Swanley

2:37pm Wednesday 20th June 2007

Flower power has helped Swanley achieve numerous awards in the Britain In Bloom contest.

Swanley has won the best town in the South East award for four of the past five years.

This horticultural excellence is not surprising given Swanley's heritage.

Swanley was once known as the 'home of flowers' owing to its array of 30 nurseries growing and selling plants in the area.

In the past 150 years Swanley has grown from a small village to a town with a population of more than 20,000 people.

The growth of Swanley took off after the arrival of the railway in the 19th century.

Businesses, including horticulture and a jam factory, saw the potential of Swanley's good transport links and made the town their home, as did their workers. The town's prosperity owed much to its supply of fresh flowers and vegetables to London.

The road and rail connections are still important today, as Swanley has become a commuter town, ideally situated between London and Kent.

Swanley offers a pedestrianised shopping centre as well as a market that attracts shoppers from a wide area every Wednesday.

To the north-east of Swanley town is Swanley village, which long pre-dates the town and is still an agricultural community.

The village comprises a street of old houses, a church, primary school and pub.

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