Bexleyheath | |
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The Yacht, Long Lane |
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Bexleyheath shown within Greater London | |
Population | 21,511 Brampton and Christchurch wards 2011 |
OS grid reference | TQ485755 |
• Charing Cross | 12 mi (19 km) WNW |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BEXLEYHEATH |
Postcode district | DA5, DA6, DA7 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
EU Parliament | London |
UK Parliament | |
London Assembly | |
Bexleyheath is a town in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It is located 12 miles (19.3 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Until the early 19th century, Bexley Heath comprised an area of scrub-land with few buildings, although Bexley Heath windmill stood at the corner of what is today Erith Road and Mayplace Road. The heath bordered Watling Street. In 1766 Sir John Boyd had Danson House built in parkland (now Danson Park between Bexleyheath and Welling). In 1814 the land to the north of Bexley that would become Bexleyheath became subject to an Enclosure Act. In 1859 architect Philip Webb designed Red House for the artist, reforming designer and socialist William Morris on the western edge of the heath, in the hamlet of Upton—before Upton became largely developed as a London suburb. The National Trust acquired the house in 2003. Morris wanted to have a "Palace of Art" in which he and his friends could enjoy producing works of art. The house is of red brick with a steep tiled roof and an emphasis on natural materials. Red House is in a non-historical, brick-and-tile domestic style. It is now a Grade I listed building. Morris lived with his wife Jane in the house for five years, during which time their two daughters, Jenny and May, were born. Forced to sell the house for financial reasons in 1865, Morris vowed never to return to it—he said that to see the house again would be more than he could bear.