Bromley
Encyclopedia
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London
, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley
. It was historically a market town
, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent
and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley
. Its location on a coaching route and the opening of a railway station in 1858 were key to its development and the economic history of Bromley is underpinned by a shift from an agrarian village to commercial and retail hub. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Bromley significantly increased in population and has formed part of Greater London
since 1963. It has developed into one of a handful of regionally significant commercial and retail districts outside central London. It is located 9.3 miles (15 km) south east of Charing Cross
and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
. Bromley has a number of affluent areas and is regarded as being one of the richest London Boroughs. There are a number of gated communities within the borough, most noticeably Keston Park (in Keston, Orpington), Farnborough Park (Farnborough, Orpington) and Bickley Park (in the affluent areas of Bickley and Chislehurst)
grows'. It shares this Old English etymology with Great Bromley
in Essex, but not with the Bromley
in Tower Hamlets
.
The history of Bromley is closely connected with the See
of Rochester. In AD 862 Ethelbert
, the King of Kent, granted land to form the Manor of Bromley. It was held by the Bishops of Rochester until 1845, when Coles Child, a wealthy local merchant and philanthropist, purchased Bromley Palace
(now the hub of the Bromley Civic Centre) and became lord of the manor. The town was an important coaching stop on the way to Hastings from London, and the now defunct Royal Bell Hotel (just off Market Square) is referred to in Jane Austen
's Pride and Prejudice
. It was a quiet rural village until the arrival of the railway in 1858 in Shortlands
, which led to rapid growth, and outlying suburban districts such as Bickley
(which later overflowed into Bromley Common
) were developed to accommodate those wishing to live so conveniently close to London
.
Bromley, also known as Bromley St Peter and St Paul, formed an ancient parish in the Bromley and Beckenham
hundred and the Sutton-at-Hone
lathe of Kent. In 1840 it became part of the expanded Metropolitan Police District
. The parish adopted the Local Government Act 1858 and a local board
was formed in 1867. The board was reconstituted as Bromley Urban District Council in 1894 and the parish became Bromley Urban District
. It formed part of the London Traffic Area
from 1924 and the London Passenger Transport Area
from 1933. In 1934, as part of a county review order
, the borough was expanded by taking in 1894 acres (7.7 km²) from the disbanded Bromley Rural District
; an area including parts of the parishes of Farnborough, Hayes, Keston and West Wickham. Bromley became part of the newly-created Greater London
in 1965, in the new London Borough of Bromley
.
European Parliament constituency. The current MP is Bob Neill
. James Cleverly
is the London Assembly
member for the Bexley and Bromley
constituency, in which the town is located.
Bromley's most prominent MP was the former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
.
and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
.
The historic heart of the town is Market Square, which sits at the junction of the High Street and Church Road.
shopping centre. Bromley is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
. Bromley's main retail rivals are Croydon
, to the west and Bluewater to the south.
BDO International
previously had an office in Bromley. In 2007 the company announced that it was moving the office to London Gatwick Airport
in Crawley
, West Sussex
.
, the larger and more frequently served of the two, which is on the Chatham mainline. Long distance trains from Victoria to Medway, Thanet and south east Kent have their first stop at Bromley, providing a fast and frequent non-stop service to central London. Bromley South is also a stop on the southeast London suburban rail network, with local services for Orpington and Sevenoaks from Victoria and the central London Thameslink
stations calling at the station. Bromley North
station is served by a shuttle service to Grove Park
, where there are onward connections to London Bridge
, Charing Cross
& Cannon Street
in central London; as well as services to Kent.
Bromley is one of the few London boroughs not served by the London Underground, and with the exception of its night buses has no direct bus links to Central London. It does however have regular bus services operating from the town centre also serving urban hotspots in and around the borough including Orpington, Lewisham, Penge, Bexleyheath and Croydon. There are also buses in the town centre serving outer areas such as Biggin Hill, Westerham, Chartwell, Knockholt, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. From 2012 services to central London from all stations within the borough of Bromley will become more regular and there are even plans to include Bromley in the new 'South London Line', an equivalent to the London Overground's 'East London Line'. However this has neither been officially confirmed or denied.
in the town centre and the Bromley Little Theatre close to Bromley North railway station. It also has a large Central Library in the same building as the Churchill Theatre with a large book stock, internet and wifi access, reference library and local studies department. Empire Cinemas
own a 4-screen site in Bromley, with screen 1 being its biggest with a capacity of 392. Screens 2 and 3 have disabled access. The town's football club Bromley F.C.
is in the Conference South
, which is the highest level of regionalised football in England, two divisions below the Football League.
.
There are two selective school
s in nearby Orpington (within the London Borough of Bromley) with an 11+ exam. They are Newstead Wood School for Girls and St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School. There is also The Priory School, a specialist Sports School, which is in Orpington. There are two specialist Media Arts Schools, Hayes School and The Ravensbourne School. It also has the Ravens Wood and Darrick Wood School
s, which have been recognised by OFSTED for excellence (Ravens Wood) and Outstanding (Darrick Wood), being awarded almost top marks in an annual inspection in 2009. Also Ravens Wood has been recognised by OFSTED for Outstanding In every criteria. There are many Independent Schools within the London Borough of Bromley, all of which provide exceptional education, however both Eltham College (in the nearby area of Mottingham - within the borough of Bromley and near the London Borough of Lewisham) and Bromley High (situated in the nearby, affluent area of Bickley- also within the borough of Bromley) have been regarded as institutes of educational excellence and have also been recognised by OFTSED for Outstanding in every criteria.
stands on Church Road. It was largely destroyed by enemy action on 16 April 1941 and rebuilt in the 1950s incorporating the medieval tower and reusing much of the flint and fragments of the original stone building. The most noteworthy historic building is Bromley College, London Road. The mature and very well maintained central public open spaces are noteworthy: Queen's Gardens, Martin's Hill, Church House Gardens, Library Gardens and College Green.
was born in Bromley in 1916. He was awarded the Order of Merit, was Vice Chancellor of University of Cambridge, Master of Selwyn Cambridge, Regius Professor of Modern History, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Chancellor of University of Anglia, President of British Academy, and a Rugby Union International.
H. G. Wells
, most famous for his novel, The War of the Worlds, was born in Bromley in 1866. There is an 'H.G. Wells Centre' in Masons Hill near the southern end of the High Street which houses the Bromley Labour Club. In August 2005, the wall honouring H.G. Wells in Market Square was repainted. The current wall painting features a rich green background with the same H.G. Wells reference and the evolution
sequence of Homo sapiens featured in Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
, a former resident of nearby Downe Village.
Other famous people who lived in Bromley include Charles Darwin
, David Bowie
, Richmal Crompton
, Pixie Lott
, Starsmith
, Christopher Tennant
, Peter Frampton
, Aleister Crowley
, Siouxsie Sioux
, Gary Rhodes
, Billy Idol
, Billy Jenkins
, cricketer Jill Cruwys
, the anarchist Peter Kropotkin
, the former Clash drummer Topper Headon
, historian Richard Jefferis, illustrator Charles Keeping
, Formula 1 test driver Gary Paffett
, children's writer Andrerw Murray
, actor Michael York
who attended Bromley Grammar School for Boys, clarinetist Chris Craker
, Don Perrin
, Canadian author who attended Burnt Ash School in Bromley, and Sir Thomas James Harper, an officer decorated in the Crimean war
. In the 20th century, the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul produced, in quick succession, three Church of England
Bishops: Henry David Halsey
– Bishop of Carlisle
, Philip Goodrich
– Bishop of Worcester
, and David Bartleet – Bishop of Tonbridge
. Steve Barnes, Educator and Mathematician.
The comedian Chris Addison
currently lives in Bromley - 'The Hollywood of South Lewisham'
West Ham United F.C.
midfielder Gary O'Neil
, former Millwall FC and current Everton FC midfielder Tim Cahill
and Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts
lived in Bromley, English darts player Les Capewell
was born in Bromley, Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand
, Fulham F.C.
defender John Pantsil
. Cricket
er Matthew Featherstone
was born in Bromley and played List A cricket for the Kent Cricket Board
. He is the current captain of the Brazil national cricket team. Sir William Pitt
former prime minister.
Bromley was stated to be the location of the fictional Green Midget Café, where every item on the menu was composed of spam
in varying degrees. In another Monty Python sketch it was stated that all seven continents are visible from the top of the Kentish Times building in Bromley.
The Mall
in Bromley appeared on the cover of the 1982 album Sounds Like Bromley by Bromley born Billy Jenkins
. The picture is of the rear of what is now Poundland
(Bromley Toy Fayre and Bramber Womenswear at the time) to the right and the car park above Argos
(J Sainsbury
at the time)
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
. It was historically a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley
Municipal Borough of Bromley
Bromley was a local government district in northwest Kent from 1867 to 1965 around the town of Bromley. The area was suburban to London, and formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and from 1933 was included in the area of the London Passenger Transport Board.-Local board and urban...
. Its location on a coaching route and the opening of a railway station in 1858 were key to its development and the economic history of Bromley is underpinned by a shift from an agrarian village to commercial and retail hub. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Bromley significantly increased in population and has formed part of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
since 1963. It has developed into one of a handful of regionally significant commercial and retail districts outside central London. It is located 9.3 miles (15 km) south east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
. Bromley has a number of affluent areas and is regarded as being one of the richest London Boroughs. There are a number of gated communities within the borough, most noticeably Keston Park (in Keston, Orpington), Farnborough Park (Farnborough, Orpington) and Bickley Park (in the affluent areas of Bickley and Chislehurst)
History
Bromley is first recorded in a charter of 862 as Bromleag and means 'woodland clearing where broomBroom (shrub)
Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
grows'. It shares this Old English etymology with Great Bromley
Great Bromley
Great Bromley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex. It lies south of Manningtree and east of Colchester and includes the hamlets of Balls Green and Hare Green...
in Essex, but not with the Bromley
Bromley-by-Bow
Bromley-by-Bow, historically and officially Bromley, is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is an inner-city district situated east north-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
in Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
.
The history of Bromley is closely connected with the See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
of Rochester. In AD 862 Ethelbert
Ethelbert of Wessex
Æthelberht was the King of Wessex from 860 to 865. He was the third son of Æthelwulf of Wessex and his first wife, Osburga. In 855 he became under-king of Kent while his father, Æthelwulf, visited Rome. His brother Æthelbald was left in charge of the West Saxons...
, the King of Kent, granted land to form the Manor of Bromley. It was held by the Bishops of Rochester until 1845, when Coles Child, a wealthy local merchant and philanthropist, purchased Bromley Palace
Bromley Palace
Bromley Palace is a manor house in Bromley, London Borough of Bromley; and was the residence of the Bishops of Rochester from the 12th century to 1845...
(now the hub of the Bromley Civic Centre) and became lord of the manor. The town was an important coaching stop on the way to Hastings from London, and the now defunct Royal Bell Hotel (just off Market Square) is referred to in Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...
. It was a quiet rural village until the arrival of the railway in 1858 in Shortlands
Shortlands
Shortlands is a ward of the London Borough of Bromley, located less than a mile from Bromley town centre. Historically, Shortlands was known as Clay Hill. It became known as Shortlands around 1800, after the fields which, at this point of the Ravensbourne river, ran at right angles up the slopes...
, which led to rapid growth, and outlying suburban districts such as Bickley
Bickley
Bickley is an affluent residential area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles south east of Charing Cross...
(which later overflowed into Bromley Common
Bromley Common
Bromley Common is the area centered around the road of the same name, stretching between Masons Hill at the south end of Bromley and Hastings Road, Locksbottom. Part of the A21...
) were developed to accommodate those wishing to live so conveniently close to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Bromley, also known as Bromley St Peter and St Paul, formed an ancient parish in the Bromley and Beckenham
Bromley and Beckenham (hundred)
Bromley and Beckenham was an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England.It comprised the ancient parishes of Bromley and Beckenham....
hundred and the Sutton-at-Hone
Sutton-at-Hone
Sutton-at-Hone is a village south of Dartford in Kent, England. It is part of the Dartford local government district and the civil parish of Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley. It is represented by Dartford Borough Councilors Pat Coleman and Tony Martin....
lathe of Kent. In 1840 it became part of the expanded Metropolitan Police District
Metropolitan Police District
The Metropolitan Police District is the police area which is policed by London's Metropolitan Police Service. It currently consists of Greater London, excluding the City of London.-History:...
. The parish adopted the Local Government Act 1858 and a local board
Local board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
was formed in 1867. The board was reconstituted as Bromley Urban District Council in 1894 and the parish became Bromley Urban District
Municipal Borough of Bromley
Bromley was a local government district in northwest Kent from 1867 to 1965 around the town of Bromley. The area was suburban to London, and formed part of the Metropolitan Police District and from 1933 was included in the area of the London Passenger Transport Board.-Local board and urban...
. It formed part of the London Traffic Area
London Traffic Area
The London Traffic Area was established by the London Traffic Act 1924 in order to regulate the increasing amount of motor traffic in the London area...
from 1924 and the London Passenger Transport Area
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
from 1933. In 1934, as part of a county review order
Local Government Act 1929
The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....
, the borough was expanded by taking in 1894 acres (7.7 km²) from the disbanded Bromley Rural District
Bromley Rural District
Bromley was a rural district in north-west Kent, England from 1894 to 1934. Its area now forms part of the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. It did not include the main settlement of Bromley; which constituted the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
; an area including parts of the parishes of Farnborough, Hayes, Keston and West Wickham. Bromley became part of the newly-created Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in 1965, in the new London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...
.
Governance
Bromley forms part of the Bromley and Chislehurst Parliament constituency and the LondonLondon (European Parliament constituency)
London is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :The constituency corresponds to Greater London, in the south east of the United Kingdom....
European Parliament constituency. The current MP is Bob Neill
Bob Neill
Robert James MacGillivray "Bob" Neill is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He has served as the Member of Parliament for Bromley and Chislehurst since a by-election on 29 June 2006...
. James Cleverly
James Cleverly
James Spencer Cleverly is Leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, the Chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board and until February 2010 was the Mayor of London's Ambassador for Youth. He was elected for the Bexley and Bromley constituency in May 2008 as a candidate of the...
is the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
member for the Bexley and Bromley
Bexley and Bromley (London Assembly constituency)
Bexley and Bromley is a constituency represented in the London Assembly.It consists of the combined area of the London Borough of Bexley and the London Borough of Bromley...
constituency, in which the town is located.
Bromley's most prominent MP was the former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
.
Geography
Bromley is located 9.3 miles (15 km) south east of Charing CrossCharing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
.
The historic heart of the town is Market Square, which sits at the junction of the High Street and Church Road.
Economy
The town has a large shopping and retail area, including a pedestrianised High Street and The GladesThe Glades (Bromley)
The Glades is a British shopping centre owned by Capital Shopping Centres , CGNU , and London Borough of Bromley . It is located in Bromley, South-East London. It has a total of 135 stores trading from a combined floorspace of...
shopping centre. Bromley is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan
London Plan
The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London, England in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. The plan was first published in final form on 10 February 2004 and has since been amended. The current version was published in February 2008...
. Bromley's main retail rivals are Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, to the west and Bluewater to the south.
Current National Retailers
- WilkinsonsWilkinsonsWilkinsons could refer to:*The Wilkinsons, a country music group.*The Wilkinsons , a reality TV show following the group of the same name.*Wilkinson a British store....
(coming soon) - Will be where the current Carpetright is - Marks and Spencer - Orignally in the Market Square.
- BHSBHSBHS may refer to:* Baggage handling system, a type of conveyor system installed in airports* Barbershop Harmony Society, the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form* Beck Hopelessness Scale, a psychological test...
- NextNext- Film and stage :* Next , an American film starring Nicolas Cage* Players , a Bollywood film produced under the name Next* Next , by Terrence McNally...
- PrimarkPrimarkPrimark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
- TK Maxx
- Boots in The Glades, Bromley Previously where NextNext- Film and stage :* Next , an American film starring Nicolas Cage* Players , a Bollywood film produced under the name Next* Next , by Terrence McNally...
is - DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
Previous National Retailers
Bromley high street over the years has had many national retailers:- RumbelowsRumbelowsRumbelows was an electrical and electronics retailer in the United Kingdom which once rivalled Currys, Dixons and Comet.-History:Fred Dawes established the company as a chain of television and radio rental shops in the 1950s, naming it Fred Dawes...
- 195-199 High street (previously 79 High Street until 1967) - AlldersAlldersAllders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...
(formerly Medhursts, and the site of H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
' birth) - 162-178 High Street (now PrimarkPrimarkPrimark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
) - LittlewoodsLittlewoodsLittlewoods is the name of a former retail and gambling company founded in Liverpool, Merseyside, England by John Moores in 1923.It started as a shopping catalogue company, processing orders by post in the early 1970s. In 1981, it expanded to a call centre, processing orders via telephone. At its...
later Marks and Spencer menswear - Now RepublicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
(The GladesThe Glades (Bromley)The Glades is a British shopping centre owned by Capital Shopping Centres , CGNU , and London Borough of Bromley . It is located in Bromley, South-East London. It has a total of 135 stores trading from a combined floorspace of...
side) and Top Man / Top ShopTop ShopTop Shop may mean:* TopShop A British Clothes Store* BOARD GAME Top Shop - A PlayStation Game* A Serbian national shop located in Novi Sad...
(High Street side) - DebenhamsDebenhamsDebenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
- now in The Glades, was located where Dreams and Carpetright currently are. The building was said to be haunted due to Debenhams stock continously falling off the shelves, however this may have been due to vibrations from the nearby train line. - IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
- 8 The Mall - Now part of Bright House and Wesley Owen (see The MallThe Mall (Bromley)The Mall is a shopping centre in Bromley, South East London, United Kingdom. It is small in size and is often overshadowed by the main shopping centre in Bromley The Glades...
article for more details) - SafewaySafeway (UK)Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
- Became Kwiksave - Kwiksave - Now WetherspoonsWetherspoonsJ D Wetherspoon plc is a British pub chain based in Watford. Founded as a single pub in 1979 by Tim Martin, the company now owns 815 outlets. The chain champions cask ale, low prices, long opening hours, and no music. The company also operates the Lloyds No...
- WoolworthsWoolworths GroupWoolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
- Now 99p stores99p Stores99p Stores Ltd is a family run business founded in January 2001 by entrepreneur Nadir Lalani, who opened the first store in the chain in Holloway, London, with a further three stores opening later that year...
(Before Woolworths - C&A) - F.W.WoolworthF. W. Woolworth CompanyThe F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
- Now BurtonBurton- Canada :* Burton, British Columbia* Burton, New Brunswick* Burton, Ontario* Burtons, Nova Scotia* Burton, Durham Region, Ontario* Burton, Parry Sound District, Ontario* Burton, Prince Edward Island* Lac-Burton, Quebec* Burton Lake, Saskatchewan- England :...
, EvansEvansEvans may refer to:people*Evans *for a particular person with the surname, see the List of people with surname Evans.place*Evans, California in the United States*Evans, Colorado in the United States*Evans, Georgia in the United States...
and Dorothy PerkinsDorothy PerkinsDorothy Perkins, whose trading name was inspired by a rambler rose of the same name, is a large British women's clothing retailer, active mostly in the United Kingdom.- History :... - BejamBejamBejam was a British frozen food retailer which was founded by John Apthorp in 1968, based in Stanmore. The concept of selling only frozen foods was a novel idea at the time, and Bejam grew out of Apthorp's existing family business of E. A. D. Apthorp, who were potato merchants specialising in local...
- Became the MultiyorkMultiyorkMultiyork is a British furniture retailer based in Thetford, Norfolk. The company employs over 660 people across the United Kingdom and over 300 at its factory and head office in Thetford, where it is a major business....
before moving to the High Street - Westmoreland Place Shopping Precinct in Bromley South (now RBS insurance) - TescoTescoTesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
- Became the reject shop before moving to the glades - Westmoreland Place Shopping Precinct in Bromley South (now RBS insurance) - House of FraserHouse of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
/ Army & Navy - Now T.K. MaxxT.K. MaxxT.K. Maxx is a retailer with stores throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Poland. The company is part of the TJX Companies which also owns other 'off-price' retail chains such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States and Winners in Canada...
and car park - C&AC&AC&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Vilvoorde , Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany...
- Now Next (Before C&A - Boots)
BDO International
BDO International
BDO International is a worldwide professional services network of public accountancy firms, serving national and international clients. Each BDO Member Firm is an independent legal entity in its own country. The network, originally formed in 1963 as Binder Seidman International Group, is...
previously had an office in Bromley. In 2007 the company announced that it was moving the office to London Gatwick Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
.
Transport
Bromley is served by two railway stations. Bromley SouthBromley South railway station
Bromley South railway station is a major interchange and station in Bromley town centre within the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London. It is in Travelcard Zone 5, and the station and all trains are operated by Southeastern...
, the larger and more frequently served of the two, which is on the Chatham mainline. Long distance trains from Victoria to Medway, Thanet and south east Kent have their first stop at Bromley, providing a fast and frequent non-stop service to central London. Bromley South is also a stop on the southeast London suburban rail network, with local services for Orpington and Sevenoaks from Victoria and the central London Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
stations calling at the station. Bromley North
Bromley North railway station
Bromley North railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south-east London, in Travelcard Zone 4. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. It is the terminus of the short Bromley North Branch Line from Grove Park....
station is served by a shuttle service to Grove Park
Grove Park railway station
Grove Park railway station is a railway station in London, England. It is located on Baring Road within Travelcard Zone 4, and serves the areas of Grove Park and Downham in the London borough of Lewisham. The station was opened in 1871. Currently there are five platforms...
, where there are onward connections to London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
, Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
& Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
in central London; as well as services to Kent.
Bromley is one of the few London boroughs not served by the London Underground, and with the exception of its night buses has no direct bus links to Central London. It does however have regular bus services operating from the town centre also serving urban hotspots in and around the borough including Orpington, Lewisham, Penge, Bexleyheath and Croydon. There are also buses in the town centre serving outer areas such as Biggin Hill, Westerham, Chartwell, Knockholt, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. From 2012 services to central London from all stations within the borough of Bromley will become more regular and there are even plans to include Bromley in the new 'South London Line', an equivalent to the London Overground's 'East London Line'. However this has neither been officially confirmed or denied.
Culture
Bromley has a number of theatres, the most notable being the Churchill TheatreChurchill Theatre
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, south east London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department.It is carefully integrated into the central library complex overlooking Church House Gardens and Library Gardens...
in the town centre and the Bromley Little Theatre close to Bromley North railway station. It also has a large Central Library in the same building as the Churchill Theatre with a large book stock, internet and wifi access, reference library and local studies department. Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas
Empire Cinemas Limited is a multiplex cinema chain in the UK. There are 17 Empire Cinemas with 141 screens in total, including the flagship Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London which hosts various film premières and first-runs.-Ownership & Management:...
own a 4-screen site in Bromley, with screen 1 being its biggest with a capacity of 392. Screens 2 and 3 have disabled access. The town's football club Bromley F.C.
Bromley F.C.
Bromley Football Club are an English football club based in Bromley, in Greater London, England. They currently play in the Conference South, and play their home matches at Hayes Lane.-Early years:...
is in the Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
, which is the highest level of regionalised football in England, two divisions below the Football League.
Bromley on TV
| Type | shown on | Company | Disctiption | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advert | Various Channels | Digital UK | Lady is in an electric wheelchair being chased by Al | Widmore Road / East Street |
| Advert | Various Channels | Natwest | Man outside the Branch | High Street outside Natwest |
| Advert | Various Channels | Thomas Cook | Bromley Store shown outside | High Street outside Thomas Cook |
| TV Programme | Brian Conley Show (series 1+2) (ITV 1) | LWT | Whole programme | Churchill Theatre |
| TV Programme sketch | Face Jacker (Channel 4) | Hat Trick Productions | Terry Tibs was buying fish | Copes Fishmongers, Widmore Road |
| TV Programme insert | GMTV (ITV 1) | GMTV Limited | Live singing for the "Tot Stars" singing competition for children similar to Pop Stars/Pop Idol/X factor | The Glades (Central Atrium) |
| TV programme insert | Watchdog (BBC 1) | BBC Productions | Report about Santander credit cards | outside 3 of the 4 Santanders, outside Topman / Topshop / Miss selferige, outside Burton / Dorothy Perkins, outside Debenhams (Elmfield Road entrance) |
| TV programme insert | The priory (Channel 4) | Ginger Productions | Hidden camera clip with Wolf from Gladiators | High Street |
Education
Bromley has numerous schools, and is home to Bromley College of Further & Higher EducationBromley College of Further & Higher Education
Bromley College of Further and Higher Education is situated in the London Borough of Bromley, London, England. It is affiliated to the University of Greenwich.Bromley College’s main campus, Rookery Lane, is just south of Bromley town centre on the A21....
.
There are two selective school
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
s in nearby Orpington (within the London Borough of Bromley) with an 11+ exam. They are Newstead Wood School for Girls and St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School. There is also The Priory School, a specialist Sports School, which is in Orpington. There are two specialist Media Arts Schools, Hayes School and The Ravensbourne School. It also has the Ravens Wood and Darrick Wood School
Darrick Wood School
Darrick Wood School is a secondary school in Orpington, London Borough of Bromley, United Kingdom with a current roll of 1785 pupils. It is a larger than average comprehensive school for boys and girls aged 11–18 and was first opened in 1975. Since then it has grown immensely adding new buildings...
s, which have been recognised by OFSTED for excellence (Ravens Wood) and Outstanding (Darrick Wood), being awarded almost top marks in an annual inspection in 2009. Also Ravens Wood has been recognised by OFSTED for Outstanding In every criteria. There are many Independent Schools within the London Borough of Bromley, all of which provide exceptional education, however both Eltham College (in the nearby area of Mottingham - within the borough of Bromley and near the London Borough of Lewisham) and Bromley High (situated in the nearby, affluent area of Bickley- also within the borough of Bromley) have been regarded as institutes of educational excellence and have also been recognised by OFTSED for Outstanding in every criteria.
Landmarks
The parish church of St Peter and St PaulSt Peter and St Paul, Bromley
St Peter and St Paul is a church in the town of Bromley, Borough of Bromley, in south east London. Known familiarly as Bromley Parish Church, it is not far from Bromley High Street and approximately halfway between Bromley North and Bromley South railway stations. The church is part of the Diocese...
stands on Church Road. It was largely destroyed by enemy action on 16 April 1941 and rebuilt in the 1950s incorporating the medieval tower and reusing much of the flint and fragments of the original stone building. The most noteworthy historic building is Bromley College, London Road. The mature and very well maintained central public open spaces are noteworthy: Queen's Gardens, Martin's Hill, Church House Gardens, Library Gardens and College Green.
Areas of Importance
Bromley has a number of affluent areas and is regarded as being one of the richest London Boroughs. There are a number of gated communities within the borough, most noticeably Keston Park (in Keston, Orpington), Farnborough Park (Farnborough, Orpington) and Bickley Park (in the affluent areas of Bickley and Chislehurst)Notable residents
Owen ChadwickOwen Chadwick
William Owen Chadwick, OM, KBE, FBA, FRSE is a British professor, writer and prominent historian of Christianity. He was also a rugby union player.-Early life and education:Chadwick was born in Bromley in 1916...
was born in Bromley in 1916. He was awarded the Order of Merit, was Vice Chancellor of University of Cambridge, Master of Selwyn Cambridge, Regius Professor of Modern History, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Chancellor of University of Anglia, President of British Academy, and a Rugby Union International.
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, most famous for his novel, The War of the Worlds, was born in Bromley in 1866. There is an 'H.G. Wells Centre' in Masons Hill near the southern end of the High Street which houses the Bromley Labour Club. In August 2005, the wall honouring H.G. Wells in Market Square was repainted. The current wall painting features a rich green background with the same H.G. Wells reference and the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
sequence of Homo sapiens featured in Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, a former resident of nearby Downe Village.
Other famous people who lived in Bromley include Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
, Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
, Starsmith
Starsmith
Starsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
, Christopher Tennant
Christopher Tennant
Christopher Tennant is an American magazine editor, artist, and author of The Official Filthy Rich Handbook, published by Workman Publishing in June 2008....
, Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
, Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
, Gary Rhodes
Gary Rhodes
Gary Rhodes OBE is an English restaurateur, cookery writer, and chef, known for his love of British cuisine and distinctive spiked hair style ....
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Billy Jenkins
Billy Jenkins
Billy Jenkins is an English blues guitarist, composer, and bandleader.Initially Jenkins became famous as a member of Burlesque, then as part of Trimmer & Jenkins. A short period he followed as a member of Ginger Baker's Nutters. For several years, he ran Wood Wharf Studios...
, cricketer Jill Cruwys
Jill Cruwys
Jill Elizabeth Cruwys was an English cricketer who played for the Kent women's team, the East women's team, the West Midlands women's team and the English women's cricket team. She made her test debut in 1969 when she was a member of the England women's team who played against New Zealand in...
, the anarchist Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
, the former Clash drummer Topper Headon
Topper Headon
Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal...
, historian Richard Jefferis, illustrator Charles Keeping
Charles Keeping
Charles William James Keeping was a British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer. He first came to prominence with his illustrations for Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novels for children, and he created more than twenty picture books...
, Formula 1 test driver Gary Paffett
Gary Paffett
Gary Paffett is a British racing driver in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. He is also a test driver for the McLaren Formula One team. Paffett progressed through the ranks of karting and junior formulae in the United Kingdom, winning the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 1999...
, children's writer Andrerw Murray
Andrew Murray (children's writer)
Andrew Murray is a British writer of children's books.A native of Bromley, South-East London, he wrote the Buddy and Elvis picture-books with Nicola Slater. His stories and The Tolkien Quiz Book have been translated into many languages. The Ghost Rescue series is published by Orchard Books in...
, actor Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
who attended Bromley Grammar School for Boys, clarinetist Chris Craker
Chris Craker
Chris Craker was born in Bromley, Kent, in 1959, and studied the clarinet at the Royal Northern College of Music from 1977–1981. He had a successful career as a clarinetist, playing with orchestras including the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the Scottish Chamber, and the London Chamber...
, Don Perrin
Don Perrin
Don Perrin is a Canadian writer and former military officer. Born in Iserlohn, Germany, Perrin grew up in Kingston, ON, Canada, McMasterville, QC, Canada, Bromley, Kent, England, and Ottawa, ON, Canada. Perrin served in the Canadian Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, in the Canadian...
, Canadian author who attended Burnt Ash School in Bromley, and Sir Thomas James Harper, an officer decorated in the Crimean war
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. In the 20th century, the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul produced, in quick succession, three Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Bishops: Henry David Halsey
Henry David Halsey
The Right Reverend David Halsey was born on 27 January 1919 and died on 16 May 2009. He was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon and King's College London. After this he took holy orders at Wells Theological College and began his ministry as a curate at St. Peter's Church, Petersfield...
– Bishop of Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
, Philip Goodrich
Philip Goodrich
Philip Harold Ernest Goodrich was an Anglican bishop for nearly quarter of a century. Born on 2 November 1929 he was educated at Stamford School and St John's College, Cambridge. . After this he studied for ordination at Ripon College Cuddesdon followed by a curacy at Rugby in Warwickshire...
– Bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
, and David Bartleet – Bishop of Tonbridge
Bishop of Tonbridge
The Bishop of Tonbridge is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester, in the Province of Canterbury, England...
. Steve Barnes, Educator and Mathematician.
The comedian Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
currently lives in Bromley - 'The Hollywood of South Lewisham'
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
midfielder Gary O'Neil
Gary O'Neil
Gary Paul O'Neil is an English footballer who currently plays for West Ham United.-Portsmouth:Tony Pulis gave O'Neil his Portsmouth debut as a 16-year-old on 29 January 2000 at home to Barnsley in the First Division, but kept him out of the spotlight for the rest of the season...
, former Millwall FC and current Everton FC midfielder Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
and Blackburn Rovers striker Jason Roberts
Jason Roberts (footballer)
Jason Andre Davis Roberts MBE is an English-born Grenadian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. Born in Park Royal, London, Roberts began playing football from an early age, and spent time in the youth academies at several professional clubs, but was not...
lived in Bromley, English darts player Les Capewell
Les Capewell
Les Capewell is a retired English professional darts player who competed in the 1980s. He qualified to compete at the World Professional Darts Championship three times - in 1981, 1982 and 1983 but only managed to win one match - a first round victory over Stuart Holden in 1983...
was born in Bromley, Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
, Fulham F.C.
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
defender John Pantsil
John Pantsil
John Paintsil is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who is currently playing for English club Leicester City in the Npower Championship and the Ghana national team....
. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er Matthew Featherstone
Matthew Featherstone
Matthew Ross Featherstone is an English born Brazilian cricketer. Featherstone is a right-handed batsman who is the current captain of the Brazil national cricket team.-Domestic career:...
was born in Bromley and played List A cricket for the Kent Cricket Board
Kent Cricket Board
The Kent Cricket Board is the governing body for all recreational cricket in the historic county of Kent.From 1999 to 2004 the Board fielded a team in the English domestic one-day tournament.-Structure:...
. He is the current captain of the Brazil national cricket team. Sir William Pitt
William Pitt
William Pitt is most likely to refer to:* William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham , Prime Minister of Great Britain 1766–1768; often known as William Pitt the Elder...
former prime minister.
Popular culture
In the famous Monty Python Spam sketchSpam (Monty Python)
"Spam" is a popular Monty Python sketch, first televised in 1970. In the sketch, two customers are in a greasy spoon café trying to order a breakfast from a menu that includes the processed meat product in almost every dish. The term spam is derived from this sketch...
Bromley was stated to be the location of the fictional Green Midget Café, where every item on the menu was composed of spam
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
in varying degrees. In another Monty Python sketch it was stated that all seven continents are visible from the top of the Kentish Times building in Bromley.
The Mall
The Mall (Bromley)
The Mall is a shopping centre in Bromley, South East London, United Kingdom. It is small in size and is often overshadowed by the main shopping centre in Bromley The Glades...
in Bromley appeared on the cover of the 1982 album Sounds Like Bromley by Bromley born Billy Jenkins
Billy Jenkins
Billy Jenkins is an English blues guitarist, composer, and bandleader.Initially Jenkins became famous as a member of Burlesque, then as part of Trimmer & Jenkins. A short period he followed as a member of Ginger Baker's Nutters. For several years, he ran Wood Wharf Studios...
. The picture is of the rear of what is now Poundland
Poundland
Poundland is a British-based variety store chain which sells every item in its stores for £1. Established in April 1990 by Dave Dodd and Stephen Smith, Poundland stock a variety of around 3,000 home and kitchen-ware, gifts, healthcare and other products, across 16 categories many of which are brand...
(Bromley Toy Fayre and Bramber Womenswear at the time) to the right and the car park above Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
(J Sainsbury
J Sainsbury
J. Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsbury's, the third largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom with a share of the UK supermarket sector of 16.5%....
at the time)