New Cricket Pavilion at Down House Bowls Over Local Club
English Heritage Staff v. Downe Cricket Club in Special Challenge Match To Celebrate Completion of New Pavilion at Former Home of Charles Darwin
There were googlies, rib-ticklers and golden ducks galore at Down House in Bromley, Kent, on Saturday 4 August when 11 members of English Heritage staff, including the Head Gardener at Down House, played against Downe Cricket Club in a special challenge match to celebrate the completion of the club’s new pavilion in a field on the estate. Downe Cricket Club won the match by four wickets.
Downe Cricket Club dates back to the time when Charles Darwin lived at Down House in the 19th century. Darwin, a keen cricketer himself, gave the club permission to use his land and the earliest known date of cricket being played on the estate is in 1865 when a report describes a match "played at Down House Paddock by kind permission of Chas. Darwin Esq., between eleven gentlemen of Downe, and eleven gentlemen of Farnborough". The tradition continued after Darwin’s death in 1882.
Sadly, by the time English Heritage took over the management of Down House in 1996, the cricket pavilion was beyond repair. Since then English Heritage has been working with the club to build a new pavilion, which has been fitted out painstakingly by members of the club. Everyone who has been involved in the project was invited to watch the special challenge match, which started with speeches and included a traditional tea at 5pm. A ribbon was cut by Mrs Trevatt, the widow of a former captain of the club, to open the pavilion officially.
Tim Reeve, Properties Director at English Heritage, said: “It was Darwin who first invited “the Gentlemen of Downe” to play cricket on this field and we are so pleased to see that tradition continued today and hopefully for many years to come with the building of this new pavilion. It provides a really important link between the house and the local community. We would like to thank Downe Cricket Club for all their enthusiasm and hard work – it has been a pleasure working with them.”
Tom Penfold, President of Downe Cricket Club, said: “I am absolutely thrilled with the new pavilion and would like to thank English Heritage for being so gracious.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Down House Opening Times:
1 April-30 Jun, Wed-Sun and Bank Hols 11am-5pm
1 July-31 Aug, daily 11am-5pm (grounds close 6pm)
1 Sep-31 Oct, Wed-Sun 11am-5pm
1 Nov-16 Dec, Wed-Sun 11am-4pm
Closed 17 Dec-29 Feb
1-20 Mar, Wed-Sun 11am-4pm
Tel: 01689 859119
Downe Cricket Club is a small village team who play friendly matches every Sunday throughout the summer, mainly at their ground on the Down House estate. http://www.downecricketclub.co.uk/
The English Heritage team was led by Tim Reeve, Properties Director, and his team members were Tim Cromack, Toby Beasley (Head Gardener at Down House), Jawad Dawood, Shafiq Memon, Sa’ad Saeed, Olly Frankham
Richard Slatford, Russell Gould, James Hindle and Noman Hashmi.
The pavilion was designed and built by Courtyard Designs Ltd of Suckley, Worcester. Press & Starkey of Welwyn Garden City were the Quantity Surveyors, and W H Simmonds & Son Ltd, of Sevenoaks in Kent were the main building contractor.
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