Locksbottom is a suburb 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

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 ...

, west of Crofton, north-west of

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

, and east of

Keston Keston is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was withing the historic county of Kent. It is part suburban, part rural in nature and lies on the edge of Hayes Com ...

History

The area is named after the Lock family, who owned land here in the 1700s. A

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

was built here in March 1845, though by the 1920s it had been converted into an infirmary known as Farnborough Hospital. The interwar years saw suburban development and the area merged into Orpington in the east. In 2003 the hospital was redeveloped and renamed

Princess Royal University Hospital The Princess Royal University Hospital or PRUH is a large acute district general hospital situated in Locksbottom, near Farnborough, in the London Borough of Bromley. It is managed by King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. History The ho ...

and is now one of the major hospitals in this part of London.

Amenities

Locksbottom is centred on a parade of shops on the western end of Crofton Road, running from the junction with Farnborough Common to Tugmutton Common. To the west lies Keston Park and to the north Farnborough Park, both of which are exclusive gated communities. A large supermarket backs onto the Princess Royal Hospital. There are also three pubs in the area - the Black Horse, the British Queen, and Ye Olde Whyte Lion. The church is St. Michael's and all Angel's Roman Catholic Church, and was built between 1961 and 1964 by

Henry Bingham Towner Henry Bingham Towner (1909–1997) was an English architect. He is best known for designing churches in Southern England. Biography Early life He was born and raised in Uckfield, Sussex.

of loadbearing brickwork, laid in English bond, around a steel frame.

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 p ...

station to Locksbottom is

Orpington station Orpington railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line, serving the town of Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley, south-east London. It is down the line from London Charing Cross and is situated between and stations. It is in Trav ...

, located 1.8 miles away.

Buses

Locksbottom is served by

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...

routes 61, 261, 336, 353, 358, R2, R3 & R4. These connect it with areas including

Biggin Hill Biggin Hill is a settlement on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Kent, prior to 1965 it was also in the administrative county of Kent. I ...

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, char ...

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdiv ...

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 ...

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

, Grove Park, Hayes,

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 counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

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 ...

Gallery

File:Loksbottom 1948c.png, Crofton Road, Locksbottom in 1948 File:Locksbottom_shops.jpg, Shops along the Crofton Road File:British_Queen,_Locksbottom.jpg, The British Queen pub File:Princess_Royal_Hospital,_Locksbottom.jpg, Princess Royal University Hospital File:Ye_Olde_Whyte_Lyon,_Locksbottom.jpg, Ye Olde Whyte Lyon pub File:St_Michael_and_All_Saints_Roman_Catholic_Church,_Locksbottom.jpg, St Michael and All Saints Roman Catholic Church, built 1961-4 by

and officially opened by Archbishop

Cyril Cowderoy Cyril Conrad Cowderoy (5 May 1905 - 10 October 1976) was a priest for over 45 years and a bishop for over 26 years in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. Born in Sidcup, Kent, on 5 May 1905, he was consecrated and ordained as paris ...

In Film

The former 'Fantail Restaurant', with views over and into the village, showing the land where now Saint Michael's Church stands, heavily planted with trees, with unidentified spots along the A21 nearby, may be seen in the now re-released on DVD film,

Calling All Cars (1954 film) ''Calling All Cars'' is a 1954 short film directed by Maclean Rogers, starring Cardew Robinson and John Fitzgerald. The film also features Spike Milligan voicing the thoughts of "Freddie", an old taxicab featured in the film. Something of a cu ...

References

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