Downe Scout Activity Centre was one of the National Scout Activity Centres under the direct control of

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

Downe Downe, formerly Down (), is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley, which formed part of the historical county of Kent until 1965, and is beyond London's contiguous urban area. Charles Darwin lived ...

near

Orpington Orpington is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Mary Cray, sou ...

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

. It provided

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

and indoor accommodations for

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

and

Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

. The Downe site of 86

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

s is from the centre of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

near the

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, about south-southeast of Charing Cross. It is separated from London's built-up area by the Metropolitan green belt and is located adjacent to the Greater London boundary with Kent and ...

airfield. In November 2020 the Scout Association announced their intention to sell the site. The Scout Association said it would do everything possible "to make sure that the legacies are honoured and heritage preserved" In July 2021, The Scout Association trustees unanimously agreed to sell Downe Activity Centre to Friends of Downe Activity Centre (FoDAC), a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Registered Charity Number 1194761). FoDAC aimed to preserve the site for future generations of young people. However, negotiations stalled, and an agreement could not be reached. The Scout Association then attempted to sell the site to two other parties, but both sales fell through. In December 2023, Friends of Downe were invited to submit a new bid. The Scout Association later announced plans to auction the site in mid-February 2024 but allowed Friends of Downe to continue their bid alongside the auction process. Notably, since June 2022, the entire site has been protected under a Tree Protection Order (TPO). By April 2024, Friends of Downe Activity Centre reached an agreement with The Scout Association and signed a contract for the site's purchase. The sale was officially completed in October 2024, and the site was renamed Downe Activity Centre..

History

Downe Camp, close to Orpington, opened in 1929 as a Scoutmasters' Training Ground. From 1933 it was available to Scout Groups and the site offered camping and some activities, including swimming. This was possible by the construction of a swimming pool which was funded by the proceeds from the very first Gang Show, which was organised by Ralph Reader for this very purpose.

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

lived in the road along from Downe House and undertook his famous worm experiments on at least two areas of the site. The site was supported by a committee one of whom was Sir Jeremiah Coleman, together with his wife, he donated money to build the Providore as their golden wedding anniversary gift. They also donated the clock from their stable block and paid for the tower around it. Located adjacent to Biggin Hill Airport, Downe Scout Camp was used as a base for the Home Guard during World War II and required considerable efforts by working parties of Rover Scouts in the late 1940s to return it to a Scout camp ground. Greater London South East Scouts assumed control and management of the site in 1987. However, in 2005, the site was renamed as Downe Activity Centre and became one of the National Scout Activity Centres under the direct control of The Scout Association. The site was used as part of a

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

special which aired on 20 February 2007 to promote the

Scouting 2007 Centenary The Scouting 2007 Centenary comprised celebrations around the world in which Scouting, Scouts celebrated 100 years of the world Scout movement. The original celebrations were focused on the United Kingdom, such as the camp on Brownsea Island Scou ...

. Over 100

Cub Scouts Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scouting, Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a gro ...

and Explorer Scouts were present on the camp, along with the TV crew who joined in with all of the activities. A series of international camps called Campdowne have been held at the site, the first was in 1989, followed by 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and the most recent in 2013. Campdowne has been attended by Scouts and Guides from all over the world, set in both the woodland and open fields the camps offered a unique and unforgettable ten day programme of events and activities.

References

External links

Downe Activity Centre
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Downe Activity Centre
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629095708/http://www.scouts.org.uk/cms.php?pageid=2374 , date=2011-06-29 Scout Activity Centres of The Scout Association London Borough of Bromley

History

See also

References

External links