The following potted history about our club has been collated from a variety of sources and if anyone has any information, memorabilia or artefacts from the early days then the club would be delighted to hear from you, correct any errors below and look at putting your items on display within the club.

The first Beckenham RFC was founded in 1874, had at least 60 members and played their home matches in the Beckenham Junction area.

This early club had already disbanded when, on October 18th, 1894, some twenty five local rugby enthusiasts got together at Church House, Beckenham. It was at this meeting that Dr. R.M.H. Randell (the talented former captain of Guy’s Hospital FC) put forward the proposal that a new Rugby club be formed for Beckenham and the surrounding district. It was carried unanimously. Dr. Randell was elected club captain, Mr. J. Waddington, a local landowner, became the club’s first president, and Mr. W. Rait the club’s first honorary secretary.

Waddington loaned Beckenham RFC the clubs first home ground – a field behind the ‘Three Tuns Hotel’ in Kelsey Lane, Beckenham. The club’s first colours were chosen (red and white vertically stripped jerseys with blue shorts and stockings) and after a few practice games in November, the fledgling club played their first ever recorded match against nearby Brockley RFC on December 8th 1894.

J. Waddington stepped down as president in 1899, which resulted in the club having to find a new home. We moved just a couple of hundred yards down the road to Haggers Field, behind Beckenham Hospital while also changing headquarters from the ‘Three Tuns’ to the ‘George Inn’, which was much closer to the new ground.

The first decade of the new century brought with it some of the all time great Beckenham players, including the three Stagg brothers; John, Roland & Harold who formed the backbone of the pack and our only full England and full British & Irish Lions international, William Cave. The fixture list included the likes of London Irish and Rosslyn Park, and the club had to hire another pitch in Abbey Lane, New Beckenham, for use by the junior XVs. A number of famous people have played for Beckenham over the years, more on those later on.

Following this period of steady growth, the club entered into a decline, so much so that the 1912-13 season saw Beckenham struggling to field even one XV. A revival was beginning to take place, but this was soon put on hold by the outbreak of the First World War.

In fact Beckenham RFC didn’t get going again until April 16th, 1924, when a few club stalwarts – including the original founder Dr. Randell and the renowned Eric Loudoun-Shand (who previously played at centre three-quarter for Dulwich College, Oxford University, London Scottish and Scotland) revived the club. A ground was found behind the ‘Flower House’ in Southend Road, Beckenham, and the club’s first game was played against the Old Dunstonians ‘A’s. The club also adopted their new colours of old gold and royal blue at this time.

The 1924-25 season saw Johnnie Craddock and a 17 year old James Robertson-Justice turn out for the first XV. Johnnie was the long-suffering husband of TV chef Fanny Craddock. While James Robertson-Justice went on to become a popular character actor. Maurice Denham played later for the club.

In 1927, Beckenham bought their present 15 acre ground for £5,250 and members erected a temporary wooden clubhouse during Sunday morning working parties. In 1929 a grandstand was built and the following year a permanent clubhouse was erected at a cost of £1,500 which was further extended in 1937 to provide extra changing rooms ahead of the third playing pitch opening in 1938.

During the late 20’s and early 30’s the club made good progress on the field too, attracting some excellent young players – including P.J. Fuller, E.P. Hindley, and M.F. Percy, who were all playing for Kent at this time. Success bought new members, and six XVs were being fielded on a regular basis. The sense of optimism that permeated the club culminated in the 1937-38 season, when Beckenham had one of their most successful campaigns ever. The first XV playing record was P 29, W 24, D 2, L 3. This was the best record of any London club that season.

Play halted again for the Second World War. Beckenham lost 23 former and current players during the conflict. They are remembered on a plaque within the clubhouse.

The club restarted when hostilities ended with Guy Sumner appointed as president. Guy had playing a leading role at the club, both in a playing and an administrative capacity, since its reformation in 1924. In 1993-94 Guy’s son Willy Sumner, later also became president, echoing the achievement of John & Johnnie Craddock, the first father and son to serve as Beckenham RFC presidents!

The 1950s and ‘60s brought steady growth on and off the field and 1956 saw a fourth home pitch brought into use to facilitate the eight XVs then being fielded. Three years later in 1968 the club instigated another XV, the Vets – one of the first veteran’s sides in Kent.

A clubhouse extension was added in 1970 and our first groundsman, Gordon Jones (previously club secretary) was appointed, living onsite. It took until 1984 for the current groundsman’s bungalow to be built, just in time for the Great Storm of 1986, when a 40ft poplar tree was uprooted and narrowly missed demolishing it.

The 1980s also saw the beginning of youth and mini rugby at the club. The far-sightedness of the initial members that ran this section has been proved many times over and it is now not only a source of many new members, but also a breeding ground for stars of the future. Records show that 10 of the current first XV started in our Under 7 section while nearly all of our coaching staff from senior to mini level have represented the club.

In 1988 Beckenham undertook its first transatlantic tour when 65 members including wives and children went to Canada (the club has also toured France, Holland and Germany in its time).

The 1993-94 season brought the clubs longest winning streak as the ‘B2’ XV went 22 games unbeaten, scoring an amazing 800 points while conceding just 71!

Beckenham celebrated its centenary in 1995 with matches against Kent representative sides and a dinner at the Bromley Civic Centre attended by both the president and the secretary of the RFU alongside the Mayor of Bromley.

In 2003, a new £900,000 clubhouse was replaced the old one, with club members raising half the funds and a successful National Lottery bid providing the rest.

2012 saw the formation of the first ladies XV at senior level, 2015 brought our second ladies team. Our ladies section continues to go from strength to strength. The club now fields seven sides on a regular basis and has a thriving youth rugby section with Elliot Daly being our latest mini player to win a full senior England XV cap.

If you have any information you can add then please get in touch with Jim Hogan with details.