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Beckenham, Kent

Beckenham
Beckenham. - geograph.org.uk - 107703.jpg
St George's Church, Beckenham
Beckenham is located in Greater London
Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham shown within Greater London
Area 13.22 km2 (5.10 sq mi)
Population 56,668 (2011 census)
• Density 4,287/km2 (11,100/sq mi)
OS grid reference TQ3769
London borough
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BECKENHAM
Postcode district BR3
Post town LONDON
Postcode district SE20
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°24′29″N 0°01′19″W / 51.408°N 0.022°W / 51.408; -0.022Coordinates: 51°24′29″N 0°01′19″W / 51.408°N 0.022°W / 51.408; -0.022

Beckenham is a post town and district of London in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It borders Beckenham Place Park and Bellingham in the London Borough of Lewisham (to the north) and is centred 8.4 miles (13.5 km) south east of Charing Cross. Until the coming of the railway in 1857, Beckenham was a small village as with the rest of the borough in Kent with almost most of its land rural and private parkland: a family of entrepreneurs began the building of villas commencing a soar in population from 2,000 to 26,000 (1850–1900). Housing and population growth has continued at a lesser pace since 1900.

The town has areas of commerce and industry, principally the curved network of streets featuring its high street and Langley Park laboratories and is served in transport by three main railway stations — nine within the post town — plus towards its western periphery two Croydon Tramlink stations. In common with much of this largest borough of London, it has a large minority of land which is a mixture of sports grounds, fishing ponds and parks.

The settlement is referred to as Bacheham in the Domesday Book of 1086, and in the Textus Roffensis as Becceham. The name is thought to derive from Beohha's homestead (Beohhan + ham in Old English). The name of the small stream here - the River Beck - is most likely to have been named after the village.

Although early written history tells little of the area, archaeological evidence at Holwood Park, where Stone Age and Bronze Age artifacts have been found, reveals some evidence of early settlers. A Roman camp was sited here, and a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way passed through the district.


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