The London/Kent boundary - Crockenhill


Boundary Kent/London/Bromley
The boundary continues down a path to the junction of Stones Cross and Green Court Road. Ahead down Green Court Road past a recreation ground to intercept Green Court. It turns at a sharp right angle west and crosses Stone Cross Road north of the school and south of the recreation ground . It continues in a south west direction between Fleet Foot Farm and a nursery skirting the top of Braunsell Close.
TQ 50211 67136

The village of Crockenhill

Post to the west Crockenhill
Post to the north Swanley
Post to the south Crockenhill


On the boundary

Green Court Road
Mote Villa built by Thomas Woods
War memorial. on the corner with Stones Cross Road
The Moat.  This is from around 1500
Coal post outside ‘Courtlands’.

On the Kent, Sevenoaks side of the boundary
Bransell Close

Church Road
All Souls church. 1851.parish church.

Cray Road
Tilehost – the Site on the corner of Tylers Green Road was Tilehost where in the early 15th a family called Sibbyng had a tile kiln. It was later left to the Parish for the poor, and in 1874 leased by Thomas Wood.
Foundry Garage - Woods' garage and foundry. Thomas Wood was a very large local employer – a fruit grower who promoted the use of steam traction engines. He converted much local woodland to agricultural use and in 1874 took over this site where he built a foundry. He had many other sites including a jam factory in Swanley. By 1900 the family had 2000 acres under fruit growing.After his death the business was continued successfully by his sons. The foundry machinery was restored in the 1980s by a descendent and behind the, since closed, petrol filling station were many restored steam traction engines serviced by a workshop of Victorian machinery..
Chequers Inn – in this part of Kent ‘Chequers’ often refers to the proximity of a Wild Service Tree. The pub dates to the 17th
The Mount – A Victorian farmer’s house. behind is an ancient beech coppice, directly on the boundary line.
Woodlands Farm
Coal post on the south side

Crockenhill
The name means ‘slope on which there is a pottery’. Crockenhill is a much newer village than many of those which surround it. Until the 15th it was a sub manor of Eynsford and did not become a manor in its own right until the mid-15th.

Darns Hill
Baptist burial ground 17th . Surrounded by Leylandii and difficult to see.

Eynsford Road
Cherry Orchard

Goldsell Road
Apple Row. Houses built by Woods and each named after a different apple

Old Chapel Road
Houses built by Woods for their workers.

Sounds Lodge.
Housing on the site of the house built by Thomas Wood in 1874 for his growing family, and he leased further land as time went on. A weeping ash which once stood in the garden now dominates that of a new house on the site.

Stone Cross Lane
Swanley School. 1906 with a prominent Invicta – almost on the London/Kent boundary but definitely this is in Kent..

Swanley By Pass
Started in 1964 to Mway standards, 192627 Ruxley to Wrotham KCC 1926

Tylers Green Road
Houses built by Woods for their workers Houses at the junction of Darns Hill. This was the site of the bus garage and before that two cottages were there. During building of the current houses a slab was uncovered, beneath which was a circular brick opening and beneath that a domed, circular brick-lined chamber. Three earthenware drains entered the chamber at roof level and there were two layers of gaps in the brick wall. It was thus a drainage chamber for surface water.

On the London/Bromley side of the boundary

Stone Cross Lane
Bournwood brick works and railway line
Coal post opposite the war memorial at the junction with Green Court Road
Coal post on the west side by the pond
Fleetfoot Farm
Best Terrace


Sources
All Souls. Web site
Bygone Kent
Chequers Inn. Web site
Coal Post. Web site
GLIAS Newsletter
Newcomen. Links
Osborne. Defending London
Pevsner and Cherry. West Kent
Swanley School. Web site
War memorials. Web site

Comments

Ruokh said…
Superb article. I recall many of the things mentioned as I lived in Tylers Green Road in the 1950's and 1960's - and knew Crockenhill intimately. Do you know of the old circular boundary stone that was located at the top of Darns Hill? Wonder whatever happened to it!

Thanks for a super article.

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