Hundreds of people came to Bradbourne Lakes Park in Sevenoaks on 11 July for the free Re-bourne summer festival, where the Mayor helped launch a community time capsule ahead of the £2.1m restoration of the historic lakes.

Hundreds of people turned out at Bradbourne Lakes Park in Sevenoaks on Saturday 11 July for the free Re-bourne summer festival, a day of history walks, raft-building and children’s activities held to mark the start of the biggest restoration the ornamental lakes have had in nearly 300 years. (Sevenoaks District Council, Bradbourne Lakes Summer Festival success!)

We previewed the festival and the restoration behind it earlier this month. Here is how the day itself went.

What happened on the day

The afternoon opened with a welcome from Cllr Irene Roy, the council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, and ran with a mix of drop-in activities across the parkland. Local historian Jonathan Fenner led a guided walk through the site’s history, children built model rafts in a hands-on workshop, and there was a bouncy castle, inflatable bowling, crafts and a magician for younger visitors. (Sevenoaks District Council, Bradbourne Lakes Summer Festival success!)

The set-piece moment was a community time capsule, launched by the Mayor of Sevenoaks Town Council, Cllr Victoria Granville, and intended to be filled with contributions from residents before the park is transformed. Several of the partner organisations behind the restoration ran stalls on the day, among them the South East Rivers Trust, West Kent Mind and the Crowborough Model Boat Club, alongside information sessions explaining the works to come. (Sevenoaks District Council, Bradbourne Lakes Summer Festival success!)

Cllr Roy said it had been “wonderful to be able to put on another” festival “to celebrate the rejuvenation of the much-loved ornamental lakes and parkland in the heart of Sevenoaks.” (Sevenoaks District Council, Bradbourne Lakes Summer Festival success!)

The restoration behind it

The festival is the public face of the “Bradbourne Re-bourne” project, funded largely by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which with developer contributions brings the total to roughly £2.1 million. The work will drain and restore all five interconnected lakes, which were laid out around 1740, repairing sluices, bridges and banks, clearing silt to create reedbeds, and adding a natural play area and new habitats, alongside improvements to the flow and quality of the River Darent. The main works are due to begin in autumn 2026. (Sevenoaks District Council, Council awarded £1.6m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore historic lakes)

What it means for you

The festival was a chance to see the park before it closes for the main restoration, and the time capsule is still open to the community, so residents who want a piece of the park’s story preserved can ask the council how to contribute. Once the works start this autumn, expect parts of the site to be fenced off while the lakes are drained and rebuilt. For families looking for other things on over the summer, our roundup of things to do in Sevenoaks has more, and the council’s free Family Fun Days run at parks across the district through the holidays.

Sources

Image: Bradbourne Lakes by Andy Parrett, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.