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 London in 1965, it was in Kent. According to the 2021 census, Chislehurst has a population of 15,600 (rounded to the nearest 100).
History
The name "Chislehurst" is derived from the Saxon words
cisel, "gravel", and
hyrst, "wooded hill".
The Walsingham family, including Christopher Marlowe's patron, Sir Thomas Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster, Francis Walsingham, had a home in Scadbury Park, now a nature reserve in which the ruins of the house can still be seen.[ Friends of Scadbury Park]
A water tower used to straddle the road from Chislehurst to Bromley until it was demolished in 1963 as one of the last acts of the Chislehurst and Sidcup UDC. It marked the entrance to the Wythes Estate in Bickley, but its narrow archway meant that double-decker buses were not able to be used on the route.
Governance
The Chislehurst civil parish formed an urban district of
Kent from 1894 to 1934.
[Vision of Britain - Chilsehurst UD ( historic map)] In 1934 it became part of the Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District,
[Vision of Britain - Chislehurst and Sidcup UD ( historic map )] which was split in 1965 between the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley. Chislehurst Ward has three councillors on Bromley Council: the first non-Conservative party candidates returned for the ward were Chislehurst Matters members elected in 2022.
Demographics
As of 2021, Chislehurst is recorded as having a population of roughly 15,600. 35.3% of people in Chislehurst were recorded as being between the ages of 35 and 59, below the borough average of 36.4%. The largest religious group is Christian at 51.5%, above the borough average of 48.3%, with the second largest group being No religion at 33.8%, below the borough average of 37.3%. The largest ethnic group in Chislehurst is White, comprising 81.4% of the population, above the borough average of 76.5%, with the second largest being Asian/Asian British who make up 7.9% of the population, below the borough average of 8.3%.
Geography
Chislehurst is largely a residential area.
Chislehurst West, previously known as "Pricking" or "Prickend", includes the biggest of the ponds and the High Street.
Chislehurst is one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk, linking to places such as Crystal Palace, Erith, the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead.
Chislehurst Common (and nearby St Paul's Cray Common) were saved from development in 1888 following campaigns by local residents. They were a popular destination for bank holiday trips in the early 20th century, and now provide a valuable green space. Nearby Petts Wood, Hawkwood and Scadbury have also been preserved as open spaces following local campaigns.
Chislehurst Conservation Area
A 2017 list shows there have been in Chislehurst designated as conservation areas since 1971.
The designation of conservation areas is one of the many planning tactics used in the United Kingdom that includes local planning authorities (LPA's), with plans working in conjunction such as the
Listed building and scheduled monuments, metropolitan Green Belts,
, and "Tree Preservation Orders". These give stringent policies against development with statues and non-statutory orders. The destruction of many trees and Victorian style buildings caused by bombing during
WWII, as well as the ensuing building boom, made protection even more critical. The result is the protection of areas by preventing arbitrary destruction from large as well as small-scale development that can cause a creeping effect into side spaces and back gardens.
Nearby areas
Chislehurst borders
New Eltham to the north,
Sidcup to the north east and east, St Paul's Cray to the south east,
Petts Wood to the south,
Bickley to the south west, Elmstead to the west and
Mottingham to the north west.
Landmarks
Chislehurst Caves
A local attraction is Chislehurst Caves. They were originally used to mine
flint and
chalk. During World War II, they were used nightly as an air-raid shelter. There is a chapel inside. A child was born in the caves during World War II and was given a middle name of 'Cavena'.
[The baby was christened Rose Cavena Wakeman according to the official guides. Birth records show that a baby called Rose L.C. Wakeman was born in Chislehurst in 1946, which is consistent with the story.] The caves have also been used as a venue for live music;
Jimi Hendrix,
the Who, the Rolling Stones,
David Bowie,
Pink Floyd and
Led Zeppelin have all played there.
Camden Place
Camden Place (now Chislehurst Golf Club, 51° 24′ 40.05″N 0° 3′ 55.69″E ) takes its name from the
antiquarian William Camden, who lived in the former house on the site from until his death in 1623. The present house was built shortly before 1717, and it was given a number of additions in the late 18th and very early 19th centuries by the architect George Dance the younger.
[Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner, London 2: South, Buildings of England (Harmondsworth, 1983), p. 180.]
In about 1760, the house and estate were bought by Charles Pratt, the Attorney General, and later Lord Chancellor. Pratt was ennobled in 1765, taking the title Baron Camden, of Camden Place; in 1786, he was created Marquess Camden. The house is a Grade II* listed building.
A later occupant of the house, from 1871 until his death there in 1873, was the exiled French Emperor, Napoleon III. His body and that of his son, the Prince Imperial, were originally buried in St Mary's Catholic Church, before being removed to St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough.
There is a memorial to the Prince Imperial on Chislehurst Common, and the area's connections with the imperial family are found in many road names and in the local telephone code, 467, which in its earlier format corresponded to the letters IMP (for imperial).
War Memorial
The Chislehurst War Memorial was dedicated on 17 October 1920. It commemorates the fallen of World War I and World War II.
[ Chislehurst Imperial War Museum][ Chislehurst War Memorials Online]
Transport
Rail
Chislehurst station, operated by Southeastern Railway, provides
National Rail services to London Charing Cross, London Bridge and London Cannon Street via
Lewisham station.
Bus
Chislehurst is served by
London Buses routes 61, 160, 161, 162, 269, 273, R7, SL3 and N136 (with
625,
638 and
661 passing through the historical town). These connect it with areas including
Beckenham,
Bexleyheath,
Bromley,
Catford, Eltham,
Plumstead, Grove Park, Lewisham, North Greenwich,
Orpington,
Sidcup,
Coney Hall and
Woolwich.
Education
Religious sites
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Chislehurst Baptist Church
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St Patrick's Catholic Church
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Christ Church Chislehurst
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Elmstead Baptist Church
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Chislehurst Methodist Church
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The Annuncation
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St. Nicholas
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Darul Uloom Mosque and School
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Ichthus Christian Fellowship
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St Mary's Catholic Church, original burial place of Napoleon III and his son, the Prince Imperial
Notable people
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Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, President of France and Emperor of the French, lived in exile (1871–1873) in Camden Place, with his wife Eugénie de Montijo (remained in the area until 1885) and son Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial (died 1879).
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William Camden (1551–1623), Clarenceux King of Arms, lived in the house later known as Camden Place from until 1623
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Malcolm Campbell, former land and water speed record holder, was born in Chislehurst and is buried in St. Nicholas Parish Church
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George Somers Leigh Clarke (1822–1882), architect who lived at Walpole, Manor Park and is buried in the St Nicholas' churchyard.
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Richmal Crompton, author of the Just William series of books.
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Craig Fairbrass, actor
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Tilly Keeper, who plays Louise Mitchell in BBC One soap opera EastEnders.
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E. J. May (1853–1941), architect, lived locally and designed a number of local buildings.
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Eugénie de Montijo, Countess of Teba and Empress of France.
-
Jozef Michal Poniatowski, Polish nobleman, composer.
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Charles Pratt (1714–1794), Earl Camden, a British politician and judge, who lived at Camden Place
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Peter Redpath, Canadian businessman
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Brian Sibley, writer and biographer, best known for books on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis
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Siouxsie Sioux, singer, best known for being in the band Siouxsie and the Banshees
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Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney; the city of Sydney, Australia is named after him.
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Francis Walsingham, spymaster to Elizabeth I.
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Alan Watts, philosopher, born and raised in Chislehurst, moved to the United States in 1938.
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William Willett, a campaigner for daylight saving time, lived most of his adult life in Chislehurst.
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Ted Willis, creator of Dixon of Dock Green.
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William Hyde Wollaston, chemist and physicist who discovered rhodium and palladium.
