Beckenham

Description:

Beckenham can be described as both a leafy suburb and a busy commuter town.  It perhaps has more parks than any other town in the London Borough of Bromley but also has some of the best transportation links.

As a commuter town it is perhaps overshadowed by the much larger Bromley, but it can be argued that Beckenham has far more options for travellers into London.  There are six railway stations for starters.   Beckenham Junction, Beckenham Hill, Ravensbourne and Kent House for London Victoria; New Beckenham for limited services to Cannon Street, London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross, Clock house serves the same stations though more frequently.

With regards to other transport, the M25 is only 20 minutes away with London Gatwick airport a further 40 minutes away.  Beckenham has a multitude of buses serving Bromley and other nearby towns.  Beckenham is also connected by tram to Elmers End, Mitcham as well as railway stations at East and West Croydon and as far away as Wimbledon.

Beckenham has a multitude of green areas and open public spaces.   Beckenham Place Park is a large expanse of land in London's Green Chain; it incorporates a golf course as well as a huge amount of woodland.  Another example is Kelsey Park, a more manmade scenic location which is famed for its lake and birdlife.

As well as green spaces, Beckenham has a number of other attractions.  The Chinese Garage is more of a local landmark than an attraction, it's a former petrol station (now a car dealership) built in the style of a Japanese pagoda.  In 2001 it was voted most unusual garage in England.  Beckenham crematorium is perhaps the best known crematorium in the area, it is the final resting place for cricketer W.G. Grace, and the man erroneously credited with inventing the flushing toilet, Thomas Crapper, amongst others.  St Georges Church dates back to the 14^th century but has a Lych-gate dating back to the 13^th, credited with being the oldest in England.

Beckenham has a small but busy High Street with some chain shops but the majority being independently owned specialist shops.

Beckenham High Street and surrounding roads are far better known for their wide range of pubs and restaurants.  The pubs range from modern chain pubs, to wine bars through to traditional, historic pubs.  The restaurants offer food for every taste from a wide range of worldwide cuisines.

Other entertainment outlets in Beckenham include the Odeon Cinema and the Spa sports centre which includes a pool, gym, sauna and sports hall as well as facilities for children.  The Studio is a facility which runs various acting, singing and music classes and can be found on Beckenham Road alongside Beckenham Library.

The main secondary schools in Beckenham are Kelsey Park Sports College; Cator Park School and Langley Park schools: for boys and girls.  There are also various primary schools such as Churchfields Primary School as well as a Roman Catholic school in Bishop Challoner.