Shortlands Explained

Country:	England
Map Type:	Greater London
Region:	London
Population:	9,303
Population Ref:	(ward, 2001 census) ^[1] 9,824 (2011 Census. Ward)^[2]
Official Name:	Shortlands
London Borough:	Bromley
Constituency Westminster:	Beckenham & Penge
Post Town:	BROMLEY
Postcode Area:	BR
Postcode District:	BR2
Dial Code:	020
Os Grid Reference:	TQ395685
Coordinates:	51.3983°N 0.0039°W
Static Image Name:	File:Shortlands Cenotaph - geograph.org.uk - 1426308.jpg
Static Image Caption:	The Shortlands war memorial

Shortlands is a suburb of South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It has been part of Greater London since 1965, and was previously part of the historic county of Kent. It is located between west of Bromley and east of Beckenham.

History

The earliest known settlement in the area was an Iron Age hillfort at Toots Wood, where traces of a Roman Camp and pottery has also been found.^{[3] [4] [5]} 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.^[3]

Historically, Shortlands was known as Clay Hill.^{[6] [5]} 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.^[5] 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.^{[7] [5]} Housing development began in the 1860s with the sale of the Shortlands House estate, spurred by the opening of Shortlands railway station in 1858.^[5] The housing along Westmoreland Road largely dates to the 1880s, with further development occurring in the 20th century.^[5]

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.^{[8] [9]}

In 1921, a war memorial, designed by W. D. Caroe in the form of a Celtic cross, was unveiled in the village, in the middle of a road junction. On 8 July 2016, a Mini car collided with the memorial, breaking it into pieces.^[10] The memorial was restored in October 2017 and re-positioned on its site.^[11]

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’s zonal fare system, and serves the area with National Rail services to London Victoria via Herne Hill, as well as Orpington. Shortlands is also served by Thameslink to London Blackfriars via Catford, (during peak hours these trains continue to Luton via St Pancras International); as well as to Sevenoaks via Swanley. As of 2019, the station also houses a coffee shop, snack retailer and dry cleaners.

Buses

Shortlands is served by London Buses routes 162, 227, 354, 358, 367 and N3. These connect it with areas including Beckenham, Bromley, Bromley Common, Locksbottom, Farnborough, Green Street Green, Keston, Park Langley, Eden Park, Chislehurst, Bickley, Eltham, New Eltham, Croydon, Shirley, Addiscombe, Crystal Palace, Elmers End, Anerley, Penge and Orpington.

Route 162, and the N3 night bus between Oxford Circus and Bromley North serve Shortlands via Hayes Lane at the Scotts Lane, Den Close and Hayes Lane/Kingswood Road bus stops.

The nearest Tramlink station is Beckenham Junction, which serves the western termini Wimbledon, 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

Beccehamians RFC, a Rugby Union Club founded in 1933, plays competitive rugby at Sparrows Den at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill near West Wickham.^[12]

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.^[13]
• Harold Bride (1890-1956), the wireless operator aboard, lived at 58 Ravensbourne Avenue from 1903–1922, commemorated by a blue plaque on the property.^[14]
• Sir John Brown (1816–1896), Victorian-era industrialist, died at Shortlands House.^[15]
• Grahame Clark (1907–1995), archaeologist who specialised in Mesolithic Europe and palaeoeconomics, grew up in Shortlands.^[16]
• Dinah Craik (1826–1887), novelist, lived and died in Shortland.^{[17] [18]}
• John Ossian Davies (1851–1916), the Welsh Congregationalist minister, died here.^[19]
• 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.^[20]
• George Grote (1794–1871), eminent historian of Greece, was born here at Shortlands House when it was known as Clay Hill.^{[21] [5]}
• 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.^[22]
• Joseph Thomas Last (1849–1933), English missionary, explorer and naturalist, died here.^[23]
• Alexander Muirhead (1848–1920), electrical engineer, credited with recording the first human electrocardiogram, lived and died on Church Road.^[24]
• Brian Murphy (born 1932), actor, known for playing George Roper in the sitcom George and Mildred, lived in Shortlands with his wife Linda Regan (see below).^[25]
• Linda Regan (born 1949), actress and author, lived in Shortlands with her husband Brian Murphy (see above).^[25]
• Peter Ricketts, Baron Ricketts GCMG, GCVO (born 1952), former Permanent Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, created Baron Ricketts, of Shortlands in 2017.^[26]
• Lord Stamp of Shortlands (1880–1941), the first Chartered Mayor of Beckenham and Chairman of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. lived and died here when his house on Park Hill Road was bombed in 1941.^[27]
• John Veale (1922–2006), English classical composer, born here.^[28]
• Charles Paget Wade (1883–1956), English architect, artist-craftsman and poet, was born in Shortlands.^[29]

External links

• Historical images of Shortlands

Notes and References

1. Bromley.org 2001 Census information for the Shortlands ward "Shortlands ward population - 9303"
2. Web site: Bromley Ward population 2011. 11 October 2016. Office for National Statistics. Neighbourhood Statistics. 21 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161021060004/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13688633&c=Shortlands&d=14&e=62&g=6321264&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1476178932375&enc=1. dead.
3. Book: Hevey, Len . 1992 . Shortlands . Bromley Borough Local History Society . 10-12 .
4. Web site: Tootswood road. Beckenham History. 8 January 2017.
5. Willey, Russ. Chambers London Gazetteer, p 441
6. Web site: History of Shortlands. Hidden London. 8 January 2017.
7. Web site: William Wilkinson. 8 January 2017.
8. Web site: Pearson and Cox Steam motor cycle. collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk. 29 October 2017.
9. Web site: Pearson and Cox. gracesguide.co.uk. 29 October 2017.
10. News: War memorial destroyed after car crash Mini lands on top of it. Daily Telegraph. 8 July 2016. 10 July 2016.
11. News: War memorial smashed by car returned to former glory. News Shopper. 25 October 2017. 26 October 2017.
12. Web site: Beccehamian RFC. Pitchero.
13. Web site: Enid Blyton - Bromley. London Remembers. 14 August 2020.
14. Web site: Harold Bride. London Remembers. 14 August 2020.
15. Web site: John Brown. Graces Guide. 14 August 2020.
16. Web site: Grahame Clark. The British Academy. 14 August 2020.
17. Craik, Dinah Maria . 7 . 362 . 1.
18. Sally Mitchell, "Craik, Dinah Maria (1826–1887)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, OUP, 2004) Retrieved 12 March 2017, pay-walled.
19. John Ossian Davies. s-DAVI-OSS-1851. Rees. Thomas Mardy. 18 July 2017.
20. Web site: Sir Thomas Dewey - Bromley. London Remembers. 14 August 2020.
21. Grote, George . 12 . Mitchell . John Malcolm . 619 - 620. 1 .
22. Web site: Charles Keeping. Visit Bromley. 14 August 2020.
23. Web site: Joseph Thomas Last. Conchology. 14 August 2020.
24. Web site: Alexander Muirhead. Graces Guide. 14 August 2020.
25. Web site: TV actors selling Grade II listed Shortlands cottage with links to Blyton, HG Wells and Shelley. Bromley Times. 9 May 2018. 14 August 2020.
26. Web site: Resignation Peerages 2016. gov.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20210506003949/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/543973/resignation_peerages_2016.pdf. 6 May 2021. live.
27. Web site: Civilian The Rt. Hon. Lady Olive Jessie Stamp | War Casualty Details 3114173 | CWGC.
28. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/18/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1 Guardian Obituary
29. Web site: Charles Paget Wade. BROMLEY BOROUGH LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 14 August 2020.