Petts Wood

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Coordinates: 51°23′19″N 0°04′34″E / 51.3885°N 0.0760°E / 51.3885; 0.0760

Petts Wood
Petts Wood is located in Greater London
Petts Wood

 Petts Wood shown within Greater London
Population 13,627 
OS grid reference TQ445675
London borough Bromley
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region London
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ORPINGTON
Postcode district BR5
Dialling code 01689
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK Parliament Orpington
London Assembly Bexley and Bromley
List of places: UK • England • London

Petts Wood is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley.

Contents

History

The name appeared first in 1577 as "the wood of the Pett family", who were shipbuilders and leased the wood as a source of timbers. William Willett, a campaigner for daylight saving time, lived in nearby Chislehurst for most of his life, and is commemorated by a memorial sundial in the wood. The Daylight Inn in the suburb of Petts Wood is named in his honour. Petts Wood also has a second pub (The Sovereign of the Seas) and a railway station. It is situated between Orpington and Bickley. The Jubilee Country Park is located to the northwest of the main shopping area and is home to several rare species of animal life.

Most of Petts Wood was built in the early 20th century by the developer Basil Scruby together with Master builder, Noel Rees, as a high quality estate in a rural setting only a short train journey from the city, with the East side being built first: it is often quoted in sociological textboooks as a classic piece of 1920s town planning, as the first building in place was the station, and the rest of the town developed from there. Noel Rees's name is still used as a selling point by estate agents, his houses can be found in Great Thrift, The Covert, Princes Avenue, Wood Ride, Kingsway, Chislehurst Rd, The Chenies and many other roads in Petts Wood.
The area between Petts Wood and Bickley sustained heavy bombing during World War II because of its proximity to an important railway junction.[1] Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French and future President of France, lived in Petts Wood, at 41 Birchwood Road, for part of the Second World War. Another prominent resident of Birchwood Road was the Welsh Baritone Sir Geraint Evans, and the toastmaster Ivor Spencer also lived nearby. One of the most renowned residents, Alex Mcculloch, played a prominent role in its establishment[citation needed]. Many residents of Petts Wood worked in Fleet Street, as it was the most affordable area with the latest last train for them to catch home after putting the morning's papers to bed[citation needed].

The wood itself is now managed by the National Trust

The wood itself survives and is managed by the National Trust. Originally just 88 acres (36 hectares) were bought by public subscription and donated to the Trust in 1927. This was expanded when the neighbouring Hawkwood Estate and Edlmann Wood, comprising a further 250 acres (100 hectares), were donated to the Trust by landowners Robert and Francesca Hall in 1957. The woodland features oak, birch, rowan, alder, ash, hornbeam and sweet chestnut.

In 2009, the local Woolworths had the privilege of writing the last word in the history of that chain in the UK, when its manager, realising his was the last one to close, gathered the remains of the Pick and Mix sweet section and auctioned the bagful of sweets, which would normally have retailed for a couple of pounds, for £14,500 ($20,000).

Winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2001, Comedian Jack Dee was born in Petts Wood in 1962.

Nearest places

Nearest railway stations

Places of worship

Schools

Sports facilities

  • Willett Sports Ground
  • Petts Wood Snooker Club (above Morrisons)

Blue Plaques

References

  1. ^ Only three bombs landed on the town centre itself, and those by accident as a German aircraft returning from bombing the docklands unloaded them on the end of Fairway, beside the former Embassy Cinema building now developed as a supermarket, and on the site now occupied by the Library. The sites were derelict until the early 60s, which is why these buildings are much more recent. Prior to that, the Library was located in a shop on Queensway, near the junction with Lakeswood Road

External links

Section 2: London Outer Orbital Path Section 3:
Old Bexley Petts Wood West Wickham
v • d • e
London Borough of Bromley
Districts LondonBromley.png
Attractions
Constituencies
Parks and open spaces in Bromley
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petts_Wood"

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