Broom Hill, sometimes spelt Broomhill,
is a suburb of
Orpington
Orpington is a town in Greater 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 Mary Cray, sou ...
in southeast
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, located in the
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...
in
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
. Prior to 1965 it was within the
historic county of
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. It lies south of
Poverest, west of Orpington High Street, north-east of
Crofton, and south-east 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
Broom Hill takes its name from a shrub located on the hill that was used to make brooms.
It was historically a rural locality, noted only for its broom and bonnet-making industries.
In 1819 a Zion Chapel was built on Devonshire Road, however this was later converted to cottages and then the cottages torn down in 1935.
In the early 20th century housing development began in the southern part of the area, including a golf course, to cater for commuters using
Orpington railway 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 Charing Cross railway station, London Charing Cross and is situated between ...
.
Further development occurred, and the golf course was built over, with the area losing its rural character completely and merging into Orpington and the surrounding suburbs.
Nowadays the area essentially forms a western suburb of Orpington, centred on Broom Hill Common, which is protected under the Commons Preservation Act 1965. There is one pub - The Cricketers - located here, a very small row of shops on Fordwich Close, and further shops lining Chislehurst Road.
Notable people
*
Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948) - British racing motorist who set the world speed record on land and on water in the 1920-30s, practised flying from Broom Hill in the 1910s.
Gallery
File:Broom Hill Common, Orpington.jpg, Broom Hill Common
File:Shops, Broom Hill, Orpington.jpg, Shops on Fordwich Close
File:The Cricketers pub, Broom Hill, Orpington.jpg, The Cricketers pub
File:Broom Hill, Orpington.jpg, Broom Hill Common from Broomhill Road
File:Shops, Chislehurst Road, Broom Hill, Orpington.jpg, Shops on Chislehurst Road
File:Broomhill Road - geograph.org.uk - 1122399.jpg, Typical suburban housing of the area
References
{{LB Bromley
Districts of the London Borough of Bromley
Orpington