Green Street Green an area in 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 ...
, located in the
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,3 ...
and, prior to 1965, in 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
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 Ma ...
, west of
Chelsfield
Chelsfield is an area in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Goddington, west of Well Hill, north of Pratt's Bottom and east of Green Street Green. The area is ...
, north-west of
Pratt's Bottom, north of
Hazelwood, and south east of
Farnborough.
Etymology
The name originates from ''La Grenestrete'' c.1290, meaning ''the green or grassy hamlet''.
It is recorded as ''Greenstreet Green'' in 1819, the addition of the suffix ''Green'', referring to a village green. The village did not historically form a parish of its own, instead forming part of the parishes of
Farnborough and
Chelsfield
Chelsfield is an area in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Goddington, west of Well Hill, north of Pratt's Bottom and east of Green Street Green. The area is ...
.
History
![Green Street Green historical plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Green_Street_Green_historical_plaque.jpg)
Green Street Green was historically a hamlet, forming part of the coaching routes from London to
Sussex.
Development only really started with the opening of Oak Brewery by Fox & Sons in 1836, the growth of which led to a modest expansion of the area.
Village life centred round the brewery until 1909 when it closed down, causing much unemployment.
The area managed to recover, with a row of shops being built along the High Street in 1912.
From the 1920s till the 1960s Green Street Green was such a popular meeting point for cyclists that several tea rooms opened in the village, attracting trade from the hordes of weekend cyclists who rode into the Kent countryside from London's suburbs.
The former Mrs Valentine Moon's teashop is still a landmark on the east side of Sevenoaks Road, standing opposite The Green.
The first modern housing development was at Chelsfield Park in the 1920s. There were plans to extensively remodel the area as a 'model village' in the 1940s; however, due to post-war financial constraints, this never happened.
In 1947, the
Town and Country Planning Act set the
London Green Belt
The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...
boundary at the edge of Green Street Green by the A20 and A21 roads. Intensive building, council and private, took place in the 1950s between the village High Street and new Chelsfield.
It was during this period that the attractive old people's dwellings were built at Brittenden Close, around three sides of a square lawn with rose gardens and terrace. The old brewery became the Telcon Plastics factory site before the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, and made way for a new housing estate in 1992.
Parks
Recreation grounds are at Cudham Lane North and at Glentrammon Road.
Buildings
The Anglican
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
is St Mary's Green Street Green. It falls under the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
of Green Street Green and
Pratt's Bottom in the diocese of
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
Places Australia
* Rochester, Victoria
Canada
* Rochester, Alberta
United Kingdom
*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
. It was built in the early 20th century and in the first decade of the 21st century underwent some work on both inside and out to make it more accessible. The church plays an important role in the village, with many of the local schools' governors regularly attending it. The church's creative art group recently created a willow structure, placed on the top of the church, in the shape of a man reaching to the heavens, which has been a large attraction to the church. The
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
is
Reverend Karl Carpani.
Green Street Green's Baptist church, know to members as "The Green" is a pivotal part of the local community. It holds youth events such as the popular worship event "Encounter" and does work within the community with the young people from St Mary's Church in an initiative called "Liberation".
Pubs, restaurants and coffee houses
Green Street Green has a number of pubs, restaurants and coffee houses. The Bombay (Curry House) is an Indian restaurant. Belmondo, situated in the premises formerly occupied by Spoons, is a coffee house offering coffee and sandwiches.
Sports teams
Green Street Green Football Club
Green Street Green Football Club is an Amateur Football Club that plays its home games at Norman Park, Bromley. The club was formed in 2009 by Manager and player Darren Butland, after he decided to start a competitive 11 a side football team with friends. Green Street Green Football Club competes in the Metropolitan Sunday Football League Division Two. The team's original football kit colours were yellow and black (yellow shirts, black shorts and yellow socks) whilst its away kit was Red and White (white shirts, red shorts and red socks), however the team later changed their home colours to all green. On the 11 October 2020, Green Street Green defeated Bromley South FC 2-1 at Beckenham Town Football Club to win the Ted Holder Trophy for the 2019-20 season.
Green Street Green Rovers F.C.
GSGR F.C. is an amateur adult football team, formed in 2017, that plays in the Sevenoaks and District League on Saturdays.
Transport
Rail
The nearest
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
stations to Green Street Green are
Chelsfield
Chelsfield is an area in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Goddington, west of Well Hill, north of Pratt's Bottom and east of Green Street Green. The area is ...
, located 1.3 miles away, and
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 Ma ...
, located 1.6 miles away.
Buses
Green Street Green is served by
London Buses routes 358, R1, R5, R8, R10 & R11 and Go Coach route 3. These connect it with areas including
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
,
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, c ...
,
Biggin Hill,
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 Ma ...
,
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 Pence ...
,
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
&
Sidcup
Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the ...
.
Notable residents
*
Thomas Frank Durrant (1918-1942) -
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
recipient, born in Green Street Green.
*
Eleanor Marx
Jenny Julia Eleanor Marx (16 January 1855 – 31 March 1898), sometimes called Eleanor Aveling and known to her family as Tussy, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a socialist activist who sometimes worked as a ...
(1855-1898) - daughter of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, lived in Green Street Green for a period.
*
New Vaudeville Band
The New Vaudeville Band was a group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record his novelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and a Rudy Vallee megaphone-style vocal. To his surprise, ...
- 1960s pop band, released a song in 1967 called "Green Street Green".
Gallery
File:Green Street Green sign.jpg, Village sign at the north end of the High Street
File:St Mary's Church, Green Street Green - geograph.org.uk - 1625039.jpg, St Mary's Church, Worlds End Lane, built 1937
File:Queen's Head pub, Green Street Green.jpg, The Queen's Head pub
File:Green Street Green Baptist Church - geograph.org.uk - 678769.jpg, Green Street Green Baptist Church, built 1907
File:Green Street Green shops.jpg, Shops along the High Street
File:Royal Oak, Green Street Green.jpg, A replica Kentish oast house
An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. They can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas and are often good examples of vernacular architecture. Many re ...
, now the Royal Oak pub, The Oast House was added to the original pub.
See also
* There is also a hamlet called Green Street Green in the parish of
Bean near
Dartford.
[Vision of Britain http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/23341]
References
External links
Orpington Ojays Swimming Club
{{Authority control
Areas of London
Districts of the London Borough of Bromley