Bromley town centre
The borough of Bromley’s principal town has benefitted from a recent facelift that saw architects Studio Egret West redesign much of the area around market Square and the High Street. The town boasts plenty of historic buildings, including the Royal Bell Hotel and Star & Garter pub.
The Art Deco Picturehouse cinema provides entertainment in elegant surroundings, while the Grade I listed Bromley and Sheppard’s Colleges is the town’s most significant historic building. Property in the town is a diverse mix of Victorian, Edwardian, pre-War and post-war housing.
Bromley has also seen a number of stylish new build homes appearing as the council focuses on developing the town’s centre. St Mark’s Square by the U+I Group is a striking development next to Bromley South station offering one and two bedroom flats for sale from £380,000.
Flats are very modern and are built to a high spec with nice views. It is cleanly kept and the concierge is really good but the recycling is poor. The security is always available. It is easy to access by public transport but the trains are noisy.
– James, Verified Resident, St Mark’s Square
I love how beautiful my apartment looks, especially when it’s sunny. It has beautiful huge windows and the view from my balcony is just stunning. The facilities include: concrete, lift, bike storage and car park. I can also just pop downstairs to the cinema and watch the latest hit.
– MB, Verified Resident, St Mark’s Square
The larger Trinity Village development by Barratt Homes is a scheme comprising over 500 apartments ranging from one to five bedrooms in size. Residents praise the build quality of the development and the transport links from nearby Bromley South station.
The area overall is very good due to the great transport links present within the area as well as a park over the road which is great for kids. The development is also very clean and extremely safe.
– Alan Clarke, Verified Resident, Trinity Village
I love this area! The community around the development is great and the accessibility to transport and local amenities is very useful. The shops around the area are nice and close which makes shopping trips very convenient. Having lived in the area for several years, I have found no downsides to this lovely development.
– Sarah Beacom, Verified Resident, Trinity Village
Living in Bromley
Roughly half of Crystal Palace sits within the borough of Bromley, including the park and area to the south of the Triangle. The historic park offers beautiful open green spaces as well as the National Sports Centre, a maze and the ruins of the famous glass house complex from which the park gained its name. Historic terraced properties sit alongside more modern options, such as Venue by Fairview New Homes slightly to the south in Anerley.
Great value for money in a superb location and vibrant neighbourhood. It’s in a very quiet residential area which is great. The flat is spacious and the fitted kitchen and appliances are great quality. There is a playground and communal courtyard for residents to enjoy some green space.
– Christina, Verified Resident, Venue SE20
Other major residential areas in Bromley include Penge, Hayes, Orpington and Beckenham. While most of the borough’s residents live in the most populated areas to the north, Biggin Hill is the most populated settlement in the south of the borough.
Green spaces
Being semi-rural, the borough of Bromley offers plenty of green space for walking, dog-walking and general exploring. When it comes to parks, Crystal Palace is the largest in the borough. However, High Elm Country Park and Scadbury Park nature reserves are even larger, offering wilder open spaces, while Hoblingwell Wood in St Paul’s Cray offers 201 acres of woodland for locals to enjoy.
Priory Gardens and Riverside Gardens in Orpington provide smaller park areas, while nearby Goddington Park offers areas of woodland with sports areas. Hayes Common is one of London’s largest areas of common land, offering heath and parkland crisscrossed by trails.
Transport
Bromley is one of the few London boroughs not to be served directly by the Underground system. However, Overground services extend down to Crystal Palace and Penge East/West. Thameslink, Southeastern and Southern Rail services serve the rest of the borough, along with five Tramlink stops connecting through into Croydon.
Bromley celebrities
Author H.G. Wells was born in Bromley in 1886. His father was the founder of Bromley Cricket Club and ran a sports good store in the town. Other notable residents of Bromley include David Bowie, Charles Darwin, Fatboy Slim, Billy Idol and novelst Hanif Kureishi.
