Kevington, London

Kevington, sometimes spelt Kevingtown,[1] is a hamlet in southeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It lies between St Mary Cray/Derry Downs and Crockenhill in the London Green Belt.

Kevington
Kevington Hall
Kevington Location within Greater London
London borough	Bromley
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORPINGTON
Postcode district	BR5
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley

History

The name is thought to refer either to a 'place on a hillock', or else a Saxon-era landowner named Cyfa.[1] Some old maps show two distinct places here - Kevington and Kevingtown - however this distinction has since been lost.[1] In the Middle Ages the area formed part of Kevington manor and was in the hands of the Manning and Onslow families.[1] In the mid 1700s the Onslows sold part of their lands to the Dutch financial merchant Herman Behrens, who employed Sir Robert Taylor to build him Kevington Hall in 1769.[1] The Hall was used to billet Canadian troops during the Second World War and was later used as a primary school; it now functions as a conference and events space.[1] Oak View School (originally Shawcroft Special School) opened nearby in 1976 to cater for young people with special needs.[1] There was once a pub in the hamlet called the Kevington Arms, however this is now a farm building.[1]

References

1. Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. p. 273.