Bromley Rural District
Encyclopedia
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
. Mottingham formed an exclave of the district.
It was created under the Local Government Act 1894
based on the existing Bromley rural sanitary district. It initially consisted of fifteen civil parish
es:
s. Chislehurst became an urban district in 1900, followed by Foot's Cray in 1902 (later renamed Sidcup Urban District in 1921).
The Local Government Act 1929
put in place a new procedure for the alteration of county districts, and due to increased urbanisation it became clear that the rural district was unlikely to continue to exist. Applications were made by Chislehurst Urban District Council to absorb the parishes of Mottingham, North Cray, St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, along with Sidcup UD. Beckenham Urban District Council entered into negotiations with West Wickham Parish Council to absorb the parish, while Bromley Borough Council sought to annex the parishes of Hayes and Keston. Bromley Rural District Council countered by making an application to be converted into an urban district, although they were prepared to cede Mottingham to Chislehurst UD. Public inquiries were held at Beckenham and Orpington in October 1929 into the proposed changes.
The district's abolition was carried out by the Kent Review Order 1934, which came into effect on April 1:
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
in north-west 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...
, England from 1894 to 1934. Its area now forms part 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:...
in 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...
. It did not include the main settlement of Bromley
Bromley
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...
; which constituted 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...
. Mottingham formed an exclave of the district.
It was created under the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
based on the existing Bromley rural sanitary district. It initially consisted of fifteen civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
es:
- ChelsfieldChelsfieldChelsfield is a place in the London Borough of Bromley in London, England.The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cillesfelle, meaning land of a man called Cēol....
- ChislehurstChislehurstChislehurst is a suburban district in south-east London, England, and an electoral ward of the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
- CudhamCudhamCudham is a village in the London Borough of Bromley in London, UK. It is located south-southeast of Charing Cross and about northwest of Sevenoaks....
- DowneDowneDowne is a village in the London Borough of Bromley in London, UK.Downe is south west of Orpington and south east of Charing Cross. Downe lies in a wooded valley, and much of the centre of the village is unchanged; the former village school now acts as the village hall.-Darwin:Charles Darwin...
- FarnboroughFarnborough, LondonFarnborough is a settlement in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a suburban development located 13.4 miles southeast of Charing Cross.-History:...
- Foots CrayFoots CrayFoots Cray is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, near the town of Sidcup, in southeast London, England, United Kingdom.It took its name from Godwin Fot, a local Saxon landowner recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, and from the River Cray that passes through the village. It lay on the old...
- HayesHayes, BromleyHayes is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London, England. It has two main areas of activity: the ancient village and suburban Hayes.-The ancient village of Nimrods :...
- KestonKestonKeston is a part suburban, part rural area of the London Borough of Bromley, England. It lies on the edge of Hayes Common, to the northwest of Greater London's border with Kent.-History:...
- KnockholtKnockholtKnockholt is a village and civil parish in Kent, England, lying approximately 5 miles south of Orpington and 3 miles northwest of Sevenoaks. It is part of the Sevenoaks district and according to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,166...
- MottinghamMottinghamMottingham is a district of south London, England; located at the convergence of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich...
- North CrayNorth CrayNorth Cray is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, southeast London, England, east southeast of Charing Cross. It lies on the River Cray and is in the Cray Meadows electoral ward which also includes Foots Cray...
- OrpingtonOrpingtonOrpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
- St Mary CraySt Mary CraySt Mary Cray lies on the River Cray and is part of the London Borough of Bromley. St Mary Cray, like St Paul's Cray, has been somewhat overshadowed by the growth of nearby Orpington, which now provides local communities with their main shopping and business facilities...
- St Paul's CraySt Paul's CraySt Paul's Cray lies on the River Cray and is part of the London Borough of Bromley. St Paul's Cray was once a separate village, but like its sister St Mary Cray has been incorporated in to Orpington...
- West WickhamWest WickhamWest Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles south east of Charing Cross. West Wickham history dates back to early settlements existing since 1068, although the name `Wickham` is an indication of an earlier Anglo-Saxon settlement...
Boundary changes and abolition
Within a few years of its creation, the rural district was reduced in size and population when two of the constituent civil parishes became separate urban districtUrban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s. Chislehurst became an urban district in 1900, followed by Foot's Cray in 1902 (later renamed Sidcup Urban District in 1921).
The Local Government Act 1929
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....
put in place a new procedure for the alteration of county districts, and due to increased urbanisation it became clear that the rural district was unlikely to continue to exist. Applications were made by Chislehurst Urban District Council to absorb the parishes of Mottingham, North Cray, St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, along with Sidcup UD. Beckenham Urban District Council entered into negotiations with West Wickham Parish Council to absorb the parish, while Bromley Borough Council sought to annex the parishes of Hayes and Keston. Bromley Rural District Council countered by making an application to be converted into an urban district, although they were prepared to cede Mottingham to Chislehurst UD. Public inquiries were held at Beckenham and Orpington in October 1929 into the proposed changes.
The district's abolition was carried out by the Kent Review Order 1934, which came into effect on April 1:
- Hayes and about half of Keston became part of the Borough of Bromley
- Mottingham, North Cray and St Paul's Cray passed to the enlarged Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District.
- West Wickham was transferred to Beckenham Urban District.
- The remainder of the rural district (Chelsfield, Cudham, Downe, Farnborough, part of Keston, Knockholt, Orpington and St Mary Cray) was reconstituted as Orpington Urban DistrictOrpington Urban DistrictOrpington was a local government district in north west Kent from 1934 to 1965 around the town of Orpington, England.It was created an urban district in 1934 from parts of the abolished districts of Bromley Rural District and Chislehurst Urban District, taking in the entirety of Chelsfield, Cudham,...
.