Ruxley is a small settlement in southeast London, England, with no present formal boundaries. It is located southeast by east of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

,Distance measured
using

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

in the northeast corner of 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, ...

on the borough boundary with the southeast corner of the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Borou ...

, and is also adjacent to the

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness Greatness is a concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than al ...

border with

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 ...

, overlapping into the

Sevenoaks District Sevenoaks is a local government district in west Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford Ru ...

and

Borough of Dartford The Borough of Dartford is a local government district in the north-west of the county of Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Dartford. It is part of the contiguous London urban area. It borders the borough of Gravesham to the e ...

in Kent.Ruxley marked on Ordnance Survey map, accessed fro
Streetmap.co.uk
/ref>Nicholson Greater London Street Atlas Comprehensive Edition p.186 (2003) shows borough district boundaries and roadsStreet map of Ruxley area, showing roads and administrative boundaries, Collins Bartholomew accessed fro
Streetmap.co.uk
/ref> Ruxley lies east of Sidcup and west of Swanley, on

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which h ...

land,Map of Bexley Borough: parkland, greenbelt and land usage map in Bexley Core Strategy paper, pp. 13, 88, accessed fro
Bexley.gov.uk
where two main roads pass through east-west connecting London to the coast. Ruxley was a

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 or ...

prior to 1557 and had its own thirteenth century church, St Botolph's. Ruxley's central location on the main road made it an important meeting place for the

Hundred of Ruxley Ruxley (previously Rokesley, and in the Domesday Book Helmestrei) was an ancient hundred, a land division in the north west of the county of Kent, England. Its area has been mostly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently refer ...

,An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004) – Map and description of meeting places & hundreds p. 30 which was named after it. Today still a major transport route, Ruxley's location on green belt land is on the edge of London's urban sprawl, industrial and residential areas are found on the west side, but to the east this quickly turns into more rural woodland and farmland.

Ruxley Gravel Pits Ruxley Gravel Pits is an biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Ruxley, Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, and originally dug between 1929 and 1951. It is also a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. It is ...

is a biological

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

located on the west side of Ruxley. Today the area is known for Ruxley Manor, a large site with a

garden centre A garden centre (Commonwealth English spelling; U.S. nursery or garden center) is a retail operation that sells plants and related products for the domestic garden as its primary business. It is a development from the concept of the retail plant n ...

and other retailers and services.

Name and toponymy

In 1086 the settlement of Ruxley was recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as ''Rochelei''Ruxley's entry in the

(1086) accessed fro
OpenDomesday.org
/ref>''A Dictionary of London Place Names'' (2001), by A.D. Mills p. 214 "Ruxley" and "Upper Ruxley" entry It was also recorded as ''Rochelea'' and ''Rocheslea'' in 1175 as a parish and settlement ''Rokesle'' in the 1190s,Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: North Cray with Ruxley', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 141–162. accessed fro
British History Online
/ref> as ''Rokeli'' in 1199, and ''Rokeslega'' in 1211, and Rooksley in 1719. The name possibly meant 'wood or clearing frequented by rooks' from the Old English words ''hrōc'' (rook) and ''lēah'' (wood clearing). It has also been suggested the first element may be from an Old English personal name ''Hrōc'' or ''Hroca''. The

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

that covered Ruxley was originally called ''Helmestrei'', a name that had been used since at least the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. By at least the late thirteenth century, the name Helmestrei was no longer in use, and the hundred came to be known as

taking its new name from the settlement of Ruxley, which was the meeting place of the hundred, located on the main road, which passed through it.

History

Ruxley was recorded in the

of 1086, as a settlement of 20 households, with woodland, pigs and a mill located in the

, within the

Lathe of Sutton at Hone The Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone historically included a large part of Kent: the present-day boroughs of Dartford, Bexley, Greenwich, Bromley, Lewisham, Sevenoaks District and small parts of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling and Borough of Tunbrid ...

. At that time Ruxley was recorded as having more households than the surrounding settlements of

North Cray North Cray is a village in south-east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the River Cray, east of Sidcup and south of Bexley, and is in the Cray Meadows electoral ward, which al ...

Foots Cray Foots Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley, Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Sidcup. History It took its name from Godwin Fo ...

and

St Paul's Cray St Paul's Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Sidcup and north of Orpington. The area The vill ...

, but less than

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 ...

St Mary Cray St Mary Cray is an area of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Historically it was a market town in the county of Kent. It is located north of Orpington, and south-east of Charing Cross. History The name C ...

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

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 s ...

(Helmestrei) entry in the

(1086) listing number of households in Ruxley and other Settlements. accessed fro
OpenDomesday.org
/ref> A family who possessed much of the lands of North Cray and Ruxley took their surname from Ruxley. Malgerius de Rokesle possessed the lands at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, in the late 13th century

Gregory de Rokesley Gregory de Rokesley (died 1291) was an English goldsmith, Mayor of London and Warden of the Mint. He was originally from Rokesley in Kent and was a wealthy wool merchant and goldsmith. In 1263, 1265 and 1270, he served as Sheriff of London and the ...

, a wealthy wool merchant and goldsmith from Ruxley, moved to London and later served as the

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...

and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

at different times. In the thirteenth century, St Botolph's Church was constructed in Ruxley. Ruxley was a distinct parish of its own, until 1557 when Cardinal

Reginald Pole Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation. Early life Pole was born a ...

, the archbishop of Canterbury

deconsecrated Deconsecration, also called secularization, is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated by a minister or priest of that religion. The practice is usually performed on churches or synagogues to ...

the church and united Ruxley parish with

parish, located northwest of Ruxley. The new larger parish was sometimes referred to as ''North Cray with Ruxley'',Edward Hasted, 'The hundred of Ruxley: Introduction', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 1–2. Hundred of Ruxley entry accessed fro
British History Online
(accessed 30 March 2016). or sometimes just by the existing name, ''North Cray''.An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004) – Parish and hundred maps, front cover and back cover inlay Klinger Building, Ruxley (02)

On 21 June 1819

William Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst General William Rose Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst (21 June 1819 – 23 June 1876) was a British military commander who served as Commander-in-Chief of India from 1865 to 1870. In Bombay now Mumbai, there is local train station named after B ...

was born in Ruxley, he was a British military commander who served as Commander-in-Chief of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

from 1865 to 1870. The Hundred of Ruxley became obsolete at the end of the nineteenth century when new districts began to be created. In 1894 North Cray parish, including the settlement of Ruxley formed part of the newly created Bromley Rural District that existed from that year until 1934 when it was abolished.F. Youngs, ''Local Administrative Units: Southern England'' (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 639. Bromley Rural District entry, accessed fro
VisionOfBritain.org.uk
/ref> In 1934 North Cray and Ruxley became part of the

Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District was a local government district and civil parish in north west Kent, England from 1934 to 1965. It was formed in 1934 from the former area of Chislehurst Urban District, Sidcup Urban District and part of B ...

which was formed that year from the previous districts, Sidcup Urban District, Chislehurst Urban District, and a small part of the Bromley Rural District that contained North Cray and Ruxley.F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 639, Sidcup Urban District entry, accessed fro
VisionOfBritain.org.uk
/ref> In 1965 the urban district and its parishes were abolished and

and the

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

s were created. Sidcup and North Cray were then part of the

and Chislehurst became part of the

, Ruxley ended up on the common boundary of the Bexley and Bromley boroughs, as the border between them in this location follows Maidstone Road, the main road that Ruxley is located on.

St Botolph's Church

St Botolph's Church, a church dedicated to Botwulf of Thorney was built in the thirteenth century in Ruxley,News Shopper Bexley ''Preservation cash for former church'' news article about English Heritage grant for St Botolph's Church, Ruxley. accessed fro
www.newsshopper.co.uk
/ref> on the south side of Maidstone Road. It was in use for around 300 years but was

by Cardinal

in 1557, the same year he united Ruxley parish with that of North Cray into one parish. The church building was used as a barn for over 400 years and was used to store agricultural equipment. In the 1960s archaeological work was carried out on the site and found evidence of an older wooden building, suggesting there may have been an older Saxon church in the same location. Today the church is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

and a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

on the grounds of Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, and is owned by the Evans family. Although many features are still intact, including the majority of the roof, the church is in disrepair, and appears as "remains of church" on Ordnance Survey maps.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

have agreed to pay a grant of £35,000 of the estimated £62,000 needed for structural work on the building to help preserve it.

Ruxley Gravel Pits

Originally dug between 1929 and 1951,

is a biological

, to the west of Ruxley, near Crittal's Corner roundabout; it is in size on the borough boundary with parts within the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley. The site is also a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, owned by the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and en ...

and managed by

Kent Wildlife Trust Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1958, previously known as the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. It aims to "work with people to restore, save and improve our natural spaces" and t ...

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

has assessed its condition as "unfavourable recovering". The site comprises four gravel pits, which are now lakes, and the

River Cray The River Cray is the largest tributary of the Darent. It is the prime river of outer, south-east Greater London, rising in Priory Gardens, Orpington, where rainwater percolates through the chalk bedrock of the Downs to form a pond where the ...

runs through three of them, while the fourth is fed by springs. The A20 road Sidcup Bypass now cuts through the north side of the site. The bodies of water are also referred to as Ruxley Lakes,Details of Ruxley lake Complex accessed fro
Orpington and District Angling Association (ODAA) official website
/ref> and although not open to the public they are also used for

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

. Gravel extraction took place from 1929 to 1951, and once it ceased the pits attracted many species of birds and a diverse range of plants. In 1975 the site was designated an SSSI. Over 500 species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They ...

s and 169 of birds have been recorded, including

song thrush The song thrush (''Turdus philomelos'') is a thrush that breeds across the West Palearctic. It has brown upper-parts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies. Its distinctive song, which has repeated musica ...

reed bunting The common reed bunting (''Emberiza schoeniclus'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', ...

kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

and

skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

. Fifty-three of the bird species are breeding. Insects include 23 species of butterfly, 9 dragonfly and over 500 beetles. This variety reflects the diversity of habitat: wooded islands, fringes of mature trees, scrub, fen and open water. Vegetation on the banks include the rare club rush ''

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani ''Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani'' ( syn. ''Scirpus validus'') is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names softstem bulrush, grey club-rush, and great bulrush. It can be found throughout much of the world; it ha ...

''. The open water areas have rafts of

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In th ...

and

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

water-lily. Access to the site is reserved to members of the Orpington and District Angling Society and permit holders. It is closed to members of the public.

Transport

Roads

The main road that runs through Ruxley is named Maidstone Road, today it is a relatively straight road, designated the B2173 road running east to west. To the east, it goes uphill through Upper Ruxley, Birchwood Corner and changes its name to High Street then London Road as it skirts Swanley town centre before joining junction 3 of the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 the lon ...

where the B road ends. To the west, Maidstone Road continues downhill over Ruxley Corner roundabout, at which the B road designation ends, but Maidstone Road continues west over the

then through

and uphill to Sidcup as the A 211 road named Maidstone Road, Foots Cray High Street, Sidcup Hill, and Sidcup High Street; further west it's named Main Road and Foots Cray Road and reaches

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards o ...

. Maidstone Road was historically the route of the original

A20 road This is a list of roads designated A20. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * ''A20 road (Australia)'' may refer to: ** Sturt Highway, a road in South Australia & New South Wales ** Gawler Bypass, a road in South Austr ...

, the main route from London to

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

; old maps show it was previously a winding road as it passed through Ruxley,

Edward Hasted Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and T ...

, 'The hundred of Bromley and Beckenham: Introduction and map', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 1 (Canterbury, 1797), p. 527. accessed fro
British History Online
16 May 2016. and part of it survives today as a crescent road named Old Maidstone Road to the south of the present Maidstone Road leaving and rejoining it after about 500 metres. In the Ruxley area the B2173 marks the border between the

to the north, and the

to the south. Just to the south of Maidstone Road, the new

runs east to west, it is a dual-carriageway, and a primary trunk road route. The section near Ruxley was built as a

bypass road A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow In mathematics and transportation engineering, traffic flow is the study of interactions between travellers (including p ...

in 1968 to bypass Swanley. It is named Sidcup Bypass then Sidcup Road to the west where it bypasses Sidcup and Eltham towards

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

and

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 ...

, and named Swanley Bypass to the east, until it meets the M25 near Swanley then continues on through Kent, all the way to

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...

on the coast. In the Ruxley area, Sidcup Bypass marks the border between the postcode districts, DA14 SIDCUP to the north, BR5 ORPINGTON to the southwest, and BR8 SWANLEY to the southeast. Ruxley Corner, is a roundabout, located immediately west of Ruxley, which has five exits, two of which are the aforementioned Maidstone Road, to the east and west. North-northeast from here is North Cray, a dual-carriageway A road, designated the A223 road, it travels 4 km north to Bexley, where it ceases to be a dual-carriageway and continues to a junction and bridge over the A2 road, Rochester Way, as Bexley High Street and Bourne Road, before meeting

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...

Crayford Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement de ...

. To the southeast of Ruxley Corner the A223 road continues as Edgington Way for 1 km before reaching Crittall's Corner. Sandy Lane, is a minor road that travels south from Ruxley Corner through St Paul's Cray. Crittall's Corner, named after a window factory, comprises a much bigger and grade separated roundabout west of Ruxley and immediately south of Foots Cray. This roundabout also has five exits, the new

, Sidcup By-pass set on a flyover and a deep level N-S cycle track, but has access roads joining it, the A224 road, starts in Foots Cray 1 km to the north as Cray Road, then crosses Crittall's Corner roundabout then travels south as Sevenoaks Way, Cray Avenue and other names for about 15 km passing through

and eventually reaching the M25 and

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 ...

Buses

Four

London Bus Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn ''omnibus'' service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London ...

routes serve Ruxley, three pass through, one terminates there; they all pass through Foots Cray where one more London Bus serves.Transport for ''London London Buses from Foots Cray and Ruxley Corner'' map accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref> The 233 bus, operated by Go Ahead London for Transport for London, travels the whole length of Maidstone Road, from Swanley to the east it travels west through Ruxley, Foots Cray, Sidcup,

New Eltham New Eltham is an area of south east London, in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It lies south east of Eltham and north west of Sidcup. History New Eltham is a largely residential suburb of Greater London developed on former farmla ...

and terminates in Eltham.233 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref> The 492 bus, operated by

Arriva London Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva s ...

for Transport for London. comes from

Sidcup railway station Sidcup railway station serves Sidcup, south-east London, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is down the line from . It is in Travelcard Zone 5, and the station is managed by Southeastern. History Sidcup station opened on 1 September 186 ...

, and passes east through Sidcup, Foots Cray Ruxley Corner where it turns north along North Cray Road to Bexley,

Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011. Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...

and eventually

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

then

Bluewater shopping centre Bluewater Shopping Centre (commonly referred to as Bluewater) is an out-of-town shopping centre in Stone (postally Greenhithe), Kent, England, outside the M25 motorway, east south east of London's centre. Opened on 16 March 1999 in a former cha ...

.492 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref> The 321 bus, which has been a 24-hour bus since 2009, terminates at the Tesco Superstore in Ruxley, from there it takes passengers west through Foots Cray, Sidcup, New Eltham, Eltham, Lee, Lewisham and

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwic ...

.321 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref> The 321 bus has been running since 1997, before this time the 21 bus, which now only travels from central London to Lewisham, had a longer route which took it from central London through Ruxley, and it terminated at either Ruxley, Swanley or

West Kingsdown West Kingsdown is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England, on the A20 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Swanley, 5.5 miles (9 km) northeast of Sevenoaks and from London. The Area The parish was part of A ...

. The R11 bus travels from

Green Street Green Green Street Green an area in south-east London, located in the London Borough of Bromley and, prior to 1965, in the historic county of Kent. It is located south of Orpington, west of Chelsfield, north-west of Pratt's Bottom, north of Hazelwo ...

, through

, northward past

, to Foots Cray, and Sidcup shopping centre before terminating at

Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup Queen Mary's Hospital is an acute district general hospital in Sidcup, South East London, serving the population of the London Borough of Bexley. It was once administered by Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust established in 1993. Following the disso ...

.r11 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref> The 51 bus travels from

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 thr ...

, through

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic county of Kent and the detail of much of its early history can ...

Welling Welling is an area of South East London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, west of Bexleyheath, southeast of Woolwich and of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. E ...

Blackfen Blackfen is an area of south-east London, England, north of Sidcup in the London Borough of Bexley. Prior to 1965 it was in the county of Kent. "Blackfen" means a black, marshy area. The soil is dark and fertile and the area around Blackfen R ...

, Sidcup, Foots Cray then continues south along Sevenoaks Ways through St Paul's Cray, St Mary's Cray, and Orpington High Street terminating at Orpington station.51 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref>

Sport and leisure

There are three

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

s near by, two at Orpington Golf Centre to the south and one at Birchwood Park Golf further away to the east. Orpington Golf Centre is located immediately south of Ruxley and the A20 road Sidcup Bypass, its entrance is on Sandy Lane. This golf centre has two eighteen hole golf courses, Ruxley Park Golf Course on the western side built in 1975, and also has a driving range, and the much larger Cray Valley Golf Course on the eastern side, which also has an additional nine-hole course too.Details of Orpington Golf Centre accessed fro
golftoday.co.uk
/ref>Details of Orpington Golf Centre accessed fro
www.mytimeactive.co.uk
/ref> East of Ruxley near Upper Ruxley, is Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club, just into Kent, it has a main eighteen hole course and a nine-hole short course named Orchard Course; it also has a driving range and they are planning to open a new health and fitness club with gym and swimming pool.Details of Birchwood Park Golf and Country Club accessed fro
www.birchwoodparkgc.co.uk
/ref> Five Arches

Bromley Ski Centre, was located on Sandy Lane near Ruxley Park Golf Course, with a 120-metre

dry ski slope A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to skiing, ski, snowboarding, snowboard or Tubing (recreation)#Snow, snow tube in pla ...

and two lifts, plus indoor skiing, and

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

.details of Bromley Ski Centre accessed fro
bromleyski.co.uk
/ref> The facility closed in March 2016 due to reduced usage and income.News Shopper article about closure of Bromley Ski Centre accessed fro
www.newsshopper.co.uk
/ref> At Ruxley Manor just to the south of Maidstone Road, there is a 420 square metre artificial, outdoor,

ice skating rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

that has opened during the winter since 2012.nNews Shopper article on ice skating rinks near London accessed fro
www.newsshopper.co.uk
/ref> An

club named Orpington and District Angling Association uses Ruxley Lakes as one of their fishing sites. Ruxley Wood, is a 40-acre woodland, about 500 metres across, and has been used to host

paintballing Paintball is a competitive sport, competitive team sport, team shooting sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with spherical dye-filled gelatin capsules called Paintball equipment#Paintballs, paintballs that brea ...

for several years, there are seven game fields, some use wooden structures, others just the woodland for cover.Details of Sidcup paintball accessed fro
www.ukpaintball.co.uk
/ref>Details of Sidcup paintball accessed fro
force10paintball.com
/ref> The same area is also used for

lasertag Laser tag is a recreational shooting sport where participants use infrared-emitting light guns to tag designated targets. Infrared-sensitive signaling devices are commonly worn by each player to register hits and are sometimes integrated wit ...

Foots Cray Meadows

Foots Cray Meadows Foots Cray Meadows is an area of parkland and woodland 97 hectares (240 acres) in size, within the London Borough of Bexley, England. It borders the suburbs of Albany Park, Bexley, Albany Park, Sidcup, Foots Cray, North Cray and Ruxley. The River ...

is an area of parkland and woodland 97 hectares (240 acres) in size; it is located northwest of Ruxley, and the River Cray flows northward through it. The Meadows are a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. They have also received a

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

. Two notable footbridges cross the River Cray in the meadows: Five Arches bridge and the smaller Penny Farthing Bridge. The area was originally a part of the

Footscray Place Foots Cray Place was one of the four country houses built in England in the 18th century to a design inspired by Palladio's Villa Capra near Vicenza. Built in 1754 near Sidcup, Kent, Foots Cray Place was demolished in 1950 after a fire in 1949. ...

estate, and during the 18th century the Five Arches bridge was built. At the same time, an almshouse was built adjacent to the woods, which, as of 2008, was being excavated by

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

belonging to Bexley Archaeological Group. After the house's destruction, in the late 1940s, the area was turned into a public recreation park. In the early 2000s, Five Arches bridge was renovated with new stone.

Retail, commerce and services

Several large retailers have used the open spaces in Ruxley next to the main roads to build stores, mostly Edgington Way. There is a

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 ...

superstore and petrol garage located in Ruxley on Edgington Way.Sidcup Tesco superstore details accessed fro
www.tesco.com
/ref> There several

Car dealerships A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive mainte ...

in Ruxley, Porsche being next to the Tesco store, a BMW showroom on Maidstone RoadBMW dealership details accessed fro
www.stephenjamesruxleybmw.co.uk
/ref> and

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

and

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...

showrooms also on Maidstone Road, on the Foots Cray side. There is a Bookers cash and carry,

wholesalers Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

on Edgington Way, opposite The Tesco store.Bookers entry at Yellow Page
www.yell.com
There is also a

Screwfix Screwfix is a retailer of trade tools, accessories and hardware products based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1979 as the Woodscrew Supply Company, the company was acquired in July 1999 by Kingfisher plc, which also owns B&Q, and is listed o ...

warehouse, a BP garage and a timber merchant Alsford Timber Ruxley, and Selco Builders Warehouse on Edgington Way. In Upper Ruxley to the east, there is service area on the A20 road, Sidcup Bypass which includes a 24-hour

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

drive-through A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word ''through''), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the United ...

, another BP garage and a Subway restaurant. Several of the farms in and near Ruxley sell produce and goods straight to the public too. Other services in Ruxley include a driving theory test centre,Government List of driving theory test centres accessed fro
www.gov.uk
/ref> and Maidstone Road Re-Use and Recycling Centre, one of two council rubbish dumps in the London Borough of Bexley.Reuse and Recycling Centres of Bexley accessed fro
www.bexley.gov.uk
/ref>

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups ...

has a large manufacturing and bottling plant between Foots Cray and Ruxley which opened in 1961 and employs 361 people. This plant was where

Dasani Dasani () is an American brand of bottled water created by the Coca-Cola Company, launched in 1999. It is one of many brands of Coca-Cola bottled water sold around the world. The product is filtered and bottled. Marketing United States Coca- ...

water was produced. Richard Klinger Group, an Austrian company which made engine gaskets, hydraulic pipelines and water level gauges and valves, had a factory in Ruxley built in 1937 in a Modernist architectural style. The Klinger factory, which was later bought by French company Trouvey Cauvin, closed in the 1990s and the building was severely damaged by fire in 2013. It will shortly reopen as a self-storage facility, but only three facades have survived the conversion.

Ruxley Manor

A site where the original church and farm were, Ruxley Manor

,Ruxley Manor Garden Centre details accessed fro
www.ruxley-manor.co.uk/
/ref> is located here to the south of Maidstone Road, includes two large car parks and several

plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general p ...

. The site also has other services, it sells food, much of which is produced locally, and there are two restaurants named Mulberry Tree Restaurant, and The Coach House Restaurant, there is also a

pet store A pet shop or pet store is a retail business which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, c ...

with a specialist fish aquatic centre. Other activities on the site include a children's soft play area, a seasonal

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

rink, and

Santa's Grotto Santa's Workshop is the legendary workshop where Santa Claus and his elves are said to live and make the toys and presents given out at Christmas. The exact "location" of Santa's workshop varies depending upon local culture. There are at least ei ...

, with

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subs ...

which live there permanently,News Shopper news article describing Ruxley Manor's Santa's Grotto and Reindeer, accessed fro
www.newsshopper.co.uk
/ref> plus a children's

day care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

centre, Grace's Nursery.Graces Nursery details accessed fro
www.gracesdaynursery.co.uk
/ref>Deatails and review of Grace's Nursery accessed fro
graces-nursery/pdf/ofsted_13.PDF
/ref>

Nearest areas

References

{{Authority control Districts of the London Borough of Bromley Districts of the London Borough of Bexley Sidcup Orpington Areas of London 1557 disestablishments in Europe Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Bromley Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Bexley