Widmore, London

Widmore is an area of Greater London, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Sundridge, west of Bickley, north of Bromley Common, and east of Bromley.

Widmore
Widmore Location within Greater London
OS grid reference	TQ 4142 6904
London borough	Bromley
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	BR
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley

History

Widmore derives from 'Withmere', a placename first mentioned in 1226 and thought to mean 'pool where the withy grows'.[1][2] Wythemere, Widmere and Wigmore were variant spellings.[2]

The area remained a tiny hamlet, save for a brick-works, as late as the 19th century.[1] The pool that gave the area its name was still extant in 1819,however it was later built over; it was located just west of Lewes Road and to the south the Oak pub.[2][3] The local landowner John Wells sold part of the land lying north of Widmore Road to housing developers in 1845, and by the late 1850s the area contained some 40 large properties, plus a number of smaller cottages.[1] Further building work occurred in this area in 1888.[1] The lands south of Widmore Road were historically part of Bromley Palace, but were built over with further housing in the 1920s-30s.[1] Widmore today has merged completely with the surrounding suburbs and is often seen as part of Bickley.[1]

Amenities

The area contains a small row of shops at Widmore Green (a rather small triangle of grass), at the junction of Widmore Road and Plaistow Lane. There is one pub here (The Oak) and four more located very close to each other along Palace Road/North Road/Freelands Road (The Red Lion, The White Horse, The Anglesey Arms, Freelands Tavern, and the Crown and Anchor).[4]

Gallery

• 
  A Christian Science church on Widmore Road, built by W. Braxton Sinclair in 1928 and listed at grade II[5]
• 
  Widmore Green
• 
  A park in Widmore
• 
  Shops and The Oak pub, Widmore Green
• 
  United Reformed Church on Freelands Road, built 1936 on the site of a former Presbyterian church which was struck by lightning and destroyed[6]
• 
  Nightingale Lane, Widmore

References

1. Willey, Russ (2006). The London Gazzetteer. Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. p. 555.
2. Mills, A.D. (2010). A Dictionary of London Place-Names. Oxford University Press. pp. 272–3. ISBN 9780199566785.
3. "Widmore". Bickley & Widmore History. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
4. "Red Lion, Bromley". Beer in the Evening. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
5. Historic England. "FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST, WIDMORE ROAD (1253930)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
6. "Trinity URC Bromley - Centenary". Trinity Bromley URC. Retrieved 6 September 2020.