Southborough is an area of South East

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, within 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 332,336 ...

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 ...

. Prior to 1965 it was within 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

Bickley Bickley is a district and a local government electoral ward in South East London, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located 10.4 miles (16.7 km) south east of Charing Cross, bordering Elmstead, London, Elmstead to the north, Chis ...

and

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 ...

, east of

Bromley Common Bromley Common is the area of south-east London, within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Bromley town centre and Bickley, west of Southborough and Petts W ...

, north of

Locksbottom Locksbottom is a suburb of south-east London within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Bromley Common, west of Crofton, north-west of Farnborough, and e ...

, and west of

Petts Wood Petts Wood is a town in south-east London, England, previously located in the historic county of Kent. It lies south of Chislehurst, west of St Paul's Cray and Poverest, north of Orpington and Crofton, and east of Southborough and Bromley ...

History

The area gets its name from South Barrow, a house that stood where Birdham Close now is in the 1600s. By the mid-19th century it remained a hamlet, with a few large houses and about 16 cottages. A description of Southborough is given in Charles Freeman's ''History, Antiquities, Improvements, &c. of the Parish of Bromley, Kent'', published in 1832.

''Southborough is situated from Bromley nearly two miles: it contains about sixteen houses, among which are the pleasant seats of Abraham Welland, Esq., the late Governor Cameron, and others. Some of the premises here, from their appearance, would indicate their erection to have taken place many years ago.''

"Local tradition had it the hamlet had once been the court of a baron with the right to carry out executions, and that a gatehouse that had once stood on a farm there had been his prison. However John Dunkin, writing in 1815, believed that the fact that the Southborough had been part of a manor belonging to the

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...

made the story "fabulous, or at least exaggerated by the mistakes of the ignorant rustics." Further development occurred following the opening of Southborough Road train station in 1856, later renamed Bickley station. South Barrow went through a number of changes: it became Belmont School in 1901, Cloisters old people's home in 1922, and then later an office of the War Damage Commission, before being demolished in 1954. In 1977 Jubilee Country Park was opened to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Amenities

The identity of the area has merged somewhat with the contiguous areas of Bromley Common, Bickley and Petts Wood. It is centred on Southborough Road, which contains shops, two pubs (The Chequers and The Crooked Billet), a library and various places of worship.

Gallery

File:Fairway_shops,_Southborough.jpg, Shops on the Fairway/Southborough Lane junction File:The_Chequers_pub,_Southborough.jpg, The Chequers pub, listed at grade II File:Library_in_Southborough.jpg, Southborough Library File:Flat,_Southborough.jpg, Flats on Turpington Lane File:St_Augustine's_Church,_Southborough.jpg, St Augustine's Church File:Crooked Billet Harvester, Southborough.jpg, The Crooked Billet (Harvester) pub. The pub bears a plaque commemorating those who died when it was hit by a V2 rocket in 1944.

References

Districts of the London Borough of Bromley Areas of London {{London-geo-stub