Shortlands
| Shortlands | |
|---|---|
 The Shortlands war memorial | |
  Shortlands Location withinGreater 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 | |
Shortlandsis a suburb of South EastLondon,England, within theLondon Borough of Bromley.It has been part ofGreater Londonsince 1965, and was previously part of thehistoric countyofKent.It is located between west ofBromleyand east ofBeckenham.
History
[edit]The earliest known settlement in the area was anIron Agehillfortat Toots Wood, where traces of aRoman Campandpotteryhas 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 & Coxwas 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 byW. D. Caroein the form of aCeltic cross,was unveiled in the village, in the middle of a road junction. On 8 July 2016, aMinicar 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.
Transport
[edit]Rail
[edit]Shortlands stationis inTravelcard Zone 4ofTransport for London’szonal fare system,and serves the area withNational Railservices toLondon VictoriaviaHerne Hill,as well asOrpington.Shortlands is also served byThameslinktoLondon BlackfriarsviaCatford,(during peak hours these trains continue toLutonviaSt Pancras International); as well as toSevenoaksviaSwanley.As of 2019, the station also houses a coffee shop, snack retailer and dry cleaners.
Buses
[edit]Shortlands is served byLondon Busesroutes162,227,354,358,367andN3.These connect it with areas includingBeckenham,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,PengeandOrpington.
Route 162, and the N3 night bus betweenOxford CircusandBromley Northserve Shortlands via Hayes Lane at the Scotts Lane, Den Close and Hayes Lane/Kingswood Road bus stops.
The nearestTramlinkstation isBeckenham Junction,which serves the western terminiWimbledon,as well asMitcham Junction,West CroydonandEast Croydonstations.
Education
[edit]The main schools in Shortlands areValley Primary School,Highfield Infant and Junior Schools, Harris Academy Shortlands, Clare House Primary School andBishop Challoner School.
Sports and leisure
[edit]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]
Notable people
[edit]- Enid Blyton(1897–1968), children's author, commemorated by a blue plaque on 83 Shortlands Road where she lived part of her life.[13]
- Harold Bride(1890-1956), the wireless operator aboardRMSTitanic,lived at 58 Ravensbourne Avenue from 1903–1922, commemorated by a blue plaque on the property.[14]
- Sir John Brown(1816–1896), Victorian-era industrialist, died at Shortlands House.[15]
- Grahame Clark(1907–1995), archaeologist who specialised in Mesolithic Europe and palaeoeconomics, grew up in Shortlands.[16]
- Dinah Craik(1826–1887), novelist, lived and died in Shortland.[17][18]
- John Ossian Davies(1851–1916), the Welsh Congregationalist minister, died here.[19]
- Thomas Charles Dewey(1840–1926), President of thePrudential Assurance Companyand philanthropist, commemorated by a blue plaque on 1 South Hill Road where he lived for much of his life.[20]
- George Grote(1794–1871), eminent historian of Greece, was born here at Shortlands House when it was known as Clay Hill.[21][5]
- General SirReginald Hewetson,GCB CBE DSO (1908–1993) senior British Army office.[citation needed]
- Charles Keeping(1924–1988), illustrator, children'sauthor and lithographer, lived at 16 Church Road where there is a plaque commemorating him.[22]
- Joseph Thomas Last(1849–1933), English missionary, explorer and naturalist, died here.[23]
- Alexander Muirhead(1848–1920), electrical engineer, credited with recording the first humanelectrocardiogram,lived and died on Church Road.[24]
- Brian Murphy(born 1932), actor, known for playing George Roper in the sitcomGeorge and Mildred,lived in Shortlands with his wife Linda Regan (see below).[25]
- Linda Regan(born 1949), actress and author, lived in Shortlands with her husband Brian Murphy (see above).[25]
- Peter Ricketts, Baron RickettsGCMG, GCVO (born 1952), former Permanent Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, created Baron Ricketts, of Shortlands in 2017.[26][27]
- Lord Stampof Shortlands (1880–1941), the first Chartered Mayor of Beckenham and Chairman of theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway.lived and died here when his house on Park Hill Road was bombed in 1941.[28]
- John Veale(1922–2006), English classical composer, born here.[29]
- Charles Paget Wade(1883–1956), English architect, artist-craftsman and poet, was born in Shortlands.[30]
Gallery
[edit]-
![The listed Pumphouse[31]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Pump_House%2C_Shortlands.jpg/120px-Pump_House%2C_Shortlands.jpg)
The listed Pumphouse[31] -
Shops by the railway station -
Shortlands Tavern -
Bridge under the railway station -
St Mary's Church -
Shortlands Library
![The listed Pumphouse[31]](/translate/en.wikipedia.org?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3APump_House%2C_Shortlands.jpg&t=vi)
References
[edit]- ^Bromley.org2001 Census information for the Shortlands ward[permanent dead link]"Shortlands ward population - 9303"
- ^"Bromley Ward population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2016.Retrieved11 October2016.
- ^abHevey, Len (1992).Shortlands(PDF).Bromley Borough Local History Society. p. 10-12.
- ^"Tootswood road".Beckenham History.Retrieved8 January2017.
- ^abcdefgWilley, Russ.Chambers London Gazetteer,p 441
- ^"History of Shortlands".Hidden London.Retrieved8 January2017.
- ^"William Wilkinson".Retrieved8 January2017.
- ^"Pearson and Cox Steam motor cycle".collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk.Retrieved29 October2017.
- ^"Pearson and Cox".gracesguide.co.uk.Retrieved29 October2017.
- ^"War memorial destroyed after car crash Mini lands on top of it".Daily Telegraph.8 July 2016.Retrieved10 July2016.
- ^"War memorial smashed by car returned to former glory".News Shopper.25 October 2017.Retrieved26 October2017.
- ^"Beccehamian RFC".Pitchero.
- ^"Enid Blyton - Bromley".London Remembers.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^"Harold Bride".London Remembers.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^"John Brown".Graces Guide.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^"Grahame Clark"(PDF).The British Academy.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^.Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 7 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 362.
- ^Sally Mitchell, "Craik, Dinah Maria (1826–1887)",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(Oxford, OUP, 2004)Retrieved 12 March 2017, pay-walled.
- ^Rees, Thomas Mardy."John Ossian Davies".Dictionary of Welsh Biography.National Library of Wales.Retrieved18 July2017.
- ^"Sir Thomas Dewey - Bromley".London Remembers.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^Mitchell, John Malcolm (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 12 (11th ed.). pp. 619–620.
- ^"Charles Keeping".Visit Bromley.Retrieved14 August2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Joseph Thomas Last".Conchology.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^"Alexander Muirhead".Graces Guide.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^ab"TV actors selling Grade II listed Shortlands cottage with links to Blyton, HG Wells and Shelley".Bromley Times. 9 May 2018.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^"Resignation Peerages 2016"(PDF).gov.uk.Archived(PDF)from the original on 6 May 2021.
- ^"No. 61738".The London Gazette.21 October 2016. p. 22392.
- ^"Civilian The Rt. Hon. Lady Olive Jessie Stamp | War Casualty Details 3114173 | CWGC".
- ^Guardian ObituaryGuardian. 18/01/07
- ^"Charles Paget Wade".BROMLEY BOROUGH LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY.Retrieved14 August2020.
- ^Historic England."Main Pumping Station (1298989)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved15 August2020.
