Shortlands | |
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![]() The Shortlands war memorial | |
Location within Greater London | |
Population | 9,303 (ward, 2001 census) [1] 9,824 (2011 Census. Ward) [2] |
OS grid reference | TQ395685 |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BROMLEY |
Postcode district | BR2 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Shortlands is a suburb of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It has been part of Greater London since 1965, and was previously part of the historic county of Kent. It is located between west of Bromley and east of Beckenham.
The earliest known settlement in the area was an Iron Age hillfort at Toots Wood, where traces of a Roman Camp and pottery has also been found. [3] [4] [5] Dr Peter D. Moore has performed a pollen analysis at the site which suggest that the site was abandoned before the beginning of the Roman occupation. [3]
Historically, Shortlands was known as Clay Hill. [6] [5] In medieval times the areas consisted of sets of long and short fields, called Longelonds and Shortelonds, the latter ultimately giving its name to Shortlands House (later converted into a hotel, and now a part of Bishop Challoner School) which was built at the start of the 18th century. [5] The house with its extensive farmland was acquired in 1848 by a railway magnate William Wilkinson, who also built several cottages for his farm labourers. [7] [5] Housing development began in the 1860s with the sale of the Shortlands House estate, spurred by the opening of Shortlands railway station in 1858. [5] The housing along Westmoreland Road largely dates to the 1880s, with further development occurring in the 20th century. [5]
Pearson & Cox was a British automobile manufacturer in Shortlands, trading from 1908 to 1916. In 1913 they manufactured both steam-powered vehicles (cars and bicycles) and petrol powered cyclecars. [8] [9]
In 1921, a war memorial, designed by W. D. Caroe in the form of a Celtic cross, was unveiled in the village, in the middle of a road junction. On 8 July 2016, a Mini car collided with the memorial, breaking it into pieces. [10] The memorial was restored in October 2017 and re-positioned on its site. [11]
Shortlands is today a quiet, prosperous suburb. There is a library on Shortlands Road and a small row of shops by the railway station.
Shortlands station is in Travelcard Zone 4 of Transport for London’s zonal fare system, and serves the area with National Rail services to London Victoria via Herne Hill, as well as Orpington. Shortlands is also served by Thameslink to London Blackfriars via Catford, (during peak hours these trains continue to Luton via St Pancras International); as well as to Sevenoaks via Swanley. As of 2019, the station also houses a coffee shop, snack retailer and dry cleaners.
Shortlands is served by London Buses routes 162, 227, 354, 358, 367 and N3. These connect it with areas including Beckenham, Bromley, Bromley Common, Locksbottom, Farnborough, Green Street Green, Keston, Park Langley, Eden Park, Chislehurst, Bickley, Eltham, New Eltham, Croydon, Shirley, Addiscombe, Crystal Palace, Elmers End, Anerley, Penge and Orpington.
Route 162, and the N3 night bus between Oxford Circus and Bromley North serve Shortlands via Hayes Lane at the Scotts Lane, Den Close and Hayes Lane/Kingswood Road bus stops.
The nearest Tramlink station is Beckenham Junction, which serves the western termini Wimbledon, as well as Mitcham Junction, West Croydon and East Croydon stations.
The main schools in Shortlands are Valley Primary School, Highfield Infant and Junior Schools, Harris Academy Shortlands, Clare House Primary School and Bishop Challoner School.
Beccehamians RFC, a Rugby Union Club founded in 1933, plays competitive rugby at Sparrows Den at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill near West Wickham. [12]
Beckenham is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west of Bromley and Shortlands, and 8.4 miles (13.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross. Its population at the 2011 Census was 46,844.
Orpington is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross.
Penge is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Bromley, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) north east of Croydon and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) south east of Charing Cross.
The London Borough of Bromley is a borough in London, England. It borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part of until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 census was 329,991. It is named after Bromley, its principal district. Other districts are Penge, Hayes, West Wickham, Chislehurst, Beckenham and Orpington. The local authority is Bromley London Borough Council.
Beckenham was a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2010 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Bob Stewart, a member of the Conservative Party.
Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 9+1⁄2 miles southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023.
Hayes is a suburban area of southeast London, England and part of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Charing Cross, to the north of Keston and Coney Hall, west of Bromley Common, south of Bromley town centre, and east of West Wickham. An ancient parish in the county of Kent, Hayes was within the Orpington Urban District that became part of Greater London in 1965.
Beckenham Junction is the main railway and tram station in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, south London. The railway stop is on the Chatham Main Line, 8 miles 53 chains (13.9 km) down the line from London Victoria and situated between Kent House and Shortlands. The tram stop is one of the eastern termini of Tramlink.
West Wickham is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies south of Park Langley, Eden Park Beckenham and Bromley town center, west of Hayes and north of Coney Hall, east of Spring Park and Shirley. 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross on the line of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, West Wickham was in Kent.
Eden Park is a suburban area in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Beckenham, west of Park Langley and Shortlands, north of West Wickham and Monks Orchard and east of Elmers End.
Penge East railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in England, serving part of the Penge and Sydenham areas in the London Borough of Bromley, south London. It is 7 miles 15 chains (11.6 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Sydenham Hill and Kent House.
Shortlands railway station is in Shortlands, in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It serves the southwest part of Bromley, and is 10 miles 3 chains (16.2 km) down the line from London Victoria. The station is located on the A222 road. Shortlands Junction, just west of the station, is where the Catford Loop Line joins the Chatham Main Line: the two lines are split into slow and fast pairs through the station, which consists of two island platforms on an embankment. The station is in London Travelcard Zone 4, and the station is managed by Southeastern and trains are operated by Southeastern and Thameslink.
Anerley is an area of south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 7 miles (11 km) south south-east of Charing Cross, to the south of Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, west of Penge, north of Elmers End and South Norwood.
The West End of London and Crystal Palace Railway (WELCPR) was an early railway company in south London between Crystal Palace station and Wandsworth, which was opened in 1856. The line was extended in 1858 to Pimlico station at Battersea Wharf, near the bridge to Pimlico. Throughout its brief existence the railway was operated by the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) to which it was leased in 1858 and sold in 1859. This relatively short line was of considerable importance to the history of railways of south London as it was the first line to create a corridor from the south and east towards Westminster and led to the development of London Victoria railway station.
Beckenham Road tram stop is a light rail stop in the London Borough of Bromley in the southern suburbs of London. The stop is located on an embankment above Beckenham Road (A234) which connects Beckenham with Crystal Palace and Penge on the site of the short-lived (1858–1860) West End of London & Crystal Palace Railway Penge station.
Park Langley is a suburb of South-East London, located in the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It borders Shortlands and Beckenham to the north, Bromley to the east, Hayes and West Wickham to the south, and Eden Park to the west.
Elmers End is an area of south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London and formerly part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Beckenham, west of Eden Park, north of Monks Orchard and east of Anerley.
The Crystal Palace Line is a railway line in London which runs from Balham Junction to Beckenham Junction. The engineer's reference for this line is BBJ.
The Mid Kent & North Kent Junction Railway was an early railway in Kent England.