Chelsfield
Chelsfield is located in Greater London
Chelsfield
Chelsfield
Location within Greater London
Population14,507 (2011 Census. Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ482642
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townORPINGTON
Postcode districtBR6
Dialling code01689
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

Chelsfield is an area in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and, prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Goddington, west of Well Hill, north of Pratt's Bottom and east of Green Street Green. The area is split into two distinct areas – the historic 'village' section, and the newer development by the train station.[2]

History

The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cillesfelle", meaning "land of a man called Cēol".[3][2] Another older variant was 'Chilesfeld'.[2] The village church was constructed in the early Norman period, and gives its names to the Five Bells pubs.[2] Chelsfield was historically a stopping place for drovers.[2]

In 1868 Chelsfield station was opened, however, it was located 1 mile west of the village.[2] As a result, in 1925 land near the station was bought by Homesteads Ltd. and developed for housing, thus creating what is sometimes referred to as 'New Chelsfield.'[2] Further development occurred after the Second World War, with New Chelsfield eventually merging with Green Street Green and Goddington, however the introduction of the London Green Belt stymied development around the village.[2] The New Chelsfield area is now largely a commuter suburb.

Governance

Chelsfield once formed an ancient parish, and later civil parish of 3,378 acres (14 km2), in Kent.[4] The parish included Green Street Green and Pratt's Bottom and stretched as far as Cudham and Orpington.[4] Circa 1894, it was part of the Bromley Rural District.[4] The parish was abolished in 1934 and its former area became part of the Orpington parish and urban district.[5] In 1965 it was transferred to Greater London, to form part of the London Borough of Bromley.[5]

Geography

St Martin of Tours church
Crosshall, a partly 18th-century, Grade II listed building in Chelsfield
The Five Bells, a Grade II listed pub in Chelsfield[6]

In practice, Chelsfield is split into two very distinct areas: the historic Chelsfield Village sited to the east of the main Orpington bypass (the A224) and New Chelsfield, which grew up in the first half of the 20th century after the sale of some of the Waring family estates. The A224, known as Court Road, now separates the historic village from its Anglican church which is dedicated to St Martin of Tours and which dates back, in parts, to the 12th Century.[7]

Transport

Chelsfield station connects the area with National Rail services northbound to London Charing Cross via Orpington and Lewisham and southbound to Sevenoaks. Connections can be made at Orpington for London Victoria via Bromley South and Brixton, and at Sevenoaks for Hastings via Tunbridge Wells and to Ramsgate via Ashford International and Canterbury West.

Chelsfield is served by the Transport for London bus route R1 to St Paul's Cray via Orpington and to Green Street Green and the R7 to Chislehurst via Orpington.

Notable residents

References

  1. ↑ "Bromley Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. pp. 92–3.
  3. ↑ Mills, Anthony David (2001). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford University Press. p. 51. ISBN 9780199566785.
  4. 1 2 3 "Chelsfield parish". Vision of Britain. 1 October 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Orpington parish". Vision of Britain. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Five Bells pub (1359343)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "St. Martin Chelsfield About us".
  8. ↑ "Brass Crosby". Visit Bromley. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Michael Oakeshott". Archives Hub. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Gary Rhodes – Chelsfield Park". News Shopper. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.