Bromley London Chartered Surveyors

Approximate Population: 299,700

The history of Bromley is closely connected with the See of Rochester. In AD 862 Ethelbert, the King of Kent, granted land to form the Manor of Bromley. It was held by the Bishops of Rochester until 1845, where Coles Child, a wealthy local merchant and Philanthropist, purchased Bromley Palace (now the hub of the Bromley Civic Centre) and himself became Lord of the Manor.

The Town was an important Coaching stop on the way to Hastings from London, and the now defunct Royal Bell Hotel (just off Market Square) is referred to in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was a quiet rural village until the arrival of the railway in 1858 in Shortlands, which led to rapid growth and construction of outlying suburban districts such as Bickley, (which later overflowed into Bromley Common) were developed to accommodate those wishing to live so conveniently close to London.

The historic heart of the town is Market Square which sits at the junction of the High Street and Church Road. The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul stands on Church Road. It was largely destroyed by enemy action and rebuilt in the 1950s encorporating the medieval tower and reusing much of the flint and fragments of the original stone building.

The most noteworthy historic building is Bromley College, London Road. The mature and very well maintained central public open spaces are noteworthy – Queen’s Gardens, Martin’s Hill, Church House Gardens, Library Gardens and College Green.

Bromley London Chartered Surveyors

Chartered Surveyors Brent Greater London

Approximate Population: 278,500

Brent, Greater London, is divided into 21 Electoral Wards, some which share a name with the traditional areas above, others include Barnhill, Dudden Hill, Fryent, Mapesbury and Welsh Harp.

Brent is currently divided into three constituencies, Brent North, Brent East and Brent South. Following a boundary review, it will be divided into two constituencies contained wholly within the borough – Brent Central and Brent North – plus a third, Hampstead and Kilburn, which will be split between Brent and the neighbouring borough of Camden. These new seats are to be fought at the 2009 or 2010 United Kingdom general election.

In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased. The population peaked in the 1960s, when industry began to relocate from London.

In the 2001 Census, the borough had a population of 263,464 – of whom 127,806 were male, and 135,658 female. Of those stating a choice, 47.71% described themselves as Christian, 17.71% as Hindu, 12.26% as Muslim and 9.96% as having no religion. Of the population, 39.96% were in full-time employment and 7.86% in part-time employment – compared to a London average of 42.64% and 8.62%, respectively. Residents were predominantly owner-occupiers, with 23.17% owning their house outright, and a further 31.33% owning with a mortgage. 10.59% were in local authority housing, with a further 13.29% renting from a housing association, or other registered social landlord.

Chartered Surveyors Brent Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Lewisham Greater London

Approximate Population: 263,400

Lewisham, Greater London, is most likely to have been founded by a pagan Jute, Leof, who settled (by burning his boat) near St Mary’s Church (Ladywell) where the ground was drier, in the 6th century. As to the etymology of the name, Daniel Lysons (1796) wrote:

“In the most ancient Saxon records this place is called Levesham, that is, the house among the meadows; leswe, læs, læse, or læsew, in the Saxon, signifies a meadow, and ham, a dwelling. It is now written, as well in parochial and other records as in common usage, Lewisham.”

‘Leofshema’ was an important settlement at the confluence of the rivers Quaggy (from Farnborough) and Ravensbourne (Caesar’s Well, Keston), so the village expanded north into the wetter area as drainage techniques improved. In the mid-seventeenth century, then-vicar of Lewisham, Abraham Colfe, built a grammar school, primary school and six almshouses for the inhabitants. The Earl of Dartmouth became the (hereditary) Viscount Lewisham in 1711.

The village of Lewisham was originally centred further south around the parish church of St Mary, towards the present site of University Hospital Lewisham. The centre migrated north with the coming of the North Kent railway line to Dartford in 1849, encouraging commuter housing. Lewisham was administratively part of Kent until 1889, and formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham in the County of London until 1965.

Chartered Surveyors Lewisham Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Westminster Greater London

Approximate Population: 181,279

The historic core of Westminster, Greater London, is the former Thorney Island on which Westminster Abbey was built. The Abbey became the traditional venue of the coronation of the kings and queens of England. The nearby Palace of Westminster came to be the principal royal residence after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and later housed the developing Parliament and law courts of England. It can be said that London thus has developed two distinct focal points: an economic one in the City of London; and a political and cultural one in Westminster, where the Royal Court had its home. This division is still very apparent today.
Westminster in 1593.

The monarchy later moved to the Palace of Whitehall a little towards the north-east. The law courts have since moved to the Royal Courts of Justice, close to the border of the City of London. The area is still the centre of government, with Parliament now located in the Palace of Westminster and most of the major Government ministries situated in Westminster, centred on Whitehall. “Westminster” is thus often used as a metonym for Parliament and the political community of the United Kingdom generally. The civil service is similarly referred to by the area it inhabits, “Whitehall”, and “Westminster” is consequently also used in reference to the Westminster System, the parliamentary model of democratic government that has evolved in the United Kingdom. The Westminster System is used with some adaptation in many other nations, particularly in the Commonwealth of Nations and other parts of the former British Empire.

Close to the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey is Westminster School, one of the major English public schools. Three of the four campuses of the University of Westminster are within the greater London borough of the City of Westminster , although none in the ancient area of Westminster.

The area has a substantial residential population, a surprisingly large proportion of which is a traditional London working class community living in council and Peabody Trust estates at the back of Westminster Abbey and off Millbank. There is also a substantial working class community in the north of the borough.

The term Westminster Village, sometimes used in the context of British politics, does not refer to a geographical area at all; employed especially in the phrase Westminster Village gossip, it denotes a supposedly close social circle of Members of Parliament, political journalists, so-called spin doctors and others connected to events in the Palace of Westminster.

Chartered Surveyors Westminster Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Croydon Greater London

Approximate Population: 330,700

As Croydon, Greater London, continued to grow it became especially popular as a pleasant leafy residential suburb for members of the Victorian middle classes, who could commute to the City of London by fast train in 15 minutes. In 1883 Croydon was incorporated as a borough. In 1889 it became a county borough, with a still greater degree of autonomy. The new county borough council implemented the Croydon Improvement scheme in the early 1890s, which resulted in the widening of the High Street and the clearance of much of the ‘Middle Row’ slum area.

The remaining slums were cleared shortly after World War II, with much of the population relocated to the isolated new community at New Addington. New stores opened and expanded in central Croydon, including Allders, Kennards and Grants, and the first Sainsbury’s self-service shop in the country. There was also a bustling market on Surrey Street.

By the 1950s, with its continuing growth, the town was becoming congested, and the Council decided to introduce another major redevelopment scheme. The Croydon Corporation Act was passed in 1956. This, coupled with government incentives for office relocation out of London, led to the building of new offices and accompanying road schemes through the late 1950s and 1960s, and the town boomed as an important business centre in the 1960s, with the building of a large number of multi-storey office blocks, an underpass, a flyover and multi-storey car parks.

In 1912 a Woolworths branch opened in Croydon. This shop became the chain’s longest running branch, but was forced to close in January 2009 after the entire chain went into administration in December 2008.

Chartered Surveyors Croydon Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Barnet Greater London

Approximate Population: 323,100

Barnet, Greater London, was the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471 (more accurately, Hadley), where Yorkist troops led by King Edward IV killed the rebellious “Kingmaker” Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Warwick’s brother, John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu.

It is the site of an ancient and well-known horse fair, hence the rhyming slang of Barnet Fair or barnet for “hair”. The fair dates back to 1588 when Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the Lord of the Manor of Barnet the right to hold a twice yearly fair.

Chipping Barnet (chipping meaning market) was historically a civil parish of Hertfordshire and formed part of the Barnet Urban District from 1894. The parish was abolished in 1965 and the Chipping Barnet section of its former area was transferred to Greater London and the newly-created London Borough of Barnet. In 1801 the parish had a population of 1,258 and covered an area of 1,440 acres (6 km²). By 1901 the parish was reduced to 380 acres (1.5 km²) and had a population of 2,893. In 1951 the population was 7,062.

In Saxon times the site was part of an extensive wood called Southaw, belonging to the Abbey of St Albans. The name of the town appears in early deeds as ‘Bergnet’ – the Saxon word ‘Bergnet’[5] meant a little hill (monticulus). Barnet’s elevated position is also indicated in one of its alternative names (’High Barnet’), which appears in many old books and maps, and which the railway company restored. According to local belief, though not verified, “Barnet stands on the highest ground betwixt London and York.” The area was historically a common resting point on the traditional Great North Road between the City of London and York and Edinburgh.

At the turn of the 21st century, a tongue-in-cheek movement calling for the name Barnet to be changed to “Barnét” began to gain the attention of the public and the national media, with many public road signs in the area regularly being altered to contain the accented character. Despite some support from residents, Barnet Council has been treating any such alterations to public road signs as vandalism.

Chartered Surveyors Barnet Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Harrow Greater London

Approximate Population: 213,800

Harrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. It is a suburb situated 12.2 miles (16.4 km) west northwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.

Harrow is widely known for Harrow School, attended by Winston Churchill and Indian Prime Minister Nehru, however Harrow County School also had a tradition of noted staff and pupils, e.g. Sir Paul Nurse, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Michael Portillo, Clive Anderson and Geoffrey Perkins. Harrow is home to a large University of Westminster campus near Northwick Park Hospital (although both these landmarks actually lie within the London Borough of Brent). Harrow was a municipal borough of Middlesex before its inclusion in Greater London in 1965.

Harrow’s name comes from Old English hearg = “(heathen) temple”, which was probably on the hill of Harrow, where St. Mary’s Church stands today.

The town centre also has a major bus station adjacent to Harrow-on-the-Hill station that serves as an important hub for buses in the area. Many routes to North and West London pass through this station. Notable routes serving Harrow include:

* The 140 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Heathrow Airport
* The 182 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Brent Cross
* The 183 route starting and terminating at Pinner and Golders Green Bus Station
* The N18 nightbus which starts at Trafalgar Square and terminates at Harrow Weald
* The 258 route starting and terminating at Watford Junction and South Harrow Station
* The 114 route starting and terminating at Ruislip Station and Mill Hill.

Chartered Surveyors Harrow Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Greenwich Greater London

Approximate Population: 232,700

The Domesday Book records the manor of Greenwich, Greater London, as held by the Bishop Odo of Bayeux; his lands were seized by the crown in 1082.  A royal palace, or hunting lodge, has existed here since before 1300, when Edward III is known to have made offerings at the chapel of the Virgin Mary. Subsequent monarchs were regular visitors, with Henry IV making his will here, and Henry V granting the manor (for life) to Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, who died at Greenwich in 1417.

The palace was created by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, the regent to Henry VI in 1447; enclosing the park and erecting a tower on the spot of the Royal Observatory. It was renamed the Palace of Placentia or Pleasaunce by Henry VI’s consort Margaret of Anjou after Humphrey’s death. The palace was completed and further enlarged by Edward IV, and in 1466 it was granted to his Queen, Elizabeth.

The palace was the principal residence of Henry VII, and his sons, Henry (later Henry VIII) and Edmund Tudor were born here, and baptised in St Alphege’s. Henry favoured Greenwich over nearby Eltham Palace, the former principal royal palace. Both Mary (February 18, 1516) and Elizabeth (September 7, 1533) were born at Greenwich. The palace of Placentia, in turn, became Elizabeth’s favourite summer residence.

During the English Civil War, the palace was used as a biscuit factory and prisoner of war camp, then with the Interregnum, the palace and park were seized to become a ‘mansion’ for the Lord Protector. At The Restoration, the Palace of Placentia had fallen into disuse and was pulled down. New buildings began to be established as a grand palace for Charles II, but only the King Charles block was completed. It was suggested that the buildings be adapted for a Greenwich Hospital, designed by Wren, and later completed by Hawksmoor. Anne of Denmark had a house built by Inigo Jones on the hill above, overlooking the hospital and river – now the centrepiece of the National Maritime Museum,  founded in 1934 and housed in the buildings of the former Royal Hospital School.

Chartered Surveyors Greenwich Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Ealing Greater London

Approximate Population:  312,300

Ealing is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. The most important changes to Ealing occurred in the 19th century. The building of the Great Western Railway in the 1830s, part of which passed through the centre of Ealing, led to the opening of a railway station on the Broadway in 1879. In the next few decades, much of Ealing was rebuilt, predominantly semi-detached housing designed for the rising middle-class.

Gas mains were laid and an electricity generating station was built. Better transport links, including horse buses as well as trains, enabled people to more easily travel to work in London. All this, whilst living in what was still considered to be the countryside. Although much of the countryside was rapidly disappearing during this period of rapid expansion, parts of it were preserved as public parks, such as Lammas Park and Ealing Common. Pitzhanger Manor and the extensive 28 acres (110,000 m2) grounds on which it stands, was sold to the council in 1901 by Sir Spencer Walpole, which had been bought by his father the Rt. Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole and thus became Walpole Park.

It was during the Victorian period that Ealing became a town. This meant that roads had to be built, drainage provided, and schools & public buildings erected. The man responsible for much of all this was Charles Jones, Borough Surveyor from 1863–1913. He planted the horse chestnut trees on Ealing Common and designed the Town Hall, both the present one and the older structure which is now a bank (on the Mall). Ealing Broadway became a major shopping centre.

It was in 1901 that Ealing Urban District was incorporated as a municipal borough, Walpole Park was opened and the first electric trams ran along the Uxbridge Road — a mode of transport that Transport for London (TFL) tried to reintroduce some 110 years later in the form of the West London Tram scheme. This was abandoned in August 2007 in the face of fierce local opposition and a switch in priorities and funding to Crossrail.

Chartered Surveyors Ealing Greater London

Chartered Surveyors Wandsworth Greater London

Approximate Population: 280,500

Nearby to Wandsworth, Greater London, is Wandsworth prison, which is the largest prison in the London area, and the second largest in Britain, after Liverpool.

Between the town centre and the river lies the site of Young & Co’s Ram Brewery, in the heart of Wandsworth. Traditional draught beer was produced on the site from 1581, which made the Ram Brewery the oldest site in Britain on which beer had been brewed continuously. Until late in 2006, shire horse-drawn brewery drays were still used to deliver beer to local pubs. However, beer production was stopped in September 2006 when Young & Co merged their brewing operations with Charles Wells of Bedford and a new use for the site is being discussed. Young & Co however still have their Headquarters in Wandsworth.

One of the underpasses under Wandsworth roundabout was used in the opening scene of A Clockwork Orange, where a gang of youths beat up a rough sleeper using baseball bats.

The Pet Shop Boys’ Iconic “west End Girls” Cover was shot in Charterhouse Works.  In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Wandsworth were the seventh most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 27.2% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes.

In the Genesis song “The Battle of Epping Forest” (from their album Selling England by the Pound) about a street fight between rival hoodlum gangs, the nearby prison is referenced: “And his friend, Liquid Len by name, Of wine, women and Wandsworth fame…”

Chartered Surveyors Wandsworth Greater London