More information : [TQ 4070 6909] Stockwell College on site of [T.I.]
The Bishop of Rochester's Palace [G.T.]
[TQ 4078 6909] Moat [G.T.] (1)
The Bishops of Rochester had a manor house at Bromley from
early times, which was rebuilt in 1184 and altered at various later
dates. This building was demolished and entirely rebuilt in
1774-6. To the south-west of this building (now Stockwell
College) are some ruins of the medieval manor house, including a restored Norman arch. Part of the moat is retained and the line
can be traced throughout. (2-3)
The site of the Bishop of Rochester's Palace is occupied by the
18th c. and later Stockwell College. A small folly at TQ 4061 6902
apparently re-uses material from it, and various pieces of
masonry are scattered about the grounds.
Only the E. arm of the moat survives, water-filled and in good
condition; the remainder has been filled in but the N. arm
can still be traced as a slight depression across flower gardens.
Published 1/1250 survey correct.
GP A0/64/116/2. (4)
TQ 407691, Moat listed by the Moat Sites Research Group. (5)
At the heart of this spatially, temporally and functionally complex of buildings is the late 18th century palace of the Bishops of Rochester, which had medieval origins. This red-brick block remained in ecclesiastical ownership until it was sold in 1845 into private ownership. It remained so until the early 20th century, undergoing significant alterations during the later part of the 19th century. The building then passed into institutional use, during which time it was extensively enlarged, including the addition of wings in 1934-5. This was carried prior to the arrival of Stockwell College but after Kent County Council took over the running of the college in 1960. Further substantial alterations were made later that decade. The college closed in 1980 and the London Borough of Bromley took over the complex at which time it became the Civic Centre. Further additions followed including a block housing a council chamber. The various departments of the council are now distributed around the buildings of the former palace and college, the whole ensemble being set within a mature and well-maintained landscape garden. (6)
In 1845 the building was sold to Mr Coles Child, a wealthy coal merchant with an interest in a large number of financial pies. Coles Child extended and aggrandized the house,
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