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Ruxley

Coordinates:51°24′47″N0°08′11″E/ 51.4131°N 0.1364°E/51.4131; 0.1364
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This article is about Ruxley in southeast London. For Ruxley in Surrey, seeEwell.
Ruxley
Ruxley is located in Greater London
Ruxley
Ruxley
Location withinGreater London
OS grid referenceTQ485704
•Charing Cross13 mi (21 km)SEbE
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSidcup
Postcode districtDA14
Post townOrpington
Postcode districtBR5
Dialling code020
01689
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°24′47″N0°08′11″E/ 51.4131°N 0.1364°E/51.4131; 0.1364

Ruxleyis a rural settlement of South EastLondon,Englandthat straddles the boundary of the London Boroughs ofBromleyandBexley.It is located 13 miles southeast ofCharing Cross,the traditional centre of London, in theMetropolitan Green BeltbetweenSidcupandSwanleyand is also adjacent to the Greater London border with the county ofKent.[1][2][3][4]

About Ruxley[edit]

Ruxley was aparishprior to 1557[5]and had its own thirteenth century church,St Botolph's.[6]Ruxley's central location on the main road made it an important meeting place for theHundred of Ruxley,[7]which was named after it.Ruxley Gravel Pitsis a biologicalSite of Special Scientific Interestlocated on the west side of Ruxley.[8]Today the area is known for Ruxley Manor, a large site with agarden centreand other retailers and services.

Name and toponymy[edit]

In 1086 the settlement ofRuxleywas recorded in theDomesday BookasRochelei[9][10]It was also recorded asRocheleaandRochesleain 1175[10]as a parish and settlementRokeslein the 1190s,[5]asRokeliin 1199, andRokeslegain 1211,[10]and Rooksley in 1719. The name possibly meant 'wood or clearing frequented by rooks' from the Old English wordshrōc(rook) andlēah(wood clearing).[10]It has also been suggested the first element may be from an Old English personal nameHrōcorHroca.[10]

Thehundredthat covered Ruxley was originally calledHelmestrei,[11][12]a name that had been used since at least the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.[12]By at least the late thirteenth century, the name Helmestrei was no longer in use,[11]and the hundred came to be known asHundred of Ruxley[11]taking its new name from the settlement of Ruxley, which was the meeting place of the hundred,[7]located on the main road, which passed through it.

History[edit]

Ruxley was recorded in theDomesday Bookof 1086, as a settlement of 20 households, with woodland, pigs and a mill located in theHundred of Ruxley,within theLathe of Sutton at Hone.[9]At that time Ruxley was recorded as having more households than the surrounding settlements ofNorth Cray,Foots CrayandSt Paul's Cray,but less thanOrpington,St Mary Cray,BexleyandChelsfield.[12]A family who possessed much of the lands of North Cray and Ruxley took their surname from Ruxley. Malgerius de Rokesle possessed the lands at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086,[5][9]in the late 13th centuryGregory de Rokesley,a wealthy wool merchant and goldsmith from Ruxley, moved to London and later served as theSheriff of London,Lord ChamberlainandLord Mayor of Londonat different times. In the thirteenth century,St Botolph's Churchwas constructed in Ruxley.[6]

Ruxley was a distinct parish of its own, until 1557 when CardinalReginald Pole,the archbishop of Canterburydeconsecratedthe church and united Ruxley parish withNorth Crayparish,[5]located northwest of Ruxley. The new larger parish was sometimes referred to asNorth Cray with Ruxley,[5][11]or sometimes just by the existing name,North Cray.[13]

The 1930s Klinger Building in Ruxley, a Grade II listed building

On 21 June 1819William Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurstwas born in Ruxley,[14]he was a British military commander who served asCommander-in-ChiefofIndiafrom 1865 to 1870.[14][15]

The Hundred of Ruxley became obsolete at the end of the nineteenth century when new districts began to be created. In 1894 North Cray parish, including the settlement of Ruxley formed part of the newly createdBromley Rural Districtthat existed from that year until 1934 when it was abolished.[16]In 1934 North Cray and Ruxley became part of theChislehurst and Sidcup Urban Districtwhich was formed that year from the previous districts,Sidcup Urban District,Chislehurst Urban District,and a small part of the Bromley Rural District that contained North Cray and Ruxley.[17]In 1965 the urban district and its parishes were abolished andGreater Londonand theLondon boroughswere created.[17]Sidcup and North Cray were then part of theLondon Borough of Bexleyand Chislehurst became part of theLondon Borough of Bromley,Ruxley ended up on the common boundary of the Bexley and Bromley boroughs, as the border between them in this location follows Maidstone Road, the main road that Ruxley is located on.[1][2][3]

St Botolph's Church[edit]

Main article:St Botolph's Church, Ruxley
"N.W. view of Rokesley Church"Engraving of St Botolph's Church, Ruxley, appearing inThe History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2.byEdward Hasted
The north face of St Botolph's Church

St Botolph's Church, a church dedicated toBotwulf of Thorneywas built in the thirteenth century in Ruxley,[6]on the south side of Maidstone Road.[1]It was in use for around 300 years but wasdeconsecratedby CardinalReginald Polein 1557,[6]the same year he united Ruxley parish with that of North Cray into one parish.[5]The church building was used as a barn for over 400 years and was used to store agricultural equipment.[6]In the 1960s archaeological work was carried out on the site and found evidence of an older wooden building, suggesting there may have been an older Saxon church in the same location.[6]Today the church is aGrade II listed buildingand ascheduled ancient monument[6]on the grounds of Ruxley Manor Garden Centre,[1][6]and is owned by the Evans family.[6]Although many features are still intact, including the majority of the roof, the church is in disrepair, and appears as "remains of church" on Ordnance Survey maps.[1]English Heritagehave agreed to pay a grant of £35,000 of the estimated £62,000 needed for structural work on the building to help preserve it.[6]

Ruxley Gravel Pits[edit]

Ruxley Gravel Pitsviewed from Edgington Way
Main article:Ruxley Gravel Pits

Originally dug between 1929 and 1951,Ruxley Gravel Pitsis a biologicalSite of Special Scientific Interest,to the west of Ruxley, near Crittal's Corner roundabout; it is 18.7-hectare (46-acre) in size on the borough boundary with parts within the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley.[2][3]The site is also aSite of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation,owned by theEnvironment Agency[18][19]and managed byKent Wildlife Trust.[20]Natural Englandhas assessed its condition as "unfavourable recovering".[21]

The site comprises four gravel pits, which are now lakes, and theRiver Crayruns through three of them, while the fourth is fed by springs. The A20 road Sidcup Bypass now cuts through the north side of the site.[2][3]The bodies of water are also referred to as Ruxley Lakes,[22]and although not open to the public they are also used forangling.[22]Gravel extraction took place from 1929 to 1951, and once it ceased the pits attracted many species of birds and a diverse range of plants. In 1975 the site was designated an SSSI.[18][23]

Over 500 species ofvascular plantsand 169 of birds have been recorded, includingsong thrush,reed bunting,kingfisherandskylark.Fifty-three of the bird species are breeding. Insects include 23 species of butterfly, 9 dragonfly and over 500 beetles. This variety reflects the diversity of habitat: wooded islands, fringes of mature trees, scrub, fen and open water. Vegetation on the banks include the rare club rushSchoenoplectus tabernaemontani.The open water areas have rafts ofyellowandwhitewater-lily.[18][23]

Access to the site is reserved to members of the Orpington and District Angling Society and permit holders. It is closed to members of the public.[24]

Transport[edit]

Roads[edit]

The main road that runs through Ruxley is named Maidstone Road, today it is a relatively straight road, designated theB2173 roadrunning east to west.[2][3]To the east, it goes uphill through Upper Ruxley, Birchwood Corner[1]and changes its name to High Street then London Road as it skirts Swanley town centre before joining junction 3 of theM25 motorwaywhere the B road ends.[2][3]To the west, Maidstone Road continues downhill[1]over Ruxley Corner roundabout, at which the B road designation ends, but Maidstone Road continues west over theRiver Craythen throughFoots Crayand uphill[1]to Sidcup as theA 211 roadnamed Maidstone Road, Foots Cray High Street, Sidcup Hill, and Sidcup High Street;[2][3]further west it's named Main Road and Foots Cray Road and reachesEltham.[2][3]Maidstone Road was historically the route of the originalA20 road,the main route from London toMaidstone;old maps show it was previously a winding road as it passed through Ruxley,[25]and part of it survives today as acrescent roadnamed Old Maidstone Road to the south of the present Maidstone Road leaving and rejoining it after about 500 metres.[2][3]In the Ruxley area the B2173 marks the border between theLondon Borough of Bexleyto the north, and theLondon Borough of Bromleyto the south.[2][3]

Just to the south of Maidstone Road, the newA20 roadruns east to west, it is a dual-carriageway, and a primarytrunk roadroute. The section near Ruxley was built as abypass roadin 1968 to bypass Swanley. It is named Sidcup Bypass then Sidcup Road to the west where it bypasses Sidcup and Eltham towardsLeeandLewisham,and named Swanley Bypass to the east, until it meets the M25 near Swanley then continues on through Kent, all the way toDoveron the coast. In the Ruxley area, Sidcup Bypass marks the border between the postcode districts,DA14SIDCUP to the north,BR5ORPINGTON to the southwest, andBR8SWANLEY to the southeast.[2][3]

Ruxley Corner, is a roundabout, located immediately west of Ruxley, which has five exits, two of which are the aforementioned Maidstone Road, to the east and west. North-northeast from here is North Cray, a dual-carriageway A road, designated theA223 road,it travels 4 km north to Bexley, where it ceases to be a dual-carriageway and continues to a junction and bridge over theA2 road,Rochester Way, as Bexley High Street and Bourne Road, before meetingWatling StreetatCrayford.To the southeast of Ruxley Corner the A223 road continues as Edgington Way for 1 km before reaching Crittall's Corner. Sandy Lane, is a minor road that travels south from Ruxley Corner through St Paul's Cray. Crittall's Corner, named after a window factory, comprises a much bigger and grade separated roundabout west of Ruxley and immediately south of Foots Cray. This roundabout also has five exits, the newA20 road,Sidcup By-pass set on a flyover and a deep level N-S cycle track, but has access roads joining it, the A224 road, starts in Foots Cray 1 km to the north as Cray Road, then crosses Crittall's Corner roundabout then travels south as Sevenoaks Way, Cray Avenue and other names for about 15 km passing throughSt Paul's Cray,St Mary Cray,Orpingtonand eventually reaching the M25 andSevenoaks.[2][3]

Buses[edit]

The followingLondon Busesroutes serve Ruxley.

Rail[edit]

The nearestNational Railstations to Ruxley areSidcupandSwanley.

Sport and leisure[edit]

There are threegolf coursesnear by, two at Orpington Golf Centre to the south and one at Birchwood Park Golf further away to the east. Orpington Golf Centre is located immediately south of Ruxley and the A20 road Sidcup Bypass, its entrance is on Sandy Lane.[2][3]This golf centre has two eighteen hole golf courses, Ruxley Park Golf Course on the western side[2][3]built in 1975, and also has a driving range, and the much larger Cray Valley Golf Course on the eastern side,[2][3]which also has an additional nine-hole course too.[26][27]East of Ruxley near Upper Ruxley, is Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club, just into Kent,[2][3]it has a main eighteen hole course and a nine-hole short course named Orchard Course; it also has a driving range and they are planning to open a new health and fitness club with gym and swimming pool.[28]

Five Arches Bridge,Foots Cray Meadows

Bromley Ski Centre, was located on Sandy Lane near Ruxley Park Golf Course, with a 120-metredry ski slopeand two lifts, plus indoor skiing, andsnowboarding.[29]The facility closed in March 2016 due to reduced usage and income.[30]At Ruxley Manor just to the south of Maidstone Road, there is a 420 square metre artificial, outdoor,ice skating rinkthat has opened during the winter since 2012.[31]Ananglingclub named Orpington and District Angling Association uses Ruxley Lakes as one of their fishing sites.[22]

Ruxley Wood, is a 40-acre woodland, about 500 metres across,[2][3]and has been used to hostpaintballingfor several years, there are seven game fields, some use wooden structures, others just the woodland for cover.[32][33]The same area is also used forlasertag.

Foots Cray Meadows[edit]

Main article:Foots Cray Meadows

Foots Cray Meadowsis an area of parkland and woodland 97 hectares (240 acres) in size; it is located northwest of Ruxley, and the River Cray flows northward through it. The Meadows are aLocal Nature Reserve[34][35]and aSite of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.[36]They have also received aGreen Flag Award.[37]Two notable footbridges cross the River Cray in the meadows: Five Arches bridge and the smaller Penny Farthing Bridge. The area was originally a part of theFootscray Placeestate, and during the 18th century the Five Arches bridge was built. At the same time, an almshouse was built adjacent to the woods, which, as of 2008, was being excavated byarchaeologistsbelonging to Bexley Archaeological Group.[38]After the house's[clarification needed]destruction, in the late 1940s, the area was turned into a public recreation park. In the early 2000s, Five Arches bridge was renovated with new stone.

Retail, commerce and services[edit]

Several large retailers have used the open spaces in Ruxley next to the main roads to build stores, mostly Edgington Way. There is aTescosuperstoreandpetrol garagelocated in Ruxley on Edgington Way.[39]

There are severalCar dealershipsin Ruxley, Porsche being next to the Tesco store, aBMWshowroom on Maidstone Road[40]andToyota[41]andLexusshowrooms also on Maidstone Road, on the Foots Cray side.

There is a Bookerscash and carry,wholesalerson Edgington Way, opposite The Tesco store.[42]There is also aScrewfixwarehouse, aBPgarage and atimber merchantAlsford Timber Ruxley, and Selco Builders Warehouse on Edgington Way. In Upper Ruxley to the east, there is service area on the A20 road, Sidcup Bypass which includes a 24-hourMcDonald'sdrive-through,another BP garage and aSubway restaurant.Several of the farms in and near Ruxley sell produce and goods straight to the public too.

Other services in Ruxley include a driving theory test centre,[43]and Maidstone Road Re-Use and Recycling Centre, one of two council rubbish dumps in the London Borough of Bexley.[44]

The Coca-Cola Companyhas a large manufacturing and bottling plant between Foots Cray and Ruxley which opened in 1961 and employs 361 people. This plant was whereDasaniwater was produced.[45]

Richard Klinger Group, an Austrian company which made engine gaskets, hydraulic pipelines and water level gauges and valves, had a factory in Ruxley built in 1937 in a Modernist architectural style. The Klinger factory, which was later bought by French company Trouvey Cauvin, closed in the 1990s[46]and the building was severely damaged by fire in 2013.[47]It will shortly reopen as a self-storage facility, but only three facades have survived the conversion.

Ruxley Manor[edit]

A site where the original church and farm were, Ruxley Manorgarden centre,[48]is located here to the south of Maidstone Road, includes two large car parks and severalplant nurseries.The site also has other services, it sells food, much of which is produced locally, and there are two restaurants named Mulberry Tree Restaurant, and The Coach House Restaurant, there is also apet storewith a specialist fish aquatic centre. Other activities on the site include a children's soft play area, a seasonalice skatingrink,[31]andSanta's Grotto,withreindeerwhich live there permanently,[49]plus a children'sday carecentre, Grace's Nursery.[50][51]

Nearest areas[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghRuxley marked on Ordnance Survey map, accessed fromStreetmap.co.uk
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopqNicholson Greater London Street Atlas Comprehensive Edition p.186 (2003)ISBN0-583-33291-9shows borough district boundaries and roads
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqStreet map of Ruxley area, showing roads and administrative boundaries, Collins Bartholomew accessed fromStreetmap.co.uk
  4. ^Map of Bexley Borough: parkland, greenbelt and land usage map in Bexley Core Strategy paper, pp. 13, 88, accessed fromBexley.gov.ukArchived7 August 2016 at theWayback Machine
  5. ^abcdefEdward Hasted, 'Parishes: North Cray with Ruxley', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 141–162. accessed fromBritish History Online
  6. ^abcdefghijNews Shopper BexleyPreservation cash for former churchnews article about English Heritage grant for St Botolph's Church, Ruxley. accessed fromwww.newsshopper.co.uk
  7. ^abAn Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004)ISBN1-86077-255-2– Map and description of meeting places & hundreds p. 30
  8. ^"MAGIC".magic.defra.gov.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 12 October 2012.
  9. ^abcRuxley's entry in theDomesday Book(1086) accessed fromOpenDomesday.org
  10. ^abcdeA Dictionary of London Place Names(2001), by A.D. Mills p. 214 "Ruxley" and "Upper Ruxley" entryISBN978-0-19-956678-5
  11. ^abcdEdward Hasted, 'The hundred of Ruxley: Introduction', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 1–2. Hundred of Ruxley entry accessed fromBritish History Online(accessed 30 March 2016).
  12. ^abcHundred of Ruxley(Helmestrei) entry in theDomesday Book(1086) listing number of households in Ruxley and other Settlements. accessed fromOpenDomesday.org
  13. ^An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004)ISBN1-86077-255-2– Parish and hundred maps, front cover and back cover inlay
  14. ^ab"No. 22140".The London Gazette.18 May 1858. p. 2454.
  15. ^Moreman, T. R. (May 2006). "Mansfield, William Rose, first Baron Sandhurst (1819–1876)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17996.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  16. ^F. Youngs,Local Administrative Units: Southern England(London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 639. Bromley Rural District entry, accessed fromVisionOfBritain.org.uk
  17. ^abF. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 639, Sidcup Urban District entry, accessed fromVisionOfBritain.org.uk
  18. ^abc"Natural England, Ruxley Gravel Pits citation"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 October 2012.Retrieved25 June2016.
  19. ^"Ruxley Gravel Pits".Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2013.Retrieved16 January2016.
  20. ^"Ruxley Gravel Pits".Kent Wildlife Trust. Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2018.Retrieved16 January2016.
  21. ^Natural England, SSSI Unit information, Ruxley Gravel Pits
  22. ^abcDetails of Ruxley lake Complex accessed fromOrpington and District Angling Association (ODAA) official website
  23. ^ab"Ruxley Gravel Pits, History of Ruxley".Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2011.
  24. ^Notice on the entrance to the site in Edgington Way
  25. ^Edward Hasted,'The hundred of Bromley and Beckenham: Introduction and map', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1 (Canterbury, 1797), p. 527. accessed fromBritish History Online16 May 2016.
  26. ^Details of Orpington Golf Centre accessed fromgolftoday.co.uk
  27. ^Details of Orpington Golf Centre accessed fromwww.mytimeactive.co.uk
  28. ^Details of Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club accessed fromwww.birchwoodparkgc.co.uk
  29. ^details of Bromley Ski Centre accessed frombromleyski.co.uk
  30. ^News Shopper article about closure of Bromley Ski Centre accessed fromwww.newsshopper.co.uk
  31. ^abnNews Shopper article on ice skating rinks near London accessed fromwww.newsshopper.co.uk
  32. ^Details of Sidcup paintball accessed fromwww.ukpaintball.co.uk
  33. ^Details of Sidcup paintball accessed fromforce10paintball.com
  34. ^"Foots Cray Meadows".Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 4 March 2013.Retrieved22 January2014.
  35. ^"Map of Foots Cray Meadows".Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.Retrieved22 January2014.
  36. ^"The River Cray".Greenspace Information for Greater London. 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2012.Retrieved8 September2012.
  37. ^"Foots Cray Meadows, London Borough of Bexley".Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2016.
  38. ^http://www.bag.org.uk/work%20sites/current%20autumn%20files/autumn%2008.html[dead link]
  39. ^Sidcup Tesco superstore details accessed fromwww.tesco.com
  40. ^BMW dealership details accessed fromwww.stephenjamesruxleybmw.co.uk
  41. ^"Jemca (Sidcup) |".jemcasidcup.toyota.co.uk.
  42. ^Bookers entry at Yellow Pageswww.yell.comArchived20 September 2016 at theWayback Machine
  43. ^Government List of driving theory test centres accessed fromwww.gov.uk
  44. ^Reuse and Recycling Centres of Bexley accessed fromwww.bexley.gov.uk
  45. ^"Coca-Cola Enterprises LTD: Sidcup".Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2014.Retrieved5 January2014.
  46. ^"Heritage Explorer - Result Detail".www.heritage-explorer.co.uk.Retrieved16 May2017.
  47. ^"Sidcup blaze starts just as the longest fire in Bromley's history ends".News Shopper.28 March 2013.Retrieved16 May2017.
  48. ^Ruxley Manor Garden Centre details accessed fromwww.ruxley-manor.co.uk/
  49. ^News Shopper news article describing Ruxley Manor's Santa's Grotto and Reindeer, accessed fromwww.newsshopper.co.uk
  50. ^Graces Nursery details accessed fromwww.gracesdaynursery.co.uk
  51. ^Deatails and review of Grace's Nursery accessed fromgraces-nursery/pdf/ofsted_13.PDF
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