Remember Godwin Fot. He was a Saxon landowner. Foots Cray got its name from him.
Foots Cray has a rich history. It was once a large village. Sidcup and Longlands were smaller hamlets within its environs. The River Cray and the old Maidstone Road made it an attractive settlement.
At the Domesday Survey in 1086, Godwin Fot was assessed. He had a farm, four cottages, a mill, and some woodland. His manor was among other estates. These included Ruxley, Eltham, Scadbury, and Kemnal.
Even in the 19th century, Foots Cray village was split. Part of it was in the parish of Foots Cray. The other part was in Chislehurst. Therefore, it fell under two urban district councils when they were created in 1894.
All Saints Church is the Foots Cray Church. There’s no documented evidence of a Saxon church. However, it is possible there was a place of worship before the Norman conquest.
Foots Cray was traditionally an arable farming community. This is like most areas in the London Borough of Bexley today. In the 20th century, some industrial activity started. It was based around the river.
Foots Cray Place was the predominant house and estate in the area. The early house wasn’t within the manor. Six generations of the Walsingham family owned Foots Cray Place. It was also known as Pike Place. They owned it until around 1676. The house that stood until 1949 was built in 1754. Bouchier Cleeve built it in the style of a Palladian villa.
Sir Nicholas Vansittart bought this house in 1822. He was once the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He also received the title Lord Bexley. Vansittart’s arrival heralded a golden age. It was a golden age for the house and the surrounding district.
Today, Foots Cray is still a small settlement. It has some industrial and office premises. There are also limited residential developments. These are mostly along Cray Road and up Sidcup Hill towards central Sidcup.
The stable block to Foots Cray Place still stands. A large part of the grounds remains. These grounds are now a recreational area. It is known as Foots Cray Meadows. All Saints’ Church still stands along Rectory Lane. There are also other historic buildings. These include the former Foots Cray school and a terrace of Georgian houses.
Foots Cray Meadows is a 97-hectare nature reserve. It sits in the heart of suburban south-east London. It consists of landscaped open space, meadows, and woodland.
The meadows were once the plush estates of two manor houses. They lay on either side of the River Cray. Foots Cray Place was to the west. North Cray Place was to the east. Lancelot “Capability” Brown landscaped the latter in the late 18th century.
The Five Arch Bridge remains. It is the most significant of four crossings within the Meadows. It is all that remains of the manor houses.
Bexley Council controls and manages the expanse. It is rich in all forms of nature. The river, ancient woodland, and wildflower meadows are designated as a local nature reserve. People have used this location for about 10,000 years.
There is evidence of habitation by hunter-gatherers. Primitive farmers lived in Foots Cray Meadows since the Mesolithic period. There is also proof of settlements from the Neolithic period. Increased agricultural activity occurred during Roman and Saxon times.
The more recent ancestry of the Meadows dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086. The story involves William the Conqueror and Queen Elizabeth I. It includes the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the persecuted Huguenots. Also, one of our longest-serving Chancellors of the Exchequer and one of the most elegant houses in England. The designs are from the most famous figure in English landscape gardening.
Foots Cray is an ancient parish in Kent. It is at the edge of the metropolitan conurbation. It lies south-east of Sidcup and north-west of Swanley.
Foots Cray borders several areas. North Cray is to the north and north-east. Ruxley is to the east and south-east. St Paul’s Cray is to the south and south-west. Sidcup is to the west and north-west.
Just north of the main crossroads is All Saints Church. It is near the River Cray. The church was built in the 1330s. It is believed to stand on the site of an earlier church.