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Bexleyheath

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Bexleyheath
The Yacht, Long Lane
Population21,511 Brampton and Christchurch wards 2011
OS grid referenceTQ485755
• Charing Cross12 mi (19 km) WNW
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBEXLEYHEATH
Postcode districtDA6, DA7
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London

Bexleyheath is a town in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England, approximately 12 miles (19.3 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross. The town is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.[1]

History

Rear of Red House, Bexleyheath

Until the early 19th century, Bexley Heath comprised an area of scrub-land with few buildings, although Bexley Heath windmill stood at the corner of what is today Erith Road and Mayplace Road. The heath bordered Watling Street. In 1766 Sir John Boyd had Danson House built in parkland (now Danson Park between Bexleyheath and Welling). In 1814 the land to the north of Bexley that would become Bexleyheath became subject to an Enclosure Act. In 1859 architect Philip Webb designed Red House for the artist, reforming designer and socialist William Morris on the western edge of the heath, in the hamlet of Upton—before Upton became largely developed as a London suburb. The National Trust acquired the house in 2003. Morris wanted to have a "Palace of Art" in which he and his friends could enjoy producing works of art. The house is of red brick with a steep tiled roof and an emphasis on natural materials. Red House is in a non-historical, brick-and-tile domestic style. It is now a Grade I listed building. Morris lived with his wife Jane in the house for five years, during which time their two daughters, Jenny and May, were born. Forced to sell the house for financial reasons in 1865, Morris vowed never to return to it—he said that to see the house again would be more than he could bear.

Bexleyheath's parish church, Christ Church, dates from 1841; and the parish of Bexleyheath from 1866; the building of the current church finished in 1877. Alfred Bean, railway-engineer and one-time owner of Danson House, furthered the development of Bexleyheath as a London suburb by championing the Bexleyheath Line in the 1880s to support the growth of estates around Danson Park. The clock-tower at the centre of the modern shopping area, built in 1912, commemorates the coronation of King George V. In the late 1970s the London Borough of Bexley built its headquarters, the Civic Offices, in Bexleyheath.

Geography

Bexleyheath forms part of the historic county of Kent; and since 1965 with the creation of the Greater London Council under the London Government Act 1963 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is generally seen as being split into two parts by the old Roman road. The DA6 postcode area which is south Bexleyheath has a less homogeneous feel and features Danson House and the Red House. Adjacent to the park, Danson Road has an array of large houses, including a small number of Modernist buildings. In the north DA7 postcode area the majority of houses are predominantly 1930s semi-detached residences, apart from bungalows situated close to the railway station. This area includes part of the Bostall Park Estate, built by the developers Feakes & Richards.

Town centre

The modern town area is dominated by a covered shopping centre opened in 1984 (see Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath), and an Asda supermarket (opened 1987), similar to facilities in other suburban towns and post-war 'New Towns'. A face-lift in 2008 on "The Mall" gave the centre a more modern internal appearance; externally it was largely unchanged. Other developments included the building of "Bexleyheath Square" in the early 2000s as an extension to the then "Broadway", providing more retail units. The 1990s saw the pedestrianisation of the road adjacent to "The Broadway" shopping centre (also known as the Broadway) following the construction of two minor bypasses (Arnsburg Way and Albion Way). Many of the changes to the town centre since 2000 have been in some way a response to competition from Bluewater Shopping Centre, 9 miles to the east in Greenhithe, Kent. Management was taken over in 2010 by Broadway Shopping Centre.

The statue outside the Broadway Centre is "Family Outing" by local artist John Ravera; it was commissioned by Norwich Union and unveiled in 1985.[2] The sculpture, of two parents playing with their son, is based on a Mr G Brazier of Bexley, and was created at a cost of £10,000.[citation needed]

In May 2009 a major redevelopment scheme was approved by the local council following public consultation. This involved the redevelopment of sites occupied by the Bexley council buildings. The magistrates' court was to move to a new building on a site occupied by the library, which would be incorporated into the new development alongside 300 new homes. However, this development did not proceed following the sale of the Broadway Shopping Centre to new owners.

In 2012, the local council approved plans to relocate its offices into the former headquarters of The Woolwich, which had lain empty since 2006.[3] The existing civic offices were going to become a Tesco supermarket; (previously Tesco had acquired the Woolwich HQ site).

Bexleyheath has drawn a lot of custom to match the expansion in retail space from residents of towns in the borough, particularly from Erith and Thamesmead which have expanded in size with development along the River Thames. Custom is also drawn from Plumstead and Woolwich (in the neighbouring borough of Greenwich). The residents of these areas include a large West African community, predominantly Ghanaian and Nigerian.

Leisure and culture

Bexleyheath has leisure facilities including the Edward Alderton Theatre, Cineworld cinema, hotel, reference library, five-a-side football centre, bingo hall and ten-pin bowling alley (Ten Pin).

Bexleyheath and Belvedere Hockey Club are based in Welling, but play some home matches at Erith School.[4]

Cultural events include regular concerts by the Sidcup Symphony Orchestra held in the hall of Townley Grammar School, while the Edward Alderton Theatre produces a number of non-professional productions each year. The theatre, which was founded in 1976, has a raked auditorium seating 74 and a proscenium stage.

Education

There are four secondary schools in Bexleyheath, namely Bexleyheath Academy, St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls, St Columba's Catholic Boys' School and Townley Grammar School.

Places of worship

Trinity Baptist Church, Bexleyheath
  • Bethany Hall, Chapel Road, Bexleyheath
  • Bexleyheath Community Church, Lyndhurst Chapel, Lyndhurst Road, Barnehurst, DA7 6DL
  • Bexleyheath United Reformed Church, Geddes Place
  • Christ Church (Church of England), Broadway
  • Bexleyheath Methodist Church, Broadway
  • Trinity Baptist Church, Broadway
  • St John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, Heathfield Road
  • St Peters (Church of England), Pickford Lane
  • St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church, Long Lane
  • The Salvation Army, Lion Road
  • Bexley Christian Life Centre (Pentecostal), Rowan Road
  • Pantiles Methodist Church, Hurlingham Road
  • Grace Baptist Church, Albion Road
  • Christ Apostolic Church, Welling (CAC) Dove House
  • Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Upland Road

Transport

Rail

The town is served by Bexleyheath railway station, situated a couple of hundred metres to the north of the Broadway. The station is on the Bexleyheath Line, the middle of three lines connecting London and Dartford. Rail services connect the station to London Victoria via Peckham Rye, London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street, Barnehurst, Gravesend and Dartford.

Buses

Bexleyheath is an important hub for Transport for London bus services. There are services connecting it with Bromley, Crayford, Dartford, Eltham, Erith, Lewisham, North Greenwich, Orpington, Sidcup, Thamesmead, Welling and Woolwich.

Notable residents

For people from the London Borough of Bexley, see [[:List of people from Bexley]].

References

  1. ^ Mayor of London (February 2008). "London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004)" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project, http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/UEL/BE013.htm[permanent dead link‍] (Accessed: 28 November 2011)
  3. ^ Fowler, Joshua. "Redevelopment of former Woolwich building in Bexleyheath approved". Bexley Times, 17 July 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  4. ^ "BBHC Hockey Club". Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Allen, Marjory Gill (1897-1976)". Birth Control International. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Profile for Harry Baker". doverathletic.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Stunning Steph". Southern Daily Echo. Newsquest. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  8. ^ "Jimmy Bullard - back to my roots". clubwebsite.co.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  9. ^ Flynn, Julia (30 October 2014). "Kate Bush's London house is for sale". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Surnames beginning with C". bexley.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  11. ^ Allen, Vivien (1 July 1997). Hall Caine: Portrait of a Victorian Romancer. A&C Black. p. 172. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  12. ^ Poor Suffolk boy to Formula One billionaire, Eastern Daily Press, 3 March 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011. Archived 10 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Henry, Alan (10 December 2004). "The Guardian profile: Bernie Ecclestone". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  14. ^ Haggith, John (27 August 2004). "Obituary: Frank Farmer". Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Colin Gill (1892-1940) - British artist". Fascinating Facts of the Great War. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  16. ^ Cawley, Richard (13 November 2016). "Jake Goodman: FA Cup tie gives me another chance at achieving Den dream". London News Online. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Surnames beginning with H". bexley.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  18. ^ "David Haye has 'nothing to hide from' insists Booth". Daily Mail. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Neal Lawson". morebooks.de. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  20. ^ Marks, Kathy (6 August 1998). "East End send-off for a 'diamond geezer'". The Independent. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  21. ^ "Malone biography". Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  22. ^ Ogley, Bob (6 March 2013). "Singer Dorothy Squires' turbulent life: Her marriage to Roger Moore and fire at Bexley home". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Surnames beginning with M". bexley.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  24. ^ John Cunningham (28 June 2005). "Melita Norwood ... Seemingly innocuous south London clerk..." The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  25. ^ Thompson, Tony (16 April 2000). "Noye linked to more killings". The Guardian. London.
  26. ^ Krueger, Christine L. (1 July 2014). Encyclopaedia of British Writers, 19th and 20th centuries. Infobase Publishing. p. 312. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  27. ^ Bacon, Jake (4 December 2015). "Bexleyheath mum to cheer on son Liam Ridgewell in America's biggest football match - the MLS cup final". News Shopper. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  28. ^ Lezard, Nicholas (11 December 1999). "Profile Delia Smith: Simmer gently, do not boil". The Independent. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Delia Smith: Television cook and food writer". cooksinfo.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  30. ^ "Player profile". Oz White LUFC. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  31. ^ "Surnames beginning with T". bexley.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  32. ^ Buckner, Phillip (1998). "TUPPER, Sir CHARLES". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
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