With the daylight hours gradually getting longer and weather a bit better our thoughts turn to spring; with its flowers, birds, insects, etc. emerging to cheer us up. However this blog isabout another sort of spring! I am referring to those occasional rivulets of water that emerge, seemingly from nowhere, out of the ground. This phenomenon often occurs at a ‘spring line’, that is a layer where an overlying porous soil meets a more impervious layer below. If this occurs on a slope, at this point the water emerges as a spring line. Such an emergence is more likely to happen if there has previously been a period of heavy rainfall, thereby topping up the amount of water temporarily stored underground in the aquifer.
Due to its geological nature, with a sandy and stony soil (i.e. Blackheath Beds) underlying much of the town centre, there are several such springs in central Bromley. Indeed there is one in Bromley Palace Park, which is called St.Blaise’s Well. There are also some springs on the lower slopes of Martins Hill. Here water encounters a layer of clay and emerges, then running along on the surface until it ten gradually seeps away into the surrounding soil. In the areas more rural past these springs often fed small ponds where animals could then drink from. The lake in Church House Gardens, were originally a number of fish ponds, fed by a spring. This caused some significant problems when the foundations of the Churchill Theatre were excavated.
Each year several of our Friends group has conducted a tour around our local springs, entitled “The Secret Springs of Bromley Town” (see below). This has been popular with the public, but last year sadly this had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus restrictions. It seems that such a public walk will not be possible in 2021. However in the meantime you can still investigate individually – but wear suitable shoes it can be muddy – enjoy!
