LONDON BOROUGH OF BEXLEY

The 'London Borough of Bexley' is an English (England) local government area (London borough) in the south-eastern area of Outer London. The area covers both DA (Kent) and SE (South East London) postal codes. The head office for Bexley Borough council is in Bexleyheath. The London Borough of Bexley is twinned with Evry in France and with Arnsberg in Germany.

Contents

Neighbours

History

Open spaces

Churches

Education

Primary schools

Secondary schools

Further education

Transport

Railway stations

Places

Localities

Postcode areas

Political composition

External links

Neighbours

It has common borders with the London Borough of Bromley to the south, the London Borough of Greenwich to the west, and Kent Borough of Dartford to the east. The River Thames is its northernmost boundary with the London Borough of Havering and London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

History

The London Borough of Bexley was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963 from the Municipal Borough of Bexley, the Municipal Borough of Erith, the Crayford Urban District half of the Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District (the other half going to the new London Borough of Bromley). The Council prefers to style itself "Bexley London Borough" to maintain the link with its predecessor, Bexley Municipal Borough .
The town of Bexley, Ohio, United States was named at the suggestion of an early resident, Mr. Kilbourne, in honour of his family's roots in Bexley, England. (Bexley, Ohio, is a suburb of the city of Columbus, the state capital of Ohio.)
A suburb of Sydney, Australia bears the name of Bexley, New South Wales.

Open spaces

Main articles: Bexley parks and open spaces

Although located at the edge of the London metropolis, the London Borough of Bexley includes much open land. The ring of high ground that surrounds South London comes to an end in the Borough. The prominent Shooters Hill, on the boundary with the London Borough of Greenwich, is a part of that high ground, which then sweeps from Welling, at its eastern base, to Belvedere. The land falls away to the north of the high ground, down to the River Thames. At Belvedere, the land drops down to the old port of Erith and is constrained and bounded in the east by the River Cray. This high land was mostly heathland, lying either side of the old Roman road (Watling Street) between Crayford and Welling. To the north was the Thames and Erith, to the south the Rivers Cray and Shuttle and Bexley. The 19th Century saw this vast area covered in housing, but small pockets of green remain: Lying to the west of Erith and Lower Belvedere, there are still the ruins of Lesnes Abbey surrounded by woodland. The high ground immediately to the south-east of the old Abbey was called Lessness Heath. The area immediately to the north and west of the old Abbey is known as Abbey Wood, taking its name from the extensive woodland that once belonged to the Abbey. A small amount of public open space remains in Northumberland Heath, an area of the high ground to the south of Erith. The flanks of Shooters Hill remain heavily wooded (Oxleas Wood and Falcon Wood) and there is a working farm on the eastern and north-eastern sides. Bexley Heath (name changed to Bexleyheath by the railway company a few years after the station was opened) is completely covered in housing and now forms the main shopping centre, as well as as the administrative centre, of the London Borough of Bexley. Danson Park, in Welling, and Hall Place Gardens near Bexley provide public open spaces. Renovated Danson House is now open to the public. To the south, the River Cray flows into the Borough flanked by Foots Cray Meadows, and it then continues northwards past Hall Place to Crayford, exiting the Borough to join the River Darent north of Dartford before it in turn flows into the River Thames.

Churches

The greater part of the population are nominal Anglicans, but a number of Roman Catholic churches and non-conformist congregations exist.
Baptists,
Plymouth Brethren,
Methodist.
There are no Jewish congregations.
A small selection of churches is given here:
St Paulinus, Crayford. Parts of this church date back to the 12th century with additions made in the later medieval period.
St John the Baptist, Erith. A Norman church dating from the 12th century. The Wheatley Chapel was the burial place of successive Lords of the Manor.
St Mary the Virgin, Bexley. The building dates from the 12th century, but much was restored in the 19th century.
All Saints, Foots Cray. An ancient church, heavily restored in the 1860s
St James, North Cray. An old church but rebuilt in the 19th century.
Greek Orthodox Church, Welling. Probably of 13th century origin (formerly the parish church of St Michael).
Christ Church, Erith. 19th century building. Grade II listed interior.
Bethany Hall, Chapel Road, Bexleyheath, now a meeting house of the Plymouth Brethren though originally a Methodist chapel.

Education

Primary schools

:''List of primary schools (except where otherwise indicated) in LB Bexley. (N) indicates nursery facilities. Source''^[1]

★ Barnehurst Infant (N) ★ Barnehurst Junior Foundation ★ Barnes Cray Primary (N) ★ Barrington ★ Bedonwell Infant (N) ★ Bedonwell Junior ★ Belmont (N) ★ Belvedere Infant (N) ★ Belvedere Junior ★ Birkbeck (N) ★ Bishop Ridley CE (N) ★ Brampton ★ Burnt Oak Junior ★ Bursted Wood (N) ★ The Business Academy, Bexley (Primary Section) (N) ★ Castilion (N) ★ Chatsworth Infant (N) ★ Christ Church Erith CE (N) ★ Colyers (N) ★ Crook Log (N) ★ Danson (N) ★ Days Lane (N)

★ Dulverton (N) ★ Eastcote (N) ★ East Wickham Infant (N) ★ East Wickham Junior ★ Foster's (N) ★ Gravel Hill (N) ★ Hillsgrove (N) ★ Holy Trinity Lamorbey CE (N) ★ Hook Lane (N) ★ Hurst (N) ★ Jubilee (N) ★ Lessness Heath (N) ★ Longlands ★ Mayplace (N) ★ Normandy (N) ★ Northend (N) ★ Northumberland Heath (N) ★ Northwood ★ Old Bexley CE (N) ★ Orchard (N) ★ Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic (N)

★ Parkway (N) ★ Pelham (N) ★ Royal Park (N) ★ St Augustines of Canterbury CE VA (N) ★ St Fidelis Catholic (N) ★ St John Fisher Catholic ★ St Joseph's Catholic ★ St Michael's East Wickham CE VA ★ St Paulinus CE ★ St Peter Chanel Catholic ★ St Stephen's Catholic ★ St Thomas More Catholic ★ Sherwood Park (N) ★ Slade Green Infant (N) ★ Slade Green Junior ★ Upland (N) ★ Upton (N)

Secondary schools

:''List of secondary schools in LB Bexley. Source''^[2]

★ Beths Grammar School (boys) ★ Bexley Grammar School ★ Bexleyheath School ★ Blackfen School for Girls ★ The Business Academy, Bexley ★ Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School ★ Cleeve Park School ★ Erith School ★ Hurstmere Foundation School (boys)

★ St Catherine's Catholic School for Girls ★ St Columba's Catholic Boys' School ★ St Luke's Sixth Form College (see notes) ★ St Mary & St Joseph Catholic School (see notes) ★ Townley Grammar School ★ Trinity School, Belvedere ★ Welling School ★ Westwood College

Further education

:''List of opportunities for 16–19 year olds in LB Bexley. A partnership for common entry, exists for Bexleyheath, Erith and Welling schools' sixth forms. Source''^[3]

★ Beths Grammar School (Boys) ★ Bexley College ★ Bexley Grammar School ★ Bexleyheath School1 ★ Bexley Training Group ★ Blackfen School for Girls ★ The Business Academy Bexley

★ Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School ★ Cleeve Park School ★ Erith School ★ St Luke's Catholic Sixth Form College ★ Townley Grammar School for Girls ★ Trinity School, Belvedere ★ Welling School

Sidcup Art College and Rose Bruford College are also located in the borough.

Transport

Railway stations

★ Albany Park railway station

★ Barnehurst railway station

★ Belvedere railway station

★ Bexley railway station

★ Bexleyheath railway station

★ Crayford railway station

★ Erith railway station

★ Falconwood railway station

★ Sidcup railway station

★ Slade Green railway station

★ Welling railway station

Places

Localities

It includes the following areas:

★ Albany Park

★ Barnehurst

★ Barnes Cray

★ Belvedere

★ Bexley, sometimes called "Old Bexley" or "Bexley Village"

★ Bexleyheath, formerly spelled "Bexley Heath"

★ Blackfen

★ Blendon

★ Bostall

★ Bridgen

★ Coldblow

★ Crayford

★ Crook Log

★ Crossness

★ East Wickham

★ Erith

★ Falconwood

★ Foots Cray

★ Lamorbey

★ Lessness Heath

★ Longlands

★ May Place

★ North Cray

★ North End

★ Northumberland Heath

★ Old Bexley, the ancient village centre

★ Slade Green

★ Upper Belvedere

★ Upton

★ Welling

★ West Heath
As well as parts of

★ Abbey Wood (Some of it is in the London Borough of Greenwich)

★ Sidcup (Some of it is in the London Borough of Greenwich)

★ Thamesmead (Some of it is in the London Borough of Greenwich)

Postcode areas

SE2 (part), SE9 (part), SE28 (part), DA1 (part), DA3 (all), DA5(all), DA6 (all), DA7 (all), DA8 (all), DA14 (all), DA15 (all), DA16 (all), DA17 (all), DA18 (all).

Political composition

There are 21 wards represented on Bexley Council, as shown on this map.
All Bexley Council seats were up for re-election during the election on May 4, 2006.


Previously Labour held control of the council by a margin of one (32 Labour to 31 Conservative councillors). In the election, the Conservatives took 23 seats from Labour, giving the newly elected council's political composition as:
Conservative: 54

Labour: 9

'Ward'	'Members elected in 2006'
Barnehurst	Richard Gillespie (Con)
	Bill McEwen (Con)
	Simon Windle (Con)
Belvedere	Daniel Francis (Lab)
	John Fuller (Con)
	David Leaf (Con)
Blackfen & Lamorbey	Brian Beckwith (Con)
	Peter Craske (Con)
	Katie Perrior (Con)
Blendon & Penhill	Pat Cammish (Con)
	Graham D'Amiral (Con)
	Nick O'Hare (Con)
Brampton	Ron French (Con)
	Teresa O'Neill (Con)
	John Wilkinson (Con)
Christchurch	Roy Ashmole (Con)
	Ian Clement (Con)
	Leonard Newton (Con)
Colyers	Chris Brockwell (Con)
	David Cammish (Con)
	David Hurt (Lab)
Cray Meadows	Cheryl Bacon (Con)
	Ross Downing (Con)
	Don Massey (Con)
Crayford	Geraldene Lucia-Hennis (Con)
	Howard Marriner (Con)
	Melvin Seymour (Con)
Danson Park	Linda Bailey (Con)
	Sharon Massey (Con
	Andy John Waters (Con)
East Wickham	Alf Catterall (Con)
	James Hunt (Con)
	Paul Michael Tarrant (Con)
Erith	Chris Ball (Lab)
	Margaret O'Neill(Lab)
	Bernard Clewes (Con)
Falconwood & Welling	Nigel Betts (Con)
	Peter Catterall (Con)
	Val Clark(Con)
Lesnes Abbey	John Davey (Con)
	Kirsty Duncombe (Con)
	Eleanor Hurt (Con)
Longlands	Gareth Bacon (Con)
	Ken McAndrew (Con)
	Mike Slaughter (Con)
North End	Alan Deadman (Lab)
	John Eastaugh (Lab)
	Brenda Langstead (Lab)
Northumberland Heath	Helen Fuller (Con)
	Peter Reader (Con)
	Alex Sawyer (Con)
Sidcup	Aileen Beckwith (Con)
	Jackie Evans (Con)
	June Slaughter (Con)
St Mary's	Colin Campbell (Con)
	Alan Downing (Con)
	Colin Tandy (Con)
St Michael's	Joseph Pollard (Con)
	Ray Sams (Con)
	Matthew Scott (Con)
Thamesmead East	Sandra Bauer (Lab)
	Harbans Singh Buttar (Lab)
	Harry Persaud (Lab)

External links

★ Bexley Local Studies & Archive Centre

★ Bexley's Heritage - A Brief History

★ Bexley Council Internet Links

★ ideal homes: suburbia in focus - Bexley

★ Bexley Community Website