Biggin Hill: Difference between revisions

Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill
	Polesteeple Hill, Biggin Hill
	Biggin Hill Location within Greater London
Population	9,951 (Biggin Hill ward 2011)
OS grid reference	TQ418590
• Charing Cross	15.2 mi (24.5 km) NNW
London borough	Bromley;
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WESTERHAM
Postcode district	TN16
Dialling code	01959
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Orpington;
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley;
	List of places UK England London 51°18′46″N 0°02′01″E / 51.3127°N 0.0336°E

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Biggin Hill is a small town in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located near the border with the Tandridge District of Surrey as well as the Sevenoaks District of Kent. Prior to April 1965 it formed part of the county of Kent. Postally it is the only settlement of Greater London with a Westerham, Kent post town address. It is one of the highest settlements of Greater London, with an elevation ranging from 170 metres (560 ft) to over 210 metres (690 ft) above sea level.

History

Historically the settlement was known as Aperfield and formed part of the parish of Cudham. Biggin Hill was an ancient parish county of Kent, in the Diocese of Rochester, and under the Local Government Act 1894 formed part of Bromley Urban District. The urban district gained further status in 1935 as a municipal borough. Kent County Council formed the second tier of local government during that time. In 1965, London County Council was abolished and replaced by Greater London Council, with an expanded administrative area that took in the metropolitan parts of the Home Counties. It is now part of the London Borough of Bromley.

The most architecturally noteworthy building within Biggin Hill is St Mark's Church, Church Road - 'the moving church'^[2] - designed by Richard Gilbert Scott. It was erected in the 1950s using the dismantled materials from All Saints Church, North Peckham. Much of the work was undertaken by volunteers led by Rev Vivian Symons who undertook much of the decorative work himself.

Airport

Biggin Hill also has an airport, London Biggin Hill Airport, which uses much of the land formerly used by RAF Biggin Hill Aerodrome. The latter hosted the "Operations Room" for the Operation Crossbow V-1 flying bomb defence during World War II.

The old "west camp" of the airport is now owned by Bernie Ecclestone. Most of the buildings in the West Camp are Grade II listed.^[3]^[4] A small section remains in the care of the RAF, and the Grade II listed chapel^[5] (guarded by replicas of the station gate guardians, a Hawker Hurricane and a Supermarine Spitfire) is open to the public.

The old "south camp" is now occupied by the Biggin Hill Business Park, Airport Industrial Estate and various private flying clubs. There are further commercial premises, hangars, private flying clubs and a helicopter joy-ride and pilot training centre to the east of the main runway.

The term "airport", rather than airfield, is used to describe the present-day facility because it has a terminal building and customs facilities. It is host to a wide range of private/business jet and turbo-prop aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737. The main airport apron has recently been enlarged;^[when?] the one remaining hangar on the old south camp has been totally re-clad and a planning application has been posted for further hangars on the eastern side.

A model aircraft site operates within its Air Traffic Zone, operating large model aircraft. In 2009 there were sightings of model aircraft traffic and one air proximity report was filed, according to the Airport Consultative Committee in May 2010.^[6]

Biggin Hill is the location of a VOR-DME navigational beacon, codenamed "BIG", which anchors the South East Arrival Stack for London Heathrow Airport.

The airport was the venue of the Biggin Hill International Air Fair, an annual airshow that usually took place towards the end of June. The event was first held in 1963 and the airshow was permanently cancelled in 2010, shortly after the 48th event.

Education

Charles Darwin School is the only secondary school in the immediate area.

There are two main primary schools; Oaklands Primary School and Biggin Hill Primary School. On the outskirts of Biggin Hill, there is also Cudham CoE Primary School which is situated near Foal Farm, Tatsfield Primary and Downe Primary in the Downe village.

Location

Biggin Hill is on the outskirts of the London Borough of Bromley. The A233 road is the only main road that runs through the area, from North to South. Most places surrounded by Biggin Hill are small towns and villages. Biggin Hill's postcode is TN16 and its post town is Westerham (although Westerham itself is located outside Greater London).

Transport

Biggin Hill is served by several Transport for London bus services connecting with areas including Bromley, Catford, Downham, Hayes, New Addington, Orpington, Petts Wood, Tatsfield and Westerham. The nearest rail link to Biggin Hill is at Hayes station, however, it is easier to commute to Bromley South Station (Busses and trains to and from here fun more frequently). Alternatively to Orpington, the bus can't be relied upon, but fast trains to London Bridge take about 15 mins.

Ghosts

Biggin Hill is believed to be the home of many ghosts, which are commonly attributed to the old World War II airbase.^[7]

References

^ Census Information Scheme (2012). "2011 Census Ward Population figures for London". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
^ Symons, Vivian (1956). The Moving Church. London: Herbert Jenkins.
^ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495996-building-15-hawkinge-block-west-camp-bro
^ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495982-buildings-1-to-5-airmens-barrack-blocks-
^ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495981-memorial-chapel-bromley
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Bob Ogley, The Ghosts of Biggin Hill, 2001, ISBN 978-1-872337-41-8

External links

[pop_ref_london-1] Census Information Scheme (2012). "2011 Census Ward Population figures for London". Greater London Authority. Retrieved 17 October 2023.

[Symons-2] Symons, Vivian (1956). The Moving Church. London: Herbert Jenkins.

[3] ttp://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495996-building-15-hawkinge-block-west-camp-bro

[4] ttp://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495982-buildings-1-to-5-airmens-barrack-blocks-

[5] ttp://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-495981-memorial-chapel-bromley

[6] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[7] Bob Ogley, The Ghosts of Biggin Hill, 2001, ISBN 978-1-872337-41-8

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 The term "airport", rather than airfield, is used to describe the present-day facility because it has a terminal building and customs facilities. It is host to a wide range of private/business jet and turbo-prop aircraft up to the size of a [[Boeing 737]]. The main airport apron has recently been enlarged;{{when|date=October 2014}} the one remaining hangar on the old south camp has been totally re-clad and a planning application has been posted for further hangars on the eastern side.
-A model aircraft site operates within its Air Traffic Zone, operating large model aircraft. In 2009 there were sightings of model aircraft traffic and one air proximity report was filed, according to the Airport Consultative Committee in May 2010.<ref>http://www.bigginhillairport.com/UserFiles/100520.ccminutes.pdf</ref>
+A model aircraft site operates within its Air Traffic Zone, operating large model aircraft. In 2009 there were sightings of model aircraft traffic and one air proximity report was filed, according to the Airport Consultative Committee in May 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigginhillairport.com/UserFiles/100520.ccminutes.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-01-13 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708000343/http://www.bigginhillairport.com/UserFiles/100520.ccminutes.pdf |archivedate=8 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
 Biggin Hill is the location of a [[VHF omnidirectional range|VOR]]-[[Distance measuring equipment|DME]] navigational beacon, codenamed "BIG", which anchors the South East [[Holding (aviation)|Arrival Stack]] for [[London Heathrow Airport]].

v t e London Borough of Bromley
Districts	Anerley Aperfield Beckenham Berry's Green Bickley Biggin Hill Bromley Bromley Common Chelsfield Chislehurst Coney Hall Crystal Palace Cudham Downe Eden Park Elmers End (including Upper Elmers End) Elmstead Farnborough Foxbury Goddington Green Street Green Hayes Hazelwood Hockenden Horns Green Keston Kevington Leaves Green Locksbottom Longlands Luxted Mottingham New Beckenham Orpington (including: Broom Hill, Crofton, Derry Downs and Ramsden) Park Langley Penge Petts Wood Plaistow Poverest Pratt's Bottom Ruxley St Mary Cray St Paul's Cray Shortlands Single Street Southborough South Street Sundridge Sydenham Upper Norwood West Wickham Widmore
Attractions	Bethlem Gallery Bethlem Museum of the Mind Bromley Little Theatre Chislehurst Caves Churchill Theatre Crofton Roman Villa Crystal Palace Crystal Palace Bowl Crystal Palace Dinosaurs Down House St Blaise's Well
Parks and open spaces	Betts Park Chislehurst Common Crofton Wood Croydon Road Recreation Ground Crystal Palace Park Cuckoo Wood Downe Bank Elmstead Wood Hayes Common High Elms Country Park Jubilee Country Park Kelsey Park Keston Common Norman Park Ruxley Gravel Pits Saltbox Hill Scadbury Park Sundridge Park The Warren West Kent Golf Course nature reserve
Places of worship	Bromley Reform Synagogue St Botolph's Church, Ruxley St George's Church, Beckenham St John the Evangelist's Church, Penge St Mark's Church, Bromley St Mary's Church, Downe St Mary the Virgin, Hayes St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bromley
Constituencies	Beckenham Bromley and Chislehurst Lewisham West and Penge Orpington
Rail stations and tram stops	Anerley Avenue Road Beckenham Road Beckenham Junction Bickley Birkbeck Bromley North Bromley South Chelsfield Chislehurst Clock House Crystal Palace Eden Park Elmers End Elmstead Woods Hayes Kent House Knockholt Lower Sydenham New Beckenham Orpington Penge East Penge West Petts Wood Ravensbourne St Mary Cray Shortlands Sundridge Park West Wickham
Other topics	Coat of arms Council Grade I and II* listed buildings Parks and open spaces People Public art Schools
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