Borough of Bromley, UK
Bromley is both a borough of London and the main town in that borough, situated in the southeast of Greater London. Much of the borough was historically in the county of Kent, as is reflected by the presence of Kent County Cricket Club's second XI and Tewnty20 teams in Beckenham, and the fact that the postal county of Kent is sometimes still used for traditional reasons for much of the borough.
The borough is the largest in London by area and occupies 59 square miles (153 km²). It shares borders with Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley to the north, Southwark and Lambeth to the north west, Croydon to the west; and the counties of Surrey to the south and Kent to the south and east.
Most areas of present South London were once towns and villages in the counties of Surrey and Kent outside London, which were assimilated by London as it expanded rapidly in the 19th & 20th centuries. Surrey and Kent are still used as part of the official postal addresses for some areas of south London.
The M25 sits on the southern edge of the borough. The A21 is the main London to Hastings road and it runs through the borough before heading south to Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
The borough has 27 railway stations which cover much of the area and are served by three Central London stations; London Victoria, London Blackfriars and London Bridge (and, by extension, Cannon Street, Waterloo East and Charing Cross). The main transport hub in the borough is Bromley South, with regular fast trains to London Victoria and a network of buses that stop outside the station and go to all parts of the borough. Orpington is the major station for the east of the borough. Transport for London (TFL) manages bus services in Bromley and these are operated by Selkent and Metrobus.
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Borough: See and Do
Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, chartered in 1158. Its location on a coaching route and the opening of a railway station in 1858 were key to its development and the shift from an agrarian village to an urban town. Bromley's most prominent MP was the former Conservative prime minister, Harold Macmillan.
Each of the towns and villages in the borough has its own distinct high street but Bromley High Street remains the main shopping centre and runs the length of the town. The northern section is mainly comprised of a cinema, specialist shops and restaurants. As the high street gets to the Market Square, there are a number of pubs. The central section of the High Street, between Market Square and Elmfield Rd, is pedestrianised. Bromley Charter Market runs on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
HG Wells grew up in a house along the High Street, which until recently had a sci-fi mural in tribute to him. Charles Darwin also lived further out, at Down House, which is in the greenbelt to the southern edge of the Borough. Here one can find Biggin Hill Airport a small private airfield, used mainly for civil aviation, an International Air Fair in June and also featured in the Da Vinci Code.
Orpington
Orpington is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Stone Age tools have been found in several areas of Orpington; arly Bronze Age pottery fragments have been found in the Park Avenue area; the area was occupied in Roman times, as shown by Crofton Roman Villa and the Roman bath-house at Fordcroft. Orpington is 21.6 km south east of Charing Cross. Journalists in the 1960s used "Orpington man" to designate a typical member of the lower middle class, for example as the target audience of an electoral or advertising appeal.
Crofton Roman Villa
Crofton Roman Villa is the only villa open to the public in Greater London. It was inhabited from about AD 140-400 and was the centre of a large farming estate. Today you can see the remains of 10 rooms protected inside a public viewing building. Remains include tiled (tessellated) floors and the under-floor heating system (hypocaust). Entry fees apply
Location: Crofton Roman Villa, Crofton Rd, Orpington.
Downe
The village of Downe lies on a hill, and much of the centre of the village has remained unchanged for centuries. When Charles Darwin moved there in 1842, the village was still known as Down. Its name was changed later in the 1940s to Downe, to avoid confusion with County Down in Ireland. Downe is 5.5 km south west of Orpington and 22.9 km south east of Charing Cross.
Down House
Charkes Darwin lived in the village for 40 years, from 1842 until he died there in 1882. It was at Down House that Charles Darwin worked on his scientific theories, and wrote "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection", the book which both scandalised and revolutionised the Victorian world when it was published in 1859. Built in the early 18th century, the house remains much as it was when Darwin lived here. The rooms on the ground floor have been furnished to reflect the domestic life of the family and the first floor offers an interactive exhibition on his life, his research and his discoveries. English Heritage, which manages the property, has restored the gardens to their appearance in Darwin's time. Entry fees apply.
Location: Down House, Luxted Rd, Downe. Ph. +44 1689 859119.
Penge
Penge, a London suburb 5.6 km west of Bromley and 6 km north east of Croydon, was once a small hamlet, recorded under the name Penceat in an Anglo-Saxon deed dating from 957 in which King Eadwig gave Penge Common to thane Lyfing. The Crooked Billet is by far the oldest public house in Penge. The London and Croydon Canal was built across Penge Common along what is now the line of the railway through Penge West railway station, deviating to the south before Anerley railway station. There is a remnant at the northern corner of Betts Park, Anerley.
In the Victorian era, Penge developed into a fashionable suburb because of the railway line and its proximity to the relocated Crystal Palace. It became a fashionable day out to visit the Crystal Palace during the day and to take the tram down the hill to one of the 'twenty-five pubs to the square mile' that Penge was reputed to possess, or the two music halls—The King's Hall (later the Gaumont cinema) and, established in 1915, the Empire Theatre (later the Essoldo cinema).
There are several Victorian almshouses in Penge, the oldest being the Free Watermen and Lightermen's Almshouses (also known as the Royal Watermen's Almshouses), built in 1840–1841 on Beckenham Road, to designs by George Porter by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the City of London, for retired company freemen and their widows. The residents were moved in 1973 to a new site in Hastings and the original buildings were converted into private homes.
Chislehurst
The suburban district of Chislehurst lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, 16 km south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in Kent. A mainly residential town with a population 15,000, Chislehurst is one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk, linking to places such as Crystal Palace, Erith, the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead. Chislehurst station provides the town with National Rail services to London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street via Lewisham, Orpington and Sevenoaks.
Camden Place
Camden Place (now Chislehurst Golf Club) takes its name from the antiquary William Camden, who lived in the former house on the site from c. 1609 until his death in 1623. The present house was built shortly before 1717, and it was given a number of additions in the late 18th and very early 19th centuries by the architect George Dance the younger. A later occupant of the house, from 1871 until his death there in 1873, was the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon III. His body and that of his son, the Prince Imperial, were originally buried in St Mary's Church, before being removed to St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough.
Chislehurst Caves
A seriously underlooked attraction, Chislehurst Caves are not in fact caves but a 32 km long network of passageways, carved from the chalk deep under Chislehurst over a period of 8,000 years. Used as a massive air-raid shelter during World War II, the Caves are now a local tourist attraction. Tours often last for an hour, were you'll learn the fascinating history as well as hear ghost and horror stories. Nearby, the exiled Emperor Napoleon III lived in a country house, which is now Chislehurst golf club. Derwent House is also notable for its exquisite style.
Location: Chislehurst Caves, Old Hill, Chislehurst
Biggin Hill
Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Biggin Hill was in the historic and administrative county of Kent. The town is one of the highest points of Greater London, rising to over 210 metres above sea level. Biggin Hill Airport occupies land formerly used by RAF Biggin Hill, one of the principal fighter bases protecting London from German bombers during the Battle of Britain. The airfield was the location of the "Operations Room" for the Operation Crossbow V-1 flying bomb defence during World War II. Many local ghosts are commonly attributed to the World War II airbase.
Beckenham
Beckenham was, until the coming of the railway in 1857, a small village, with most of its land being rural and private parkland. The town, directly west of Bromley, has areas of commerce and industry, principally around the curved network of streets featuring its high street. Beckenham is served in transport by three main railway stations. Though an outer London suburb, it has maintained its own identity and forms a town in its own right. It is centred on its non-pedestrianised curving high street. Further rows of shops run east from the town centre along Bromley Road, south along Croydon Road, and west along Beckenham Road around Clock House station.
The River Ravensbourne flows northwards at the eastern side of the town, towards its confluence with the River Thames forming an eastern boundary with Bromley. A small stream, the River Beck (sometimes referred to as the Hawkesbrook), passes through the town before joining the Ravensbourne via the Pool River further north near Catfod.
Numerous prominent people were born or have lived in Beckenham. In the world of politics and governance, these include the colonial administrator George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (1784–1849); Former British Prime Minister John Major lived at West Oak in Beckenham with his wife Norma from 1974 to 1978. Show business people include Bob Monkhouse (1928–2003), Julie Andrews, David Bowie (1947–2016), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who went to school in Beckenham, Peter Frampton, David Sylvian, Status Quo keyboardist Andy Bown, Anne Dudley of the band Art of Noise.