We asked a local archivist the meaning behind the name Bexley - and this is what was revealed.

Known for its parks and green spaces, and for being one of the stop-off points for the Elizabeth Line, Bexley is a popular area for people to visit.

It's recognisable by its coat of arms featuring an oak tree, but there’s a deeper meaning behind why Bexley Borough's coat of arms is a tree.

According to Oliver Wooler, Community Archivist at London Borough of Bexley Archives Service, the name Bexley first appears in a charter of 814.

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The name first appeared in the charter when Ceolwulf King of Mercia granted the manor of Bexley to Wulfred, Archbishop of Canterbury.

The manor of Bexley had valuable woodland areas and the name Bexley means “clearing in the woods of the box trees.”

Bexley Borough's coat of arms features an oak tree to commemorate the arboreal history of the borough.