-listed Art Deco venue into a private place of worship and community facility. A formal change-of-use planning application will be submitted to Bromley Council to permanently remove the building from public entertainment use.

COMMUNITY ACTION SAVE OUR SCREEN. The plan has sparked widespread neighbourhood resistance from residents who feel losing the town’s only cinema will heavily damage High Street culture and local business. A community action group named Save Our Screen is actively fighting to block the change-of-use application. They aim to secure Asset of Community Value (ACV) status for the venue to preserve its legal protection as a public entertainment hub for a future cinema operator.

The neighbourhood campaign is moving quickly to gather public backing before the council review begins. Local residents can connect with the local action group on FB, and sign the active protest directly on the changedotorg Petition at https://www.change.org/p/keep-beckenham-odeon-as-a-cinema
Currently over 11,000 verified signatures.

11/10/2026

📚UPDATE: BROMLEY’S NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY TAKES SHAPE. Work continues at a steady pace on the new home for Bromley Central Library at 145 High Street. The old site next to the Churchill Theatre officially closed its doors to the public in June 2026, paving the way for contractors to push ahead with this huge high-street conversion.

According to official project updates published by Bromley Council, the external construction milestones for the 145 High Street site have already been checked off. The specific structural works to the roof—including the installation of the brand-new central roof light designed to bring natural light down into the building—were completed ahead of the main internal fit-out phase. This allows the focus to shift fully inside, while on the outside, the vibrant green bricks provide a distinct and interesting update to the bare concrete that sat there prior.

Once opened to the public, it is promised that visitors can look forward to a state-of-the-art facility spread across two floors: The Ground Floor will offer a large interactive children's library with a dedicated snug, event spaces, casual study zones, and fully accessible toilets. The First Floor features a central atrium, expansive modern study areas, a local history center showcasing a revitalised Bromley Historic Collection, upgraded IT resources, and hireable community meeting rooms.

09/10/2026

1970s CHANGES TO BROMLEY. Both photos capture a long gone stretch of the high street.

🔵The first photo captures vintage buildings filled with classic British retail names of the era like Lord John, Stone Dri Weatherwear, Daniel Myles, and Jean Junction. 🔵 The second photo shows some being dismanted, the Daniel Myles building already completely gone by that stage. Beside Jeans Junction was the original Woolworths, next along was Hennekeys public house. None of the old buildings shown in this row stand today.

OLD FAVOURITES DEMOLISHED
In the background looming behind in both photos, is the continuing construction of the Central Library and Churchill Theatre complex, first phase opening 1977. This entire parade—historic timber-framed structure housing Daniel Myles and quirky historic jewel home to Jean Junction alike, plus the others, were demolished to make way for the modern town centre redevelopments, redevelopments that many of us grew up with.

CHANGING TRENDS
The businesses themselves in the first photo also vanished decades ago as retail trends shifted. Stone Dri, famous for its rainwear, was phased out following a corporate takeover, Daniel Myles menswear was a short-lived fixture that transitioned into a charity shop pending the clearance, and Jean Junction we beleive survived right up until the final chopping block😪.

Today, the site of these shops is occupied by the large building housing Lidl (former British Home Stores site) and adjoining builds.

09/10/2026

"STAGGERING SUCCESS STORY OF BROMLEY GOES ON AND ON..." 1985.

This archival staff newspaper record documents a historic sales milestone from the long timeline of our local high street. The clipping captures a massive sales performance at the former Allders department store during an era when physical, brick-and-mortar shopping ruled the roost. Competition from online retail did not yet exist and out-of-town retail parks were in their infancy. It highlights a moment when the staff worked together to navigate severe weather and organise a themed St. Valentine's Day promotion to draw crowds into the heart of the town. FEBRUARY 1985 STAFF NEWSPAPER REPORT READ AS FOLLOWS:

"THE SUCCESS story continues at Allders of Bromley. With the relaunch of the sales race the Bromley machine stormed to first place with a staggering 128 per cent of target, beating rivals Sutton at 116 per cent and Eltham at 114 per cent.

The result is made more incredible by the fact that for two weeks, the region suffered under a foot of snow, resulting in a subsequent decline in customers. Store director Andy Hunter said: "I am absolutely delighted, especially with it being the new store. The results reflect the hard work and dedication of everyone in the store."

Vital push. "After the snow hit, our spirits were very low, but the restart of the sales race gave renewed impetus to all departments. It gave us all the vital push we needed and encouraged us to work unceasingly to achieve those targets lost through bad weather."

The store was divided into five teams with a target for the final day, which coincidentally happened to be St Valentine's Day. Senior management got into the spirit of things and donned gangster costumes complete with violin cases. "St Valentine's day" continued Andy, "completed the 'massacre' of the figures with a 71 per cent increase in the final week of the sale." And it didn't stop there. Business continued well after the figures were announced.

Bromley's financial controller, Bruce Wallace, said: "There were no disappointments and there wasn't a single merchandise section that didn't do well. The relaunch of the Charge Card also meant 590 new accounts opened in the four weeks of the sale. The accounts section never seemed to stop."

On average every department achieved a 35 per cent increase on last year's results, with children's wear and beds performing exceptionally well. In the inter-departmental sales race, china and glass notched up a staggering 257 per cent increase on their target.

At the tail end of the operation in despatch, manager Bob Land and his team were rushed off their feet processing and delivering orders. Even now the loading bay still shows signs of the chaos which reigned during the hectic four weeks of the sale.

Steve Elphick's display team won a commendation from Andy Hunter for the exceptional part they played during the sale. "Presentation is one of the most important facets during saletime," said Andy, "and Steve's team coped brilliantly under pressure to produce an environment conducive to the success of the sales."
_______________________________

BOON FOR LOCAL COMMERCE. This piece captures the sheer energy of 1980s brick-and-mortar retail, long before the dawn of online shopping. Allders wasn't just a shop—it was a massive community hub, the dedicated staff capable of shifting mountains of stock even when navigaring a foot of snow.

07/10/2026

1960s CRYSTAL PALACE SKI SLOPE ⛷️☀️ These photos capture a unique moment in South London sporting history: the first photo is a press preview shot of the outdoor Crystal Palace dry ski slope, shortly after it first opened in October 1965.

DESIGN
Constructed on the parks upper terraces—perfectly framed by the iconic Crystal Palace television mast looming directly in the background—this early 500-square-yard structure used a newly invented synthetic "Dendix" nylon brush matting system so people could practice parallel turns year-round without snow. To maximise space, the structure was famously built right around a live park tree, with the trunk wrapped in thick rubber padding to cushion skiers and protect the trees.

FAME
The quirky attraction quickly became a hit. In the winter of 1965/1966, BBC's "Blue Peter" filmed a segment here, showing presenter Valerie Singleton learning to navigate the ramp.

LATER YEARS
While this giant, towering wooden scaffolding on the terrace was later dismantled, a smaller, low-profile version of the outdoor Dendix track remained in use further down the park slopes for decades. It hosted local school groups, children's lessons, and youth games all the way up until the early-1990s when it finally closed. Over the years it became quite overgrown, blending into the park greenery until a square of the original nylon matting was recently dug up by local heritage groups for museum display.

07/10/2026

MEMORIES OF PAPERCHASE BROMLEY, FLOATING FURNITURE & PURPLE FAÇADE ✨ Do you remembers strolling down the High Street and being greeted by this unmistakable, vibrant splash of purple and pink?

💜 This photo captures the Paperchase storefront at 130 High Street, Bromley BR1, back in September 2018, with it's eye catching renovation. It was always a favorite destination for picking up unique greeting cards, beautiful notebooks, and premium stationery that you couldn’t find elsewhere.

🪑FLOATING FURNITURE MYSTERY
For anyone who stepped inside, the absolute best part of the shop was looking up. When Paperchase renovated the building, designers completely removed the shop floor ceiling to open up the first floor. Hanging mysteriously directly over your head was an amazing art installation featuring an entire setup of vintage period furniture—including tables, chairs, and a three-piece suite—permanently suspended in mid-air. It was an extravagant, innovative way to showcase what life inside the building looked like 100 years ago without eating up floor space. It added such a magical, quirky touch to your shopping trip!

HIGH STREET CLOSURE
While this specific, characterful High Street shopfront closed down in April 2021, it wasn't the end of the line just yet. The branch actually relocated into a newer unit inside The Glades shopping centre on the Lower Mall opposite Apple.

FINAL NATIONWIDE CLOSURE
Sadly, Paperchase faced severe financial difficulties during the retail crisis. The company ultimately went into administration, and on 3 April 2023, the brand shut all its physical brick-and-mortar stores across the country permanently. The original 130 High Street building was later taken over by a Chopstix Noodle Bar.

It was certainly one of the most distinct architectural landmarks on our high street while it lasted! Who else remembers looking up at that floating furniture?

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