Within easy reach of Chislehurst, and sharing to some extent the beauty of its surroundings, are the charming village of Beckley, that owns a fine modern church and a picturesque tower, the latter now the property of the Kent Water Company, and the thriving town of Bromley, the name of which is derived from the broom that flourishes in the neighbourhood. The latter owns what was once the palace of the bishops of Rochester, {129} built on the site of the ancient manor-house, and now a private residence, in the grounds of which is a medicinal well dedicated to St. Blaise, that used to be credited with miraculous powers of healing, and is associated with the memory of King Ethelbert, for to commemorate his conversion to Christianity special indulgences were granted to those who drank its waters. Another noteworthy feature of Bromley is the well-restored parish church--in which rests the wife of Dr. Johnson--rising from the highest point of the town, and approached by an avenue of venerable elms from a picturesque lych gate, whilst here and there in the town are a few quaint old houses, and a little outside it the seventeenth-century buildings of Bromley College, now a home for the widows and daughters of clergymen. [Sidenote: Beckenham] Another village of Kent that has of late years grown into a town is Beckenham, prettily situated on a tributary of the Ravensbourne, in the original straggling high street of which there remain, however, several ancient half-timbered houses. The old manor-house known as Beckenham Place, too, is still standing, and the modern parish church is as nearly as possible a reproduction of the old one that was pulled down on account of its melancholy state of decay in 1885. The well-preserved lych gate, with an avenue of yews leading from it to the southern entrance, is but little changed from what it was long years ago, and in the rebuilding of the church care was taken to preserve the old monuments, that include the altar-tomb of Sir Humphrey Style, who died in 1552, and that of {130} Dame Margaret Damsell, who passed away in 1563. The history of Beckenham Manor can be traced back to pre-Norman times: it was given by William the Conqueror to Bishop Odo of Bayeux, and in the reign of Edward I. it was in the possession of the De la Rochelle family. Later it was owned, in right of his wife, by William Brandon, who was standard-bearer to Henry, Earl of Richmond, and was killed at the battle of Bosworth. During the reign of Henry VII., Charles, Duke of Suffolk, the son of this William Brandon, often visited Beckenham Place, and is said to have there entertained Henry VIII. when that monarch was on his way to meet his bride Anne of Cleves.