Pratt's Bottom

Pratt's Bottom
Pratt's Bottom Location within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ471622
London borough	Bromley
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORPINGTON
Postcode district	BR6
Dialling code	01689
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Orpington
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley
List of places UK England London 51°20′23″N0°06′46″E / 51.3397°N 0.1128°E / 51.3397; 0.1128

Pratt's Bottom is a village in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and, prior to 1965, within the historic county of Kent. It is south of its parent parish of Orpington, lies about 100 metres above sea level and beyond London's urban sprawl.

It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. ^[1]

It is a small village, consisting of a main road (Rushmore Hill) on which is situated a school, a village shop (the post office was closed as part of the widespread branch closures of June 2008) and the Bulls Head pub, two small churches and a few side roads. There is a village hall behind the green.

History

A "bottom" in this context means a valley or hollow, and the Pratts were a noble family once seated in the area. ^[2] Pratt's Bottom formed part of the ancient, and later civil, parish of Chelsfield in Kent ^[3] and was part of the Bromley Rural District from 1896. ^[3] The parish was abolished in 1934 and the village became part of Orpington Urban District. ^[4] In 1965 it was transferred to Greater London, to form part of the London Borough of Bromley. ^[4]

A tollgate stood in the village for many years. The turnpike cottage was demolished in the 1930s but is still seen as emblematic of the village, so much so that it is the basis of the recent village sign placed on the green. Sue Short has written a book about the history of the village titled Pratts Bottom: A Journey Through Life. ^[5]

Local Government Elections

Chelsfield and Pratts Bottom 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mike Botting	2,928	21.6
	Conservative	Angela Page	2,770	20.5
	Conservative	Samaris Huntington-Thresher	2,715	20.1
	Labour	Margaret Mills	809	6.0
	Labour	Stephen Richardson	748	5.5
	Labour	Peter Moore	726	5.4
	Liberal Democrats	Gerda Loosemore-Reppen	674	5.0
	Liberal Democrats	John Bray	620	4.6
	Green	Daniel Sloan	616	4.6
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Webber	434	3.2
	UKIP	Michael Porter	246	1.8
	UKIP	Brian Philp	244	1.8
Turnout			13,530	42.1
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

Transport

Pratts Bottom, being in London, is under Transport for London remit and is served by London Buses bus services. Routes R5 and R10 serve the village, connecting it to Halstead, Knockholt, Cudham, Green Street Green and Orpington. ^{[6] [7]} Go-Coach also operate weekday services on route 3 providing connections to Locksbottom, Dunton Green and Sevenoaks. ^[8] Pratt's Bottom is also within the operating area of Go-Coach's demand responsive go2 Sevenoaks service that allows passengers to order a shared bus via an app or phone number to destinations in the region including Westerham, Otford and Ightham. ^[9]

The nearest rail link to Pratts Bottom is at Knockholt station in London Borough of Bromley.

Nearby areas

Pratts Bottom borders Chelsfield to the north and north east, Badgers Mount to the east, Halstead to the south east, Knockholt to the south and south west, Hazelwood to the west and Green Street Green to the north west. Number 30 Turnpike Road is divided into orpington to the West and Halstead to the East.

See also

• Rude Britain

References

1. Lyall, Sarah (22 January 2009). "No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else". The New York Times . Retrieved 13 July 2014.
2. Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
3. Vision of Britain - Chelsfield parish (historic boundaries Archived 1 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine )
4. Vision of Britain - Orpington parish Archived 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
5. Short, Sue (2009). Pratts Bottom: A Journey Through Life. BPR Publishers. ISBN   978-0-9554336-1-0.
6. Transport for London. "R5 bus route". Transport for London. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
7. Transport for London. "R10 bus route". Transport for London. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
8. "3 Sevenoaks - Orpington - Locksbottom (PRUH)". Go Coach. Sevenoaks: Go-Coachhire Limited. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
9. "go2 Sevenoaks". Go Coach. Sevenoaks: Go-Coachhire Limited. Retrieved 24 June 2025.

External links

Media related to Pratt's Bottom at Wikimedia Commons

• Historical notes on the village
• Pratts Bottom Village Hall