West Wickham

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= West Wickham
london_borough= Bromley
constituency_westminster=
post_town= WEST WICKHAM
postcode_area= BR
postcode_district= BR4
dial_code= 020
os_grid_reference= TQ379660
latitude= 51.3765
longitude= -0.0193

West Wickham is a place in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south east of Charing Cross.

West Wickham boasts a rich history dating back to early settlements existing since 1068.

The High Street and Station Road, boasts a wealth of local retail outlets, pubs and restaurants. The restaurants offer a diverse range of cultural cuisines: Topolinos/Prima Donnas (Italian); The Blue Bengal (Indian Food) to name but a few.

There are some famous pubs, including the recently refurbished 'The Railway' opposite West Wickham railway station and 'The Swan' located on the High Street.

The town appeared in the 2000 UK television series 'The 1940s House', with 17 Braemar Gardens taking the starring role as a family lived a World War II experience in a typical London suburb. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2000/12/30/tpfort30.xml&page=1] It was also mentioned in an episode of New Tricks when the team have arranged to meet a pathologist and DAC Strickland tells them 'his lab is in West Wickham'.

West Wickham Swimming Pools offers excellent gym and swimming facilities and is run as a charitable trust. It also hosted a plaque containing the original bark of Stock Tree (a tree so called as it was behind the village stocks) that once stood opposite 'The Swan' which was cut down owing to the requirement to build a new road. The plaque and bark now reside at West Wickham Library, on the High Street.

West Wickham is also home to Beccehamians RFC a Rugby Union Club founded in 1933 which plays competitive rugby in London South East 4 at Sparrows Den at the bottom of Corkscrew Hill. Other clubs nearby include Croydon RFC (formerly Shirley Wanderers).

West Wickham has a thriving range of social clubs for the over 50's as there is a significant proportion of the population in this age bracket. Examples would include Spring Park Social club that meets three times a month at St Marks Church Hall just off the high street.

Notable people from West Wickham

*Enid Blyton the writer
*W. G. Grace the sportsman
*Rosie Huggins the singer
*Michael Donovan voice actor
*Charlie Heather drummer in The Levellers
*Adrian Waller the journalist and author
*Oliver Jones the dubstep artist known as Skream
*Joe Dunford the creator of Vaseline
*Jonny Bizzle Something of a legend at winchester university
*Michal Rzadkiewicz the racing driver

Nearest places

*Eden Park
*Shirley
*Hayes
*Coney Hall
*Addington

Nearest stations

*West Wickham railway station
*Hayes railway station
*Eden Park railway station
*Addington Village tram stop

External links

* [http://www.west-wickham.co.uk For information on the history of West Wickham]