The story begins on a walk through the fields where Charles Darwin wrote part of the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life), published on 24 November 1859. Fields full of deer, foxes, birds, and nature led me to an ancient path that climbed from. Berry's Green towards Cudham itself.
Many things have changed in these natural places. The footprint of man is observed in every step I take. I try to strike a balance between nature and environmental impact while walking.
While admiring the blossoms of a falling almond tree an elderly couple wondered if it was new to the area. Because of my accent, they recognized me as a stranger to Cudham and they were surprised when I told them that I was Spanish and was staying at the environmental center.
The man changed his tone quickly and told me that he had things to tell me. He admired the cameras and told me he was wearing an old Zenit.
A few minutes later he confessed to me that the center belonged to a Jewish youth association that was established after the war. He had worked as a guard at the prison near Cudham and admitted that the local population feared Jews. He, however, working in prison was used to dealing with people who were different from his ideals. Lowering his tone of voice, he told me that he liked them and they were very happy people.
He warned me not to ask questions in the wrong places and pointed out some points that I should visit if I wanted to continue their day-to-day.
A circular tour that began at his house and could last a couple of hours. Following the old road, I found the farms of the landowners in the area. One, in particular, stamped the family seal on the roof. It continued an ancient tradition and was one of the signs I had to look for.
Near the farm were the fields where they spent their free time. Just above were the buildings he was looking for.
When I arrived, the first thing I saw was a barrier and some barbed wire that guided my path. There were two possible accesses: the main road or through the fields.
Going up the main road, the first building that caught my attention was a series of squat buildings in a single row that housed the bedrooms, kitchen, living rooms and, a small room converted into a store. The kitchen was lit and a tall chimney gave off white smoke.
Two cabins, a storage room, a row of squat buildings, an abandoned bonfire and, different details from the past.
Nature recovers what belonged to her. Wood rots, houses fall and leaves create a blanket of creaking and serenity.
Some places took me to the past. Echoes of what life was.
A swing for fun.
The old couple told me that the locals were afraid of the Jews who lived here. To get to know them better, I decided to take a walk around the nearby towns and try to get some information.
The first town I found was Berry's Green.
Berry's Green a small hamlet in the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London, UK. It is a fairly wooded rural area with a scattering of farmland. Housing consists mainly of detached properties, mostly bungalows, with a row of local authority cottages and a static mobile home site. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a sub-post office on the corner of Single Street and Jail Lane which sold provisions, such as bread, milk, sweets, and crisps. Mains sewerage was installed around 1973.
Lord Simon Manning, a former Lord of the Manor for Kevington and holder of the land which became Berry's Green, was said to be the royal Standard Bearer to King Richard the Lionheart. I have carried the royal Standard to Jerusalem in 1190 during the First Crusade.
On the junction of Jail Lane, Berry's Hill, and Berry's Green Road is a small wood with a large World War II bomb crater. This may have been caused by a V-2 rocket as it is almost the same distance from Germany as the last known V-2, which was dropped in Kynaston Rd, Orpington. Many of the V-2s fell short of London towards the end of the war. There are also several smaller bomb craters scattered around the surrounding woodlands, due to its proximity to Biggin Hill airfield.
Berry's Green is home to the Cherry Lodge Golf Course, which opened in 1968. The land there is approximately 600 ft. above sea level.
Following the road that veers northeast, I reached the outskirts of Cudham. From the top of the hill, I could see 64 deer grazing peacefully.
Cudham is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley and beyond London's urban sprawl. It is located on the Greater London border with Kent bordering the Sevenoaks District. It lies south of Orpington and northwest of Sevenoaks. It located 15.9 miles (25.6 km) south-southeast of Charing Cross. It located 15.9 miles (25.6 km) south-southeast of Charing Cross.
The elderly couple said goodbye to me saying: "Be careful, don't ask too many questions, when you come back in a few years, come with your love and we'll have tea".
I followed the path that they pointed out to me. A path that passed through the last houses of the town and headed down the hill to an old brewery of the most influential and wealthy family in the area.
Different buildings and constructions came out to meet me. Houses where there was life and others that no longer housed it.
In the brewery, they told me that the workers met a couple of times a week to drink beer and returned to the center singing songs and dancing.
I only have one last stop.
Find the residence of the most powerful family in the place. Once I do, I will cross the fields and arrive again at the center, where I will finally be able to rest.
With the wind blowing from the west I returned to my house to wait for the sun to rise another day.
Until next time, Cudham.
