…genham) Beddington Corner (Sutton/Merton) Bedford Park (Ealing) BedZED (Sutton) Belsize Village (Camden) Belvedere (Bexley) Bermondsey (Southwark) Berrylands (Kingston) Bethlem Hospital Museum and Gallery (Bromley) The Guide Bexley (Bexley) Biggin Hill (Bromley) Billingsgate (City of London and Tower Hamlets) Bishops Avenue, The (Barnet) Blackheath (Lewisham/Greenwich) Blackhorse Road (Waltham Forest) Blackwall (Tower Hamlets) Bostall Heath (Gr…
Bexley, Bexley The district of Bexley lies on the eastern side of the borough of the same name, beside the River Cray …
Coldblow, Bexley A semi-rural neighbourhood linking Old Bexley with the settlement of Joydens Wood via Baldwyn’s Park and Tile Kiln Lane The former home of the singer Dorothy Squires, seen in 1971, now replaced by flats on Wansunt Road The tile kiln that gave its name to the lane was owned by Lesnes Abbey prior to its dissolution in 1525, but the production of clay roof tiles continued until around 1700. In the early 1880s Bexley’s growth as…
Bostall Heath, Greenwich/Bexley An expansive area of former common land situated north of East Wickham and Bexleyheath Co-operative Woods (though admittedly it could be almost any piece of woodland anywhere) The developed part of this locality is often known simply as Bostall, a name that probably derives from Old English words meaning ‘a secure place’, as it provided refuge from the regular flooding of the lower-lying land nearer the Tham…
Foots Cray, Bexley A commercial and residential area located beside the River Cray in south-east Sidcup Five Arches Bridge in Foots Cray Meadows Archaeologists have recently found evidence of the deliberate burning of the woodland here during the mesolithic period to promote the growth of hazel, and of increased agricultural activity in Roman times. Domesday Book recorded the landowner as Godwin Fot, who possessed a farm, four cottages and …
Crayford, Bexley The principal industrial zone in the borough, straddling the River Cray and the former Roman road of Watling Street, between Bexleyheath and Dartford, Kent Crayford Marshes have been the site of important archaeological finds, including rhinoceros bones, and evidence of an Iron Age settlement has been uncovered. Crayford was probably the site of the Roman settlement of Noviomagus, although other authorities place it at Coney H…
Barnes Cray, Bexley An industrial and working-class residential outpost of Crayford, located to the north-west of Dartford, Kent A swan on the River Cray adds a touch of beauty to an otherwise ugly scene in Barnes Cray This was said to have been the site of Ellam, a medieval manor house. Like nearby Barnehurst, it takes its present name from the Barne family, who owned land on the edge of the Crayford Marshes from the mid-18th century. M…
Upton, Bexley The south-western part of Bexleyheath, lying east of Danson Park The rear of Red House, and its well (Photo: Jon’s pics) Indications of Bronze Age habitation have been discovered in Upton. A 17th-century farm building, once known as Wye Lodge, survives in much-altered form on Lion Road. Upton was an isolated heathland hamlet with a handful of pretty cottages and a couple of public houses when Philip Webb and William Morris …
Erith, Bexley A fast-growing and relatively affordable Thames Gateway district situated east of Belvedere A maritime sculpture in Erith town centre The name Earhyth, which means ‘muddy landing place’, was first recorded in the seventh century when lands here were granted to the bishop of the East Saxons. Henry VIII established a naval storehouse at the end of West Street in 1512. The town briefly flourished as a summer resort in the mid-19…
Barnehurst, Bexley Comfortable commuter belt territory lying north-east of Bexleyheath Barnehurst Cottage The May Place estate had been in existence since the fifteenth century and in the hands of the Barne family from 1750. In the latter part of the nineteenth century the house was occupied by Colonel Frederick Barne, who was also chairman of the Bexleyheath Railway Company. ‘Hurst’ used to mean a ‘woody bank’, but the Barnehurst name was si…


