West Wickham
Coordinates: 51°22′35″N 0°01′09″W / 51.3765°N 0.0193°W
| West Wickham | |
 West Wickham
West Wickham shown within Greater London |
|
| Population | 14,276 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TQ379660 |
| London borough | Bromley |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WEST WICKHAM |
| Postcode district | BR4 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| London Assembly | Bexley and Bromley |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
West Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. West Wickham history dates back to early settlements existing since 1068, although the name `Wickham` is an indication of an earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement.[1] The town also lies on the line of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way.
The Prime Meridian passes through West Wickham. [2]
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[edit] About the town
West Wickham was mentioned in the Domesday book with the following entry "In lordship 2 ploughs. 24 villagers have 4 ploughs. 13 salves; a church; a mill at 20d.; a wood at 10 pigs. Value before 1066 8; later 6: now 13. Godric son of Karl held it from King Edward".[1]
In Tudor times, the Manor House Wickham Court was expanded by the Anne Boleyn family and the area was popular for deer hunting. The Grade II Listed building,[3] was built by Sir Henry Heydon in 1469.[4] His wife was Anne, a daughter of Sir Geoffrey Sullen, who was mayor of London in 1469. She was the great-aunt of the famous Anne Bullen or Boleyn. The house was later sold to the Lennard family in 1580. In 1935, it was sold and adapted for use as an hotel. After World War II, it was sold to the Daughters of Mary and Joseph. An American order of Nuns. Currently, it is known as Coloma College (a teacher training college) run by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, a community of religious sisters.[5]
Until the 1900s West Wickham remained a small village. The inter-war period saw rapid development and transformation into a suburb, facilitated by the arrival of the railway (which had opened in 1882).
Modern day West Wickham is a suburb of Greater London, after the London Government Act 1963, which came into effect in 1965, with West Wickham absorbed into the London Borough of Bromley. Like many suburbs of Greater London the area consists of local retail outlets, pubs, restaurants and primarily 1930's housing.
It also hosted a plaque containing the original bark of Stock Tree (a tree so called as it was behind the village stocks) that once stood opposite 'The Swan' which was cut down owing to the requirement to build a new road. The plaque and bark now reside at West Wickham Library, on the High Street.
West Wickham is also home to Beccehamians RFC a Rugby Union Club founded in 1933 which plays competitive rugby in London South East 4 at Sparrows Den at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill. Other clubs nearby include Croydon RFC (formerly Shirley Wanderers), a club that currently competes in Surrey 1, that has a rugby pitch used often for county matches.
There are several parks, West Wickham playing fields (McAndrews), Wickham Park and Blakes Recreation ground.
All Saints Catholic School was a Catholic secondary school located on Layhams Road, West Wickham, London Borough of Bromley which closed in 2007. Formerly known as 'St. John Rigby Catholic College', its name was changed in 2004 as a rebranding because of falling pupil numbers and substantial debts following the conviction of former headmistress Colleen McCabe in 2003.
McCabe was convicted of stealing around £500,000 from her school over a period from 1994 to 1999, which she spent lavishly both on herself and on gifts for her friends. The story was the subject of the 2006 BBC docudrama, The Thieving Headmistress[6] Money was diverted away from the school's budget resulting in the children being without books in a dirty unheated school.
[edit] Education
St David's College is a private school on the Beckenham Road, founded in 1926. It educates boys and girls between 4 – 11 years old.[7]
[edit] Transport
[edit] Buses
The town is served by the London bus routes 119, 194, and 352.
[edit] Road
Two A roads, the A232 and A214 pass through the area.
[edit] Rail
- West Wickham railway station on the Hayes Line, operating trains to Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Hayes. West Wickham is in London Travel Zone 5.
[edit] Notable people from West Wickham
- Stephen Dillane the actor
- Enid Blyton the writer
- Thomas Carew seventeenth-century poet
- Michael Donovan voice actor
- Charlie Heather drummer in The Levellers
- Adrian Waller the journalist and author
- Skream DJ & producer
[edit] In popular culture
The town appeared in the 2000 UK television series The 1940s House, with 17 Braemar Gardens taking the starring role as a family lived a World War II experience in a typical London suburb.[8] It was also mentioned in an episode of New Tricks when the team have arranged to meet a pathologist and DAC Strickland tells them 'his lab is in West Wickham'.
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] References
- ^ a b c [1] West Wickham Residents Association
- ^ The longitude way to walk | Mail Online
- ^ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-358509-wickham-court-bromley
- ^ //www.wickhamcourt.com/timeline.aspx
- ^ http://www.hmt-uk.org/coloma_court/history.htm
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/programmes/?id=thieving_headmistress
- ^ St. David's College - Home
- ^ [2] Telegraph
[edit] External links
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| Section 3: | London Outer Orbital Path | Section 4: |
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| Petts Wood | West Wickham Common | Hamsey Green |
