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A historic parkland site and surrounding suburban development, situated west of Bexleyheath and south of Welling. It was first
recorded as ‘Dansington’ in 1294. The eighteenth century mansion at its heart was designed by Robert Taylor, architect
of the Bank of England, and the park was landscaped in the style of Capability Brown. In 1881 Alfred Bean, then owner of the
Danson estate, began to develop the neighbouring suburb of Welling. Bean died in 1890 but his widow survived for another 31
years, whereupon the Danson estate was divided into lots and sold. Bexley council bought the mansion and 224 acres of parkland
for £15,000 in 1924 and spent another £3,500 converting the park for public use. The remainder of the estate was sporadically
developed for housing over a period of nearly fifteen years with a variety of styles and sizes from semi-detached bungalows
to mock-Tudor mansions, plus a handful of modernist villas. Danson junior school opened on Dansington Road in 1933. Post-war
change in the Danson locality has mostly been limited to the improvement and enlargement of existing properties. The grade
I listed mansion has been restored from a state of near ruin by leaseholders English Heritage and the stable block has been
converted to a pub and restaurant.
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