Hayes, Kent

Hayes is a suburban area of South East London, Greater London, England. Prior to 1965 it was within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, to the north of Keston and Coney Hall, west of Bromley Common, south of Bromley town centre, and east of West Wickham.

History

The ancient village

The name ''Hayes'' is recorded from 1177 as ''hoese'' from the Anglo-Saxon meaning "a settlement in open land overgrown with shrubs and rough bushes". It formed an ancient, and later civil, parish of Kent of around . The village stood at the junction of Hayes Lane, leading north to Bromley (one mile distant), and what is now known as Pickhurst Lane, leading west to West Wickham; the centre of the old village is now called ''Hayes Street''. The village school was here, as is the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. Parts of the church date back to the thirteenth century, however it was subject to heavy restorations by George Gilbert Scott and John Oldrid Scott in the 19th century. The village's public house, also on Hayes Street, is called "The George" (first recorded 1759).) Hayes Street Farm, still shown on modern maps, is to the north of the village centre.

Both William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778), and William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806) lived at Hayes Place. The house dated back to the 15th century, was rebuilt in 1972, but then demolished in 1933 by the developer Henry Boot and the site redeveloped, but its occupants are remembered in such road names as Chatham and Pittsmead Avenues. Prior to being demolished, Hayes Place was owned by the Hambro family (of Hambros Bank fame) and a couple of roads bear the family names.

Although the parish church of Hayes can trace its history back over 800 years, and locals joined Jack Cade in his rebellion of 1450, the story of modern Hayes begins a little over a century ago, when Hayes became a popular place in which to live with bankers, stockbrokers and other City financiers buying property in the area. Development was aided when the branch railway from Elmers End, originally known as the West Wickham and Hayes Railway, was opened on 29 May 1882. Between 1801, when the population was just 382, and 1921, it had almost tripled to 1,010.

Modern suburban Hayes

Throughout the 20th century, the Hayes village area continued to grow and thrive. Further commercial development occurred on Station Approach because the increased traffic through the railway terminus created an incentive for growth. In the old village area ('Old Hayes'), the former village school was converted to a church hall when the local primary school opened in 1937; it lies along George Lane, which was further expanded at around the same time to facilitate further suburban housing developments.

To cope with the increase in commuter traffic, the station was rebuilt in 1935, and ''Station Approach'' became the main shopping area, including a Post Office, petrol station, two mini-supermarkets and numerous small shops. It also contains a public house called The New Inn.

During the Second World War an anti-aircraft gun battery was locally based on Hayes Common, and the soldiers of the 1st Canadian Division who manned it were barracked in local homes. Grandfields Nursery on West Common Road was hit by a V-2 rocket in the late afternoon of 9 February 1945, killing four people, including three members of the Grandfield family. Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church was later built on the site.

Much of the area to the west and north-west of the original village has been taken over by suburbia. West Wickham and Bromley are completely joined with Hayes; and Coney Hall estate, beyond the Orpington - Croydon road is also part of the pattern. To the east and south, however, the open space of Hayes Common precludes building of any kind.

The old village area along Hayes Street, also known as 'Old Hayes', today contains some small shops, though the local post office closed in 2004 (the nearest is now in the main shopping area near the station). The timbered cottage on the eastern side of Hayes Street was originally the village bakery, then it became a newsagents called "The Walnut Tree", until 2006, when it changed to residential use. The former village school remains a second village hall; the local primary school in George Lane has expanded in size in recent years, and now has three class groups in each year. It is extremely popular, and many of its pupils go on to Hayes School