Bexleyheath

12:48pm Wednesday 20th June 2007

From an area of open countryside, Bexleyheath has become the main shopping and administrative centre of Bexley borough in little more than a century.

Bexleyheath, which borders Watling Street, the ancient Roman road between London and Dover, was a heath notorious for highwaymen.

Coaching inns along the road offered some refuge for travellers.

Development of Bexleyheath took off in the 19th century.

The town's growth was speeded up by the enclosure of the heath in 1819 and the town was already growing in prominence when the railway line arrived in 1895.

Bexleyheath was in the middle of a thriving agricultural area and its market place became the centre of the new development where the clock tower, built in 1912, stands today.

Commercial premises soon arrived and the town began to spread out during the 1920s and 30s.

Situated in the south east corner of Greater London, Bexleyheath has grown into a bustling town, yet scenic Kent countryside is not far away.

Bexleyheath enjoys comprehensive transport connections to central London and beyond, with the M25 and A2 both easily accessible.

The pedestrianised town centre offers a wide selection of household names and specialist retailers. The indoor Broadway Shopping Centre is home to more top-name stores.

Bexley also enjoys a variety of arts and entertainments facilities. The Broadway is home to one of London's largest leisure complexes, which houses a cinema, restaurants, bingo hall and bowling alley.

Explore News Shopper