West Wickham

West Wickham
West Wickham
West Wickham shown within Greater London
Population 14,276 [1]
14,884 (2011 Census. Ward)[2]
OS grid reference TQ379660
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
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
UK Parliament
London Assembly

West Wickham is a suburban area of South East London within the London Borough of Bromley. It is on the line of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way, and is east of Croydon and south west of Bromley. It is 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south east of Charing Cross.

History

The history of West Wickham predates the Norman conquest of England in 1066.[1] West Wickham is 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 Boleyn family and the area was popular for deer hunting. The Grade I listed building[3] was built by Sir Henry Heydon in 1469.[4] His wife was Anne Boleyn, a daughter of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, who was Lord Mayor of London in 1469. She was the great-aunt of Queen Anne 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 and occupied by Coloma College (a teacher training college) run by the Daughters of Mary and Joseph.[5] From 1978 to 1996 it was occupied by Schiller International University and is now home to Wickham Court Preparatory School.

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 1930s housing.

The Swan Public House, West Wickham

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 Glebe Way.

There are several parks, West Wickham playing fields (McAndrews), Wickham Park and Blakes Recreation ground.

The Prime Meridian passes through West Wickham.[6]

Education

West Wickham (including Coney Hall as it is a district of West Wickham) has four schools (all primary schools). They are Oak Lodge, Wickham Common, Pickhurst and Hawes Down. St David's College and Wickham Court are private schools. In 2012, Wickham Common won a hockey gold medal when they represented Bromley in the London Youth Games. There are no secondary schools in West Wickham, but there are some in the neighbouring towns. Langley Park School for Boys and Langley Park School for Girls are located in Beckenham, Hayes School is located in Hayes, and Ravens Wood School is located in Keston. Wickham Court serves as a nursery, primary school and secondary school.

All Saints' Catholic School was a secondary school located on Layhams Road, West Wickham, London Borough of Bromley which closed in 2007.

Transport

Rail

West Wickham station serves the area with services to London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street via Lewisham and Hayes.

Buses

West Wickham is served by several Transport for London buses connecting it with areas including Beckenham, Bromley, Croydon, Hayes, Penge, Sydenham and Thornton Heath.[7]

Sport and leisure

West Wickham has a Non-League football club Glebe F.C. who play at Oakley Road.[8]

West Wickham is home to Beccehamians RFC a rugby union club founded in 1933 which plays competitive rugby at Sparrows Den[9] at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill.[10]

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.

Arts and culture

Since 1958 the area has an Arts association[11]

Since 1967 it has had its own community theatre known as Theatre 62 / West Wickham Theatre centre[12]

Notable people from West Wickham

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.[13]

On Saturday 1 August 1964, Blakes Recreation Ground hosted a concert featuring Manfred Mann (featuring Paul Jones), The Merseybeats and the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra.[14]

Nearest places

References

  1. 1 2 3 West Wickham Residents Association
  2. ↑ "Bromley Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Good Stuff IT Services. "Wickham Court – Bromley – Greater London – England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Timeline". Wickham Court. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Background History of the West Wickham Site". Hmt-uk.org. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  6. ↑ The longitude way to walk | Mail Online
  7. ↑ http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/west-wickham.pdf
  8. ↑ "Everything we do we always exceed in, says Glebe chairman Rocky McMillan". Kentishfootball.co.uk. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "London Gardens Online". www.londongardensonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  10. ↑ Beccehamians RFC
  11. ↑ "About Us". www.westwickhamarts.org. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  12. ↑ "About Us". Theatre 62. 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  13. ↑ Telegraph
  14. ↑ "New Musical Express" (904). July 1964: 2. Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
Section 3: London Outer Orbital Path Section 4:
Petts Wood West Wickham Common Hamsey Green
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