Bromley College

1. HIGH STREET, BROMLEY 4407 (North East Side)

Bromley College TQ 46 NW 5/39 10.1.55

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2. A tablet on the building records that:- "This College for twenty Poore Widowes (of orthodoxe and loyall clergymen) and a Chaplain was given by John Warner Late Lord Bishop of Rochester 1666". The building consists of 2 courtyards of red brick. The west courtyard dates from 1670 onwards. Its main front faces west. It consists of a central portion and 2 advanced wings forming the Chaplain's and the Treasurer's houses. 2 storeys, semi- basement and attaic. The centre has 12 windows and 12 gabled dormers, the wings 2 windows and 1 dormer each. Brick stringcourse. Wooden modillion eaves cornice. Tiled roof. Buttresses support the front between the windows. Casement windows with wooden mullions and transomes. Wide central gateway up 5 steps with iron handrail. Rusticated round-headed stone archway with engaged Doric columns, curved pediment and cartouche of the arms of John Warner, Bishop of Rochester. The south front of this courtyard has 16 windows and 10 dormers. The inner face of this side of the courtyard and of the north side opposite have doorways in moulded architrave surrounds with heavy pediment shaped hoods over, and on each side of these a round window with a round-headed window over it. In the centre of the east front of the courtyard is the Chapel which projects into the east courtyard. This was contemporary with the foundation but was rebuilt by Waring and Blake in Decorated style in 1863. The east courtyard is a replica of the west one but without the buttresses. It was built in 1794-1805 with money left by William Pearce, brother of Dr Zachary Pearce, Bishop of Rochester, and by Mrs Bettinson in 1782 and 1788 respectively to provide 20 more houses for the same purpose.

Listing NGR: TQ4002269574