Shortlands is a suburb of South East

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, within 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 ...

. It has been part of

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 ...

since 1965, and was previously part of 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 is located between west of

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

and east of

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...

History

The earliest known settlement in the area was an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

at Toots Wood, where traces of a

Roman Camp ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

has also been found.Willey, Russ. ''Chambers London Gazetteer'', p 441 Dr Peter D. Moore has performed a pollen analysis at the site which suggest that the site was abandoned before the beginning of the Roman occupation. Historically, Shortlands was known as Clay Hill. In medieval times the areas consisted of sets of long and short fields, called Longelonds and Shortelonds, the latter ultimately giving its name to Shortlands House (later converted into a hotel, and now a part of Bishop Challoner School) which was built at the start of the 18th century. The house with its extensive farmland was acquired in 1848 by a railway magnate William Wilkinson, who also built several cottages for his farm labourers. Housing development began in the 1860s with the sale of the Shortlands House estate, spurred by the opening of Shortlands railway station in 1858. The housing along Westmoreland Road largely dates to the 1880s, with further development occurring in the 20th century. Pearson & Cox was a British automobile manufacturer in Shortlands, trading from 1908 to 1916. In 1913 they manufactured both steam-powered vehicles (cars and bicycles) and petrol powered cyclecars. In 1921, a war memorial, designed by W. D. Caroe in the form of a

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

, was unveiled in the village, in the middle of a road junction. On 8 July 2016, a

Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

car collided with the memorial, breaking it into pieces. The memorial was restored in October 2017 and re-positioned on its site. Shortlands is today a quiet, prosperous suburb. There is a library on Shortlands Road and a small row of shops by the railway station.

Transport

Rail

Shortlands station is in Travelcard Zone 4 of

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

’s zonal fare system, and serves the area with National Rail services to London Victoria via

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

, as well as

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 ...

. Shortlands is also served by

Thameslink Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...

London Blackfriars Blackfriars (), also known as London Blackfriars, is a London station group, central London railway station and connected London Underground station in the City of London. It provides Thameslink services: local (from North to South London), ...

via

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 subdivi ...

, (during peak hours these trains continue to

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

via St Pancras International); as well as to

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...

via

Swanley Swanley is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, southeast of central London, adjacent to the Greater London boundary and within the M25 motorway periphery. The population at the 2021 ce ...

. As of 2025, the station also houses a coffee shop and accessible facilities are being developed.

Buses

Shortlands 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 s ...

routes 162, 227, 354, 358, 367 and N3. These connect it with areas including

Bromley Common Bromley Common is an unincorporated village in Greater London, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965 it was within the historic county of Kent. It is south of Bromley town centre and Bickley, west of Southborough and Petts Woo ...

, Locksbottom, Farnborough, Green Street Green, Keston, Park Langley, Eden Park, Chislehurst, Bickley,

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, 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 ...

, New Eltham,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

, Shirley, Addiscombe, Crystal Palace, Elmers End, Anerley,

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East Greater London, London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. Etymology The name ''Penge'' is first attested in charter of ...

and

. Route 162, and the N3 night bus between

Oxford Circus Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station. The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash ( ...

and Bromley North serve Shortlands via Hayes Lane at the Scotts Lane, Den Close and Hayes Lane/Kingswood Road bus stops. The nearest

Tramlink Tramlink, previously Croydon Tramlink and currently branded as London Trams, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It is the first operational tram system serving the London region since 195 ...

station is Beckenham Junction, which serves the western termini

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, as well as Mitcham Junction, West Croydon and East Croydon stations.

Education

The main schools in Shortlands are Valley Primary School, Highfield Infant and Junior Schools, Harris Academy Shortlands, Clare House Primary School and Bishop Challoner School.

Sports and leisure

AFC Shortlands, a youth football club for children aged between 5 and 18, are based at Queensmead Recreation Ground on Glass Mill Lane, Shortlands.

Notable people

* Enid Blyton (1897–1968), children's author, commemorated by a blue plaque on 83 Shortlands Road where she lived part of her life. * Harold Bride (1890-1956), the wireless operator aboard , lived at 58 Ravensbourne Avenue from 1903–1922, commemorated by a blue plaque on the property. * Sir John Brown (1816–1896), Victorian-era industrialist, died at Shortlands House. * Grahame Clark (1907–1995), archaeologist who specialised in Mesolithic Europe and palaeoeconomics, grew up in Shortlands. *

Dinah Craik Dinah Maria Craik (; born Dinah Maria Mulock, often credited as Miss Mulock or Mrs. Craik; 20 April 1826 – 12 October 1887) was an English novelist and poet. She is best remembered for her novel, '' John Halifax, Gentleman'', which presents ...

(1826–1887), novelist, lived and died in Shortland. * John Ossian Davies (1851–1916), the Welsh Congregationalist minister, died here. * Thomas Charles Dewey (1840–1926), President of the Prudential Assurance Company and philanthropist, commemorated by a blue plaque on 1 South Hill Road where he lived for much of his life. * George Grote (1794–1871), eminent historian of Greece, was born here at Shortlands House when it was known as Clay Hill. * General Sir Reginald Hewetson, GCB CBE DSO (1908–1993) senior British Army office. * Charles Keeping (1924–1988), illustrator, children'sauthor and lithographer, lived at 16 Church Road where there is a plaque commemorating him. * Joseph Thomas Last (1849–1933), English missionary, explorer and naturalist, died here. * Alexander Muirhead (1848–1920), electrical engineer, credited with recording the first human electrocardiogram, lived and died on Church Road. * Brian Murphy (1932-2025), actor, known for playing George Roper in the sitcom '' George and Mildred'', lived in Shortlands with his wife Linda Regan (''see below''). *

Linda Regan Linda Regan (born 5 November 1949), born Linda Mary Drinkwater, is a British actress and author, who has appeare ...

(born 1949), actress and author, lived in Shortlands with her husband Brian Murphy (''see above''). * Peter Ricketts, Baron Ricketts GCMG, GCVO (born 1952), former Permanent Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, created Baron Ricketts, of Shortlands in 2017. * Lord Stamp of Shortlands (1880–1941), the first Chartered Mayor of Beckenham and Chairman of the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...

. lived and died here when his house on Park Hill Road was bombed in 1941. * John Veale (1922–2006), English classical composer, born here.Guardian Obituary
Guardian. 18/01/07 * Charles Paget Wade (1883–1956), English architect, artist-craftsman and poet, was born in Shortlands.

Gallery

File:Pump_House,_Shortlands.jpg, The listed Pumphouse File:Shortlands_shops.jpg, Shops by the railway station File:Shortlands_Tavern.jpg, Shortlands Tavern File:Shortlands_railway_bridge.jpg, Bridge under the railway station File:St_Mary's,_Shortlands.jpg, St Mary's Church File:Shortlands_Library.jpg, Shortlands Library

References

External links

Historical images of Shortlands
{{LB Bromley Districts of the London Borough of Bromley