Buying or selling a house in
Bromley
Bromley is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London since 1965 and historically part of Kent. It holds a market charter granted in 1158. Bromley South runs fast and frequent direct services to London Victoria, and the residential streets around the town are largely late-Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war. Vine Estates handles a small number of sales here personally.
What it’s actually like
Bromley does several things well at once. The centre has the shops and the fast trains into Victoria, and a few minutes out roads like Sundridge Avenue and Shortlands have space, mature trees and a much quieter feel. People often arrive thinking of it as one place, and are pleasantly surprised by how much variety there is. Both sides of it are strong; they simply appeal to different people.
“You can be on a leafy road with a long garden and still be at Victoria inside twenty minutes. That's rare.”
David Johnston
The houses
The town is too large and too mixed for one description, and the conservation areas are the honest guide: Sundridge Avenue, Garden Road, Shortlands, Elm Road and Bromley Common are predominantly late-Victorian, Edwardian and inter-war. The northern High Street keeps the fine grain of a traditional shopping street with ornate late-nineteenth-century frontages. Sundridge Park is a Grade II registered landscape by Humphry Repton, with a mansion begun to designs by John Nash.
Getting to London
Bromley South is on the Chatham Main Line, with eight trains an hour off-peak to London Victoria, three of them non-stop, and Thameslink services to Blackfriars. Southeastern give the fastest journey as 18 minutes. Bromley North is a shuttle to Grove Park only.
Schools
The borough's two grammar schools, St Olave's and Newstead Wood, are both at Orpington rather than in Bromley itself. State secondaries near the town include Ravensbourne, Bishop Justus and Harris Academy Bromley. Independents include Breaside Prep and St Christopher's The Hall.
Common questions
Is Bromley in Kent or London?
Bromley is in Greater London and has been since 1965, when the London Borough of Bromley was created. Before that it was in Kent and was a municipal borough from 1903. Some addresses and a good deal of local habit still reflect the older county, which is where the confusion comes from.
How long does it take to get into London from Bromley?
Southeastern give the fastest journey from Bromley South to London Victoria as 18 minutes, with around eight trains an hour off-peak. Bromley North is a different proposition: it is a shuttle to Grove Park with no direct London service and none at all on Sundays.
What is the oldest building in Bromley?
Bromley College on London Road, founded in 1666 under the will of John Warner, Bishop of Rochester, and built between 1670 and 1672 as almshouses for twenty clergy widows. It is Grade I listed, its 1666 gateway is separately Grade I, and it still houses retired clergy.
Already with another agent
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