1983: The Tories retained power, taking every seat in Kent. The majority of 144 was the biggest since Labour’s victory in 1945. Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe was invited to take residence at Chevening House in Sevenoaks.

1943: Two houses in Bromley were destroyed by fire when a Junkers 88 was shot down by the pilot of a Mosquito night fighter. The German aircraft crashed in Homefield Road with a series of thuds. Parts of the Junkers were spread over a large area of the town.

1923: A new company, the Southern Railway, was created from the Railway Act of 1921. With royal assent, it operated the biggest commuter railway network in the world and immediately improved links with remote holiday spots in Devon and Cornwall. It was also able to take the rich and famous from London to Paris on bigger and better boat trains.