73-458: Danson Park is a public park in the London Borough of Bexley , South East London , located between Welling and Bexleyheath . At 75 hectares, it is the second largest public park in the borough (the largest being Foots Cray Meadows at 100 hectares), and the most used by the community. Opened in 1925, it is often considered the finest green open space in the borough, and is Grade II listed on
146-401: A charter of incorporation , constituting the area a municipal borough. The attempts to incorporate large industrial towns such as Birmingham , Bolton , Manchester and Sheffield by Whig and Radical "incorporationists" were bitterly contested by Tory "anti-incorporationists". The Tory objections to the legality of the charters led to them boycotting elections to the new boroughs until
219-453: A justice of the peace . The mayor was also required to serve as returning officer for parliamentary elections, except in those boroughs which were counties corporate , where the borough council appointed a sheriff whose duties included serving as returning officer. To fund their work the borough council was allowed to set and collect rates . Municipal boroughs were not automatically given powers to provide or maintain infrastructure under
292-465: A mayor , aldermen and councillors to oversee many local affairs. The legislation required all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise, based on property ownership. The Act reformed 178 boroughs with effect from 1 January 1836. At the same time, a procedure was established whereby the inhabitant householders of a town could petition the Crown via the privy council to grant
365-471: A London average of 42.6% and 8.6%, respectively. Residents were predominantly owner-occupiers, with 31.7% owning their house outright, and a further 46.5% owning with a mortgage. Only 2.2% were in local authority housing , with a further 11.5% renting from a housing association , or other registered social landlord. The greater part of the population are nominal Anglicans , but there are a number of Roman Catholic churches and nonconformist congregations. In
438-423: A fun fair with various rides. The festival usually ran on the first weekend of July each year. The main focal point of the festival was the main stage on which various local artists performed, alongside established acts. Past festivals featured performances from artists including The Hoosiers , The AllStars with Jocelyn Brown , Alexander O'Neal , X-factor's Rowetta , and Peter Andre and Katie Price . In 2014
511-412: A handful of cities the chief magistrate was granted the further dignity of lord mayor . The corporation was a body corporate with perpetual succession, and included all registered electors or "burgesses" of the borough. However, the actual administration was carried out by a town council, which was in effect a committee representative of the community at large. All those eligible to vote were entered in
584-503: A local authority in an unreformed state; the City undertook a major reform of its democratic structure in 2005. In 1873 the Association of Municipal Corporations was formed to represent the interests of the boroughs collectively; its membership included both county and non-county boroughs. The AMC was later to be a strong advocate for expanding county boroughs and unitary local government, and it
657-518: A mock ancient Greek temple was built near to the lake by Sir William Chambers . This was disassembled and moved to the gardens of St Paul's Walden Bury in Hertfordshire in 1961, and is today a grade II listed building. There was also a statue of the Roman goddess Diana in the park. The other key previous occupant of the estates was Alfred Bean, a railway engineer who bought the property in 1862. Bean
730-566: A natural course for the old Roman road of Watling Street , which ran between Crayford and Welling . The land falls away to the north of the high ground, across the Erith Marshes to the River Thames , which here makes a loop to the north at Crossness . There is a further ridge of less higher ground from the west terminating at Sidcup . Apart from the River Thames the other rivers within
803-463: A population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup , Erith , Bexleyheath , Crayford , Welling and Old Bexley . The London Borough of Bexley is within the Thames Gateway , an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration . The local authority is Bexley London Borough Council . Prior to the 19th century the area now forming the borough was sparsely populated: very few of
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#1733093078078876-568: A report from Transport for London, Bexley has the lowest overall active, efficient and sustainable mode shares of all the London Boroughs. The following Pie chart shows the religious affiliation of residents residing in Bexley. Religion in Bexley (2021 census) Buildings with Grade II listings (buildings of special interest warranting preservation) are marked with an asterisk * The London Borough of Bexley has three fire stations controlled by
949-644: A suburb of Sydney , Australia bears the name of Bexley and a suburb of Christchurch , New Zealand is also called Bexley . These places outside England are named after the ancient village of Bexley. 51°27′N 0°08′E / 51.450°N 0.133°E / 51.450; 0.133 ( L. Borough of Bexley ) Municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1836 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in
1022-686: A terminus at Abbey Wood , the entrance to which is in Bexley (due to the borough boundary passing through the site, the station's platforms sit within the Royal Borough of Greenwich ). There are various proposals to extend either the DLR or London Overground to Thamesmead. There are currently no plans to extend the London Underground into the borough, with the nearest current station being in North Greenwich . There are three suburban railway lines crossing
1095-404: A tropical house housing plants and a large vegetable garden. Model gardens have been created to show visitors how to make use of space in small urban gardens. Hall Place also has three galleries inside the house, presenting art exhibitions and museum displays. In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 4,165. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as
1168-571: Is a Local Nature Reserve . There are also three gardens open to the public: the English Garden, located over the road from Danson House; the Rock Garden, at the western end of the park; and the Peace Garden in the south-eastern corner. On 30 September 1937, Lord Cornwallis presented the charter re-designating Bexley from an Urban District Council to a municipal borough under the large oak tree in
1241-560: The British East India Company . In the 1760s, Boyd built Danson House , a Grade I-listed Georgian mansion that stands in the centre of the park, and commissioned much of the landscaping that can be seen in the park today. The landscape was designed and laid out between 1761 and 1763, by either Capability Brown or his assistant Nathaniel Richmond. At its centre is a large and picturesque 12-acre (49,000 m) lake, described by Edward Hasted in his History and Topographical Survey of
1314-600: The Conservative Party . In 2017 the Danson Park ward was abolished, and the park is now in the Falconwood and Welling ward. 51°27′24″N 0°07′02″E / 51.45665°N 0.11729°E / 51.45665; 0.11729 London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley ( / ˈ b ɛ k s l i / ) is a London borough in south-east London , forming part of Outer London . It has
1387-518: The Local Government Act 1888 . Boroughs were divided into two sorts, with some becoming county boroughs which were entirely self-governing and independent from county council administration. The non-county boroughs had more limited powers of self-government, and shared power with county councils. In 1894, towns which had not been incorporated as boroughs became urban districts with similar powers to municipal boroughs. The title of "borough"
1460-493: The London Fire Brigade within its boundary: those at Erith, Sidcup and Bexley. Bexley fire station's ground is the largest of the three; covering 23.7 km . The Borough has several Non-League football clubs: Bexley RFC The town of Bexley, Ohio , a suburb of the state capital, Columbus , was named at the suggestion of an early resident, James Kilbourne, whose family's roots were in Bexley, England. In addition,
1533-594: The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . The park also gives its name to the electoral ward that covers the park and the surrounding area. The park is located at grid reference TQ472752 . The southern boundary of both the park and the ward is delineated by Rochester Way, the A2 road . The area now occupied by the park had previously been part of the church and then crown estates, before being occupied by John Styleman and then Sir John Boyd, 1st Baronet , both senior figures in
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#17330930780781606-670: The Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in Scotland from 1833 to 1975 with the reform of royal burghs and creation of police burghs . Boroughs had existed in England and Wales since medieval times. By the late Middle Ages they had come under royal control, with corporations established by royal charter . These corporations were not popularly elected: characteristically they were self-selecting oligarchies , were nominated by tradesmen's guilds or were under
1679-434: The "burgess roll", which was compiled by the town clerk annually. The town council of each municipal borough consisted of a mayor, aldermen, and councillors. The councillors were directly elected by the burgesses for a three-year term, with one-third of their membership retiring each year. Boroughs with a population of more than 6,000 were divided into wards with separate elections held in each ward annually. One-quarter of
1752-586: The 17th century a port on the Thames, and an industrial town in the later 19th century; Bexleyheath , created at the same time on the London to Dover road. By the earlier 20th century, both were created Urban District Councils (UDC), as was Foots Cray (an ancient village site). Thamesmead , the "new town" built on what was the Erith Marshes, extends into the Borough: both Thamesmead North and South are located here. Crayford
1825-420: The 1835 Act had powers relating to electoral registration , providing a watch , making byelaws , and holding various civil and criminal courts. The types of courts which could be held depended on whether the borough had been given a separate commission of the peace or its own quarter sessions ; those which had their own quarter sessions were also required to appoint a coroner . The mayor was ex officio made
1898-543: The 1835 Act. Many boroughs were covered by separate bodies of improvement commissioners responsible for matters such as paving, lighting and cleaning streets, supplying water and providing sewers. These improvement commissioners continued to exist alongside the borough councils unless the commissioners chose to transfer their powers to the council. From 1848 onwards local boards could also be established for providing infrastructure and overseeing public health. Where local board districts were created covering municipal boroughs
1971-453: The 1840 Act in 1926, allowing urban districts to petition the Governor for a charter of incorporation. Accordingly, by 1972 the number of boroughs had increased to 12 in number. The system of local government was reorganised in 1973, with 26 local government districts replacing all county and municipal boroughs as well as urban and rural districts . The city or borough status conferred by
2044-554: The 19th century it was an area with a few isolated buildings such as the Georgian Danson House . With the coming of the railways building began apace, although the area is still composed of many disconnected settlements, interspersed with area of open ground and parks. A local government district called Bexley was created in 1880, covering the parish of Bexley , which included both Bexley village and Bexleyheath. Another local government district had been created covering
2117-485: The 2001 Census, 22.7% of the area's population described themselves as non-religious or chose not to state their faith. Baptists , Plymouth Brethren , and Methodists are among the other congregations. In 2008 the former Crayford Methodist Church was purchased by the North West Kent Muslim Association to become a mosque serving Bexley and Dartford boroughs. In 2011, 58.1% of Bexley's population
2190-768: The 32 London boroughs. The coat of arms of the borough depicts symbols for the main rivers in the area, the Bexley Charter Oak, the industry and the Kent boundary . The local authority is Bexley Council, which has its headquarters at the Bexley Civic Offices in Bexleyheath . Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the Bexley and Bromley constituency. Bexley, lying as it does on
2263-659: The Borough are the River Darent , which, with its tributary the River Cray and the smaller Stanham River , all form part of its north-eastern boundary; and the River Shuttle , a tributary of the Cray. The major centres of settlement can be considered in two parts: the older established erstwhile villages; and the infill areas of suburban houses and centres. Among the former are Erith , in
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2336-582: The Borough which converge at Dartford . The most northerly is the North Kent Line , then the Bexleyheath Line which runs through the centre of the borough and then finally the Dartford Loop Line which runs furthest south. Abbey Wood and Slade Green are also served by Thameslink trains. The National Rail stations are: In 2019, the mode share in Bexley was reported as follows According to
2409-590: The Borough: among them the Thames Path and the London Outer Orbital Path . Bexley Borough has joined with three other adjoining boroughs to for the South East London Green Chain linking green spaces. Bexley is not served by any London Underground , Tramlink , Docklands Light Railway or London Overground services. However, since 2022, Elizabeth line services have started to utilise
2482-611: The County of Kent of 1797 as "a most magnificent sheet of water so contrived as to seem a beautiful serpentine river, flowing through the grounds". A small house with a spire, named Chapel House, was constructed to the south of the lake, which is now separated from the rest of the park by a motorway, but can still be seen today near the roundabout at Blendon. By the time of Boyd's death the Danson Estates comprised over 600 acres (2.4 km) of pleasure grounds and agricultural estate. In 1773,
2555-541: The Cray Valley; and Belvedere was the location of a medieval monastery. The map of Bexley shows that a large proportion of its area comprises suburbia . Some named places, like Albany Park and Barnehurst , are names given to developments engendered by the building of the railways. Some came into being when large estates and farmland were broken up for the sole purpose of suburban building: these include Blackfen , Lamorbey and part of Falconwood . Others simply reflect
2628-544: The Danson Stables, a public house in a building previously used as the stable block for Danson House, and The Boathouse, a function suite and restaurant near the lake. Until 2013 the park played host to the Danson Festival, an annual large-scale two-day event run by Bexley Council , which attracted up to 60,000 visitors to the park. The festival included many stalls such as arts, crafts, charities and others, as well as
2701-541: The English boroughs, and each borough was divided into wards with three, six or nine councillors per ward and one alderman for every three councillors. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 designated the six largest municipalities ( Belfast , Cork , Dublin , Limerick , Derry and Waterford ) as county boroughs. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced a system of proportional representation into municipal elections. Wards were replaced by electoral areas, and
2774-678: The River Cray on the outskirts of Crayford, south-east of Bexleyheath and north-east of Old Bexley. It is situated just off the A223, Bourne Road, south of Watling Street (A207) and north of the Black Prince interchange of the A2 Rochester Way with the A220. The house dates back to around 1540 when wealthy merchant Sir John Champneys , Lord Mayor of London in 1534, built himself a country house. In 1649,
2847-434: The River Thames. The Crayford Marshes lie to the east of that river, as do Foots Cray Meadows further south. The largest of the open spaces are Foots Cray Meadows , Lesnes Abbey Woods , Danson Park and Hall Place Gardens. There are also many golf courses and sports fields, particularly to the west of Crayford. Hall Place is a former stately home, today a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, beside
2920-459: The abolished boroughs were inherited by one of the new local authorities. District councils were permitted to apply for a charter to receive borough status , while small municipal boroughs became successor parishes with town councils headed by a town mayor. In a few cases charter trustees , a special committee of district councillors, were formed to perpetuate the mayoralty of a town or city. The Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 followed
2993-404: The borough council was often, but not always, appointed to serve as the local board. In some places it was deemed necessary for the local board district to cover a larger or smaller territory than the borough, in which case a separate local board was elected. The overlapping functions of borough councils, improvement commissioners and local boards were gradually consolidated. Many boroughs took over
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3066-479: The borough was elected for a one-year term, although he was eligible for re-election indefinitely. Under the original legislation the mayor was required to be a councillor or alderman. The Municipal Corporations Act 1882 empowered the council to elect any suitably qualified inhabitant of the borough as mayor. However, the mayoralty continued to be almost universally conferred on a senior alderman or councillor. Municipal elections were originally held on 1 November, with
3139-514: The centre of Danson Park. The oak tree , which is over 200 years old, has since been known as "Charter Oak", and has been recognised as one of the Great Trees of London . It is a central feature of the park, and is also featured on the London Borough of Bexley coat of arms. The tree is now enclosed to protect its root system. The park regularly hosts circuses, fun-fairs, firework displays, and various other large public events. A free 5k run, part of
3212-399: The control of the lord of the manor . A Royal commission was appointed in 1833 to investigate the various borough corporations in England and Wales. In all 263 towns were found to have some form of corporation created by charter or in existence by prescription . The majority had self-elected common councils, whose members served for life. Where there was an election, the incumbent members of
3285-457: The corporation often effectively nominated the electorate. Eleven boroughs were manorial court leets . Following the report of the royal commission, legislation was introduced to reform borough corporations. The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 provided for a reformed form of town government, designated a municipal borough. The Act introduced a uniform system of town government in municipal boroughs, with an elected town council , consisting of
3358-403: The council were aldermen , who were elected by the council for a six-year term. Half of the aldermen were elected every third year at the council's annual meeting. It was originally envisaged that the council would choose persons from outside of the municipal body. In practice, however, the aldermanic benches were almost exclusively filled by the promotion of long-serving councillors. The mayor of
3431-439: The district became built up; reaching 10,963 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased. The population peaked in the 1970s, when industry began to relocate from London. In the 2001 census , the borough had a population of 218,307; of whom 105,148 were male, and 113,159 female. Of the population, 44.3% were in full-time employment and 11.6% in part-time employment – compared to
3504-550: The enactment of the Borough Charters Confirmation Act 1842 . A number of further acts of parliament amended the 1835 legislation. All of these were repealed and replaced by the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 . The 1882 Act and the consolidating Local Government Act 1933 provided the statutory basis for municipal boroughs up to their abolition. An important change in the 1933 legislation removed
3577-477: The entire council was to be elected triennially. Separate elections of aldermen and councillors were ended, with all members of the council elected by popular vote. One-quarter of the elected members were entitled to the title of "alderman", which was used to designate the first candidates elected in each area. The remaining successful candidates being "councillors". Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , Ireland
3650-647: The ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Bexley. The principal roads through the Borough include the A2 trunk road ; the A20 (Sidcup By-pass) which generally marks its southern boundary; the A207 , which is the route of the erstwhile Watling Street ; the A206 which takes traffic from Woolwich and Dartford ; and the latter's newer counterpart, the A2016 through Thamesmead . There are also some long-distance footpaths in
3723-592: The example of the legislation in England and Wales. Unlike the 1835 Act, the Irish Act abolished nearly all of the country's boroughs, reforming just 10. Inhabitants of the larger of the abolished boroughs or of any town with a population of 3,000 could petition the crown for incorporation under the Act. In the event, only one additional borough was created when Wexford received a charter of incorporation in 1846. The corporation and town council were identical in their constitution to
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#17330930780783796-485: The festival was cancelled due to poor condition of the grounds. The council cancelled the festival again in 2015 for the same reason, with the suggestion that the measure could be permanent, and the festival has not taken place since. Danson Park was a ward of the London Borough of Bexley . The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 10,864. In the council elections of 2014 , Danson Park ward returned Linda Bailey, Sharon Massey and John Waters as councillors, all from
3869-681: The functions of commissioners or separate local boards under the Public Health Act 1872, which established urban sanitary districts , with borough councils usually being designated as the urban sanitary authority. There were a handful of exceptions where commissioners and local boards continued to operate alongside borough councils until the Local Government Act 1888 required the remaining anomalies to be addressed; from 1889 all borough councils were sanitary authorities with powers to provide infrastructure and oversee public health. In 1889, county councils were created across England and Wales under
3942-426: The house was sold to another wealthy City merchant, Sir Robert Austen (1587–1666), who added a second wing built of red bricks, doubling the size of the house. Currently, the building houses a museum of local artefacts, and a history and tourist information centre. In the gardens there is a topiary lawn, herb garden, tropical garden and long herbaceous cottage garden-styled borders. The former walled gardens include
4015-476: The international parkrun events, takes place every Saturday morning at 9.00am on a two-lap scenic course around Danson Lake. Sports facilities in the park include football pitches, hard-surface tennis courts, bowling greens, obstacle courses, an outdoor gym and cycle routes, as well as a popular children's playground with a small water park. Boating, sailing and rowing are possible on the lake, also used by various water-sports clubs and societies. The park contains
4088-645: The mayoral election and filling of aldermanic vacancies on 9 November. Elections were cancelled during the First and Second World Wars , and the November 1948 elections were postponed until May 1949. From that date, municipal elections were held on the second Thursday of May. In view of the forthcoming local government reorganisation, the 1972 elections were rescheduled to 4 May, with no elections in 1973 and all sitting councillors and aldermen holding their seats until midnight on 31 March 1974. The municipal boroughs created under
4161-545: The municipal charters passed to the new district councils. Nine boroughs (four county boroughs and five municipal boroughs) were within the territory of the Irish Free State in 1922. Two new boroughs were created by statute. In 1930, the borough of Dún Laoghaire was created by the amalgamation of the four urban districts of Blackrock , Dalkey , Kingstown , and Killiney and Ballybrack in County Dublin . This borough
4234-494: The nature of area: Lessness Heath ; Longlands (part of Sidcup); Northumberland Heath and West Heath . The borough has boundaries with the London Borough of Bromley to the south and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to the west; across the River Thames to the north it borders the London Borough of Havering and London Borough of Barking and Dagenham ; there is a short boundary with the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex to
4307-405: The neighbouring parish of Erith in 1876. Such districts were converted into urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . Bexley Urban District absorbed the neighbouring parish of East Wickham in 1902; Welling had previously straddled the boundary between Bexley and East Wickham, but after 1902 was therefore wholly in Bexley. Crayford was made an urban district in 1920. Bexley
4380-511: The northeast. There are boundaries with the Borough of Dartford to the east and Sevenoaks district to the southeast, both in the county of Kent . Despite the suburbia mentioned above, there are still open spaces among the borough's streets and avenues. The Borough owns and maintains over one hundred parks and open spaces, large and small; and there is still a part of the Erith Marshes bordering
4453-619: The outer fringe of London, has many relatively large areas of open space. The ridge of higher ground in South London crosses the Borough from its high point of Shooters Hill , on the boundary with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, to end above the River Thames at Belvedere , where the land drops down to the old port of Erith . This high land, whose geology is the sand and pebbles of the Blackheath beds , and which results in heathland , provided
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#17330930780784526-554: The park, donated by Alfred Morris Wheeler, a prominent local businessman and chairman of Bexley UDC. An open-air swimming pool opened in 1936, and in 1964 the Boathouse and Cafe opened to the public. The park grounds were restored, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund , in 2006, alongside a major English Heritage restoration of Danson House. The park is now used extensively by the community. The one hectare Danson Park Bog Garden
4599-514: The powers of a parish council . Seven small boroughs in Cornwall, Devon and Shropshire underwent this process. The remaining municipal boroughs, of which there were over 200, were abolished on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 . In England, they were replaced by metropolitan or non-metropolitan districts and in Wales by districts . In most cases, the civic privileges and coat of arms of
4672-459: The present settlements were mentioned in the Domesday Book , although the village of Bexley has a charter dated 814 AD . Erith was a port on the River Thames until the 17th century; the opening of the sewage works at nearby Crossness in the late 19th century turned it into an industrial town. Today's settlement pattern is the result of the gradual extension of the London influence. Until
4745-556: The right to petition for incorporation from inhabitant householders. In future, petitions could only be made by existing urban or rural district councils. The boroughs unreformed by the Act were not immediately abolished. Several of them subsequently sought new charters as municipal boroughs; those that did not were finally abolished in 1887 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1886. Only the City of London Corporation survived as
4818-544: Was partitioned in 1921, between Northern Ireland , which would remain in the United Kingdom, and the remainder, which left the United Kingdom in 1922 as the Irish Free State . On establishment, Northern Ireland contained the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, with no municipal boroughs. The Parliament of Northern Ireland abolished proportional representation in local government elections in 1922, and amended
4891-618: Was at the annual conference of the AMC in 1965 that Richard Crossman called for a reform of all local government. This speech eventually led to the Redcliffe-Maud Report recommending large unitary councils for all England. Each municipal borough possessed a corporation uniformly designated as the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the town. The only exception was where the borough enjoyed city status ; in this case "burgesses" became "citizens". In
4964-484: Was auctioned, and eventually acquired by Bexley Urban District Council (UDC) for £16,000 in 1924. The council spent another £3,500 converting the estate into a public park. The park was opened to the public in 1925 by Princess Mary , Land was reserved for football pitches, tennis courts and a bowling green, which have been added over time. In 1929 the Morris Wheeler Gates were erected at the north-east corner of
5037-513: Was between 20 and 64 years old, the lowest percentage in London. 16% of the population was over 65, the third highest behind Bromley and Havering . The average household size is 2.49, up from 2.43 in 2001. The number of households increased by 3.52% to 92,600 between 2001 and 2011, one of the lowest increases in the capital. In 2011, 62.5% of the borough's population identified themselves as Christian, with 24.1% having no religion. Both figures are above London's average. The following table shows
5110-499: Was considered to be more dignified than "urban district", and so many larger urban districts petitioned to be granted the status of a municipal borough, and many were granted this right. Borough status did not substantially increase local government powers, although municipal boroughs above a certain size had the right to run primary education . Under the Local Government Act 1958 , small municipal boroughs could be absorbed by surrounding rural districts to become rural boroughs , with
5183-459: Was made a municipal borough in 1935, as was Erith in 1938. The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , covering the combined area of the former boroughs of Bexley and Erith , the Crayford Urban District and the Sidcup area from the Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District (the Chislehurst area went to the London Borough of Bromley ). The area was transferred from Kent to Greater London, to become one of
5256-518: Was mentioned in the Domesday Book , and its parish later included the hamlets of North End and Slade Green . Other settlements include Welling , which has a higher population than Bexleyheath, a staging post on the Dover Road, which was at one time of less importance than the nearby East Wickham (also an ancient village), was absorbed in Bexley UDC. Barnes Cray and North Cray were two hamlets in
5329-526: Was the driving force behind the Bexleyheath Railway Company , and chairman of Bexley Local Board, and envisaged transforming the now 582-acre (2.4 km) estate into a residential suburb. Outlying areas were sold off for residential development according to Bean's will, but the house and 224 acres of the estate remained in Bean's family after his death in 1890. On the death of his widow in 1921, when it
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