Brewery Rd

Brewery Road

This road was built as part of the enclosure of Bromley Common in 1821 and called Second Common Road on the enclosure map of 1826. As it was developed, it became known as Princes Plain after the field at the end of the road.

It became Brewery Road, c1882, after the Steam Brewery was built. This was four storeys high with an even higher chimney alongside. For a bigger view and an advert, click on the thumbnail picture to the right.

The owner, Mr Jones, lived in Pembury House, next door to his work. The house is still there.

Brewing stopped in about 1905 and the building became a laundry and then a film processing factory. Unfortunately, film at that time was made of celluloid, a highly flammable material and towards the end of the First World War there was a major fire. There is a shop there now. For a larger picture of the shop, click on the thumbnail picture.

The alley leading off the northern side of Brewery Road continued to be known as known as Princes Plain for many years after the rest of the road became Brewery Road. Locally, and unofficially, it then became Dog Kennel Alley. The four cottages at the end are marked on the tithe map of 1841. They were probably built as charity houses by the Trustees of Bromley College (a home for retired clergymen, situated at the northern end of Bromley) who were allocated the land in the enclosure.