Elmers End is an area of south-east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, within the London Borough of Bromley,

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and formerly part of the historic county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. It is located south of Beckenham, west of

Eden Park Eden Park is New Zealand's largest sports stadium, with a capacity of 50,000. Located in central Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, it is three kilometres southwest of the CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and King ...

, north of

Monks Orchard Monks Orchard is a suburb on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London, England, priot to 1965 it was located in the historical county of Surrey. It is situated about 10 miles (16.1 km) south s ...

and east of Anerley.

History

The name Elmers End was probably from the Aylmer family marking the Southern 'end' of the land, local landowners in the 13th century, although the Aylmer family's clan rarely left the Great North Wood area, which took up most of Norwood and Crystal Palace. An alternative view is that the land was owned by Ralph Aylmer during the reign of Henry III (1216-1272) and was classified as a 'district'. The term ‘Elmerus’ was regarded as a traitor in Anglo Saxon. The Green was the site of many hangings during the 15th and 16th centuries, hence how Elmers End potentially got its name. The name Beckenham came about 50 years later, although this claim is completely contradicted by the Bromley council website which shows Beckenham being historically present since AD862 and Elmers End since AD1226. Elmers End station opened in 1864 in what was then still a rural area. From the 1860s a sewage farm was opened, and housing gradually began to be built in the area, centred on the large green space which is the centre of a gyratory.Willey, Russ. ''Chambers London Gazetteer'', p 161 Development continued apace in the early 20th century, with a large industrial estate being built on the south side of the railway track, which has since closed; it used to house the Muirhead and Twinlock factories, and can be seen from the ai
here
The companies vacated the sites and it remained derelict until 1995 when

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...

built a new superstore. The former Bolloms paint factory site, on the opposite side of the road has been redeveloped into an industrial estate. An Odeon cinema stood on Elmers End Green from 1939 to 1959. In the 1960s the sewage farm closed; as it is thought to be contaminated with heavy metals it was considered unfit for building houses and was later converted into a nature park ( South Norwood Country Park), which falls within the boundaries of the

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough in south London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of . It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name; w ...

. The main Beckenham crematorium is situated between South Norwood Country Park and Birkbeck station. Also known as Elmers End Cemetery, it contains the final resting places of such notable people as W.G. Grace, Frank Bourne, Thomas Crapper,

Jerzy Wołkowicki Jerzy Rusiło-Wołkowicki (1883–1983) was a General of the Polish Army and officer of the Imperial Russian Navy, awarded one of the highest Russian military orders. Childhood Wołkowicki was born on 22 January 1883 in Proszew (a Mazovian vi ...

, William Stanley and

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who won a

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in 1916.

Upper Elmers End

This was once a small hamlet distinct from Elmers End proper, centred on the sharp bend on Upper Elmers End Road south of the railway line.Willey, Russ. ''Chambers London Gazetteer'', p 510 The hamlet was the site of a brewery, which was converted into Kempton's bakery in the 1930s. It was around this period that large scale housing development began in the area, with Upper Elmers End merging into Elmers End and Eden Park over time and losing its separate identity.

Transport

Rail

Elmers End railway station connects the area with Southeastern services 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 ...

and London Cannon Street via

Catford Bridge Catford Bridge railway station is on the Mid-Kent Line, serving Hayes line trains from London to Hayes. It lies between Ladywell and Lower Sydenham stations, from and in Travelcard Zone 3. It is adjacent to (and on a lower level than) Catfo ...

and to

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. There are also

Tramlink London Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It began operation in 2000, the first tram system in the London region since 1952. It is manage ...

services to Wimbledon via East Croydon.

Buses

Elmers End is served by several bus routes provided by Transport for London. These connect Elmers End with areas including Beckenham,

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

, Catford,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...

, Crystal Palace,

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one o ...

Orpington Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Mary ...

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Penc ...

, Purley and

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...

Notable people

Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...

- poet and author, commemorated with a plaque on 195 Mackenzie Road. * John Fry - renowned doctor, researcher and writer, commemorated with a plaque on St James's Practice.

Gallery

File:Elmers_End_Railway_station.jpg, Elmers End station, with the Tesco superstore to the rear-left File:Elmers_End_URC.jpg, Elmers End United Reformed Church File:Elmers_End_information_board.jpg, History information board on Elmers End Green File:John_Fry_plaque,_Elmers_End.jpg, Plaque to John Fry on St James's Practice File:St_James_Church,_Elmers_End.jpg, St James Church File:The_Elm_Treet_pub,_Elmers_End.jpg, The Elm Tree pub (formerly the William IV)

Notes

Historical images of Elmers End
{{Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Bromley