Chelsfield is an area in southeast London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and, prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of

Goddington Goddington is an area in south-east London, located in the London Borough of Bromley. It is situated south of Ramsden, south-east of Orpington town centre, and north of Chelsfield. It lies directly adjacent to the London Green Belt. Until 1965 i ...

, west of

Well Hill Well Hill is a small rural hamlet within the civil parish of Shoreham in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies 3 miles south east of Orpington & 3.5 miles south of Swanley, adjacent to the Kent border with Greater London. Well Hill T ...

, north of

Pratt's Bottom 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 ...

and east of

Green Street Green Green Street Green an area in south-east London, located in the London Borough of Bromley and, prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Orpington, west of Chelsfield, north-west of Pratt's Bottom, north of Hazelwo ...

. The area is split into two distinct areas – the historic 'village' section, and the newer development by the railway station.

History

The name is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cillesfelle", meaning "land of a man called Cēol". Another older variant was 'Chilesfeld'. The village church was constructed in the early Norman period, and gives its names to the Five Bells pubs. Chelsfield was historically a stopping place for drovers. In 1868 Chelsfield station was opened, however, it was located 1 mile west of the village. As a result, in 1925 land near the station was bought by Homesteads Ltd. and developed for housing, thus creating what is sometimes referred to as 'New Chelsfield.' Further development occurred after the Second World War, with New Chelsfield eventually merging with Green Street Green and Goddington, however the introduction of the London Green Belt stymied development around the village. The New Chelsfield area is now largely a commuter suburb.

Governance

Chelsfield once formed an ancient parish, and later civil parish of , in Kent. The parish included

and

and stretched as far as

Cudham Cudham is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley and beyond London's urban sprawl. It is located on the Greater London border with Kent, bordering the Sevenoaks District. Cudham lies south of Orpington ...

and Orpington. Circa 1894, it was part of the Bromley Rural District. The parish was abolished in 1934 and its former area became part of the Orpington parish and urban district. In 1965 it was transferred to

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

, to form part of the London Borough of Bromley.

Geography

In practice, Chelsfield is split into two very distinct areas: the historic Chelsfield Village sited to the east of the main Orpington bypass (the A224) and New Chelsfield, which grew up in the first half of the 20th century after the sale of some of the Waring family estates. The A224, known as Court Road, now separates the historic village from its

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church which is dedicated to St Martin of Tours and which dates back, in parts, to the 12th Century.

Transport

Chelsfield station Chelsfield railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line, serving the Chelsfield and Green Street Green areas south of Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London. It is down the line from London Charing Cross and is si ...

connects the area with National Rail services northbound to

London Charing Cross Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a central London railway terminus between the Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South Eastern Main Line to Dover via Ashf ...

via Orpington and Lewisham and southbound to Sevenoaks. Connections can be made at Orpington for London Victoria via Bromley South and

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, and at Sevenoaks for Hastings via Tunbridge Wells and to

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

via

Ashford International Ashford International railway station is a National Rail station in Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Services are operated by Southeastern and Southern. The stat ...

and Canterbury West. Chelsfield is served by the Transport for London bus route R1 to St Paul's Cray via Orpington and to

and the R7 to

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater L ...

via Orpington. Knockholt railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line, located in the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. It is down the line from

and is situated between and stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 6 and is located next to the

boundary with the Kent district of Sevenoaks. The boundary is the farm bridge at the southern end of the platforms.

Notable residents

* Brass Crosby (1725–1793) – 18th Century parliamentarian and one-time Lord Mayor of London, lived at Court Lodge where he is commemorated with a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

. * Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) – children's author who lived nearby Halstead; her '' Railway Children'' is said to have been inspired by her frequent use of Chelsfield station. * Michael Oakeshott (1901–1990) – philosopher and political theorist, born in Chelsfield. *

Miss Read Dora Jessie Saint Order of the British Empire, MBE (17 April 1913 – 7 April 2012), née Shafe, best known by the pen name Miss Read, was an English novelist and, by profession, a Schoolmaster, schoolmistress. Her pseudonym was derived from her ...

(1913–2012, birth name Dora Jessie Saint) – author, spent most her childhood in Chelsfield. * Gary Rhodes (1960–2019) – television chef, lived in Chelsfield.

Gallery

File:Windsor Drive shops, Chelsfield.jpg, Shops on Windsor Drive, New Chelsfield File:Methodist Church, Chelsfield.jpg, Methodist Church, New Chelsfield File:Glentrammon Recreation Ground, Chelsfield.jpg, Glentrammon Recreation Ground, New Chelsfield File:Windsor Drive, Chelsfield.jpg, Windsor Drive, New Chelsfield File:Chelsfield pub.jpg, The Chelsfield pub, New Chelsfield

External links

References

{{authority control Districts of the London Borough of Bromley Areas of London Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Bromley