please empty your brain below
Could the area be Bostall?

The north western corner is Bostall Woods, there is a Bostall Cummunity Library on King Harold's Way (shown on TfL's map of the 422), there is a Bostall Park Avenue, and the A206 leading to it from the Woolwich direction is Bostall Hill.

Timbo | 05.06.23 - 7:45 a.m. | #

My former workplace (forty years ago) was on the very north-western fringe of the area. I approached it variously from Welling, Plumstead and Abbey Wood but never ventured further east beyond a few steps. It therefore assumed a Shangri-la-esque quality of unknown territory in my imagination. I was oblivious until now that it was a land of uniquely un-noteworthy noteworthiness.

cau1khead | 05.06.23 - 7:54 a.m. | #

My family house growing up is pretty much slap-bang in the middle of the map above.
And yes, even we locals don't give the grey blob a name.
It's kinda Bexleyheath until it isn't.

Paul Parkinson | 05.06.23 - 8:09 a.m. | #

May I offer up the houses to the west of the railway between Stoneleigh and Worcester Park - another large unnamed amorphous area.

dg writes: you may (but it's in Surrey)

Geofftech | 05.06.23 - 8:17 a.m. | #

The area between New Malden and Norbiton, midway along the A2043 appears to lack a distinct identity, although historic maps record this area as Norbiton Common. A recent large development in this location was branded as 'Kingston East'.

Paul | 05.06.23 - 8:39 a.m. | #

Many areas lack a distinct identity. Few sprawl as featurelessly as 'Bexleyheath North'.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.06.23 - 8:43 a.m. | #

I regularly visited my grandparents in a Feakes & Richards house right in the middle of the area. We most commonly called it Bexleyheath although we knew it wasn’t.

Sprout Eater | 05.06.23 - 8:58 a.m. | #

My nan and grandad bought one of those houses (Glenview Rd) from new and lived in it from ~35 till 89. I always wonder what it must have been like moving into such an area when such a massive amount of building work has occurred and probably still was.

When they left, the house still had much of its original fixtures and fitting including in the bathroom and kitchen I definitely didn’t appreciate such things then as I do now.

Steve | Homepage | 05.06.23 - 9:42 a.m. | #

I feel I’ve lived in quite a few “between places” where you struggle to describe where you live. This reminds me of an excellent map produced by Design for London within the GLA.

David | 05.06.23 - 11:02 a.m. | #

Grim!

Am I the only one who read the pub name as Fart Haig?!

Cornish Cockney | 05.06.23 - 11:29 a.m. | #

Yes, it's a bit of an anonymous area. In general I find it hard to name much of outer southeast London, where 30s suburbs filled in the gaps between the historical routes out of London.

The rail network, having 3 parallel routes that converge at Dartford, helps create this as it leaves large areas in between stations. South London's spaghetti of criss-crossing lines meant more stations were needed, necessitating station names which end up defining areas.

Mikey C | 05.06.23 - 11:40 a.m. | #

Another contender is the area of North Cheam/ West Sutton between the Sutton loop line, the A24 and A2043 which is another relentless area of suburban housing with very little in the way of shops or pubs etc to break up the monotony.

cjw714 | 05.06.23 - 11:45 a.m. | #

(it's not grim)

diamond geezer | Homepage | 05.06.23 - 2:25 p.m. | #

This location was also the (unnamed) case study area for a report recommending how to densify suburban outer London. A really interesting report and now part of policy within the London Plan and many Borough local plans; although as far as I know not London Borough of Bexley.

Report here: [pdf]

David | 05.06.23 - 3:26 p.m. | #

One end of The Pantiles remained undeveloped in 1946 (a possible site for digging for victory) and eventually had houses built there. Borough or developer records may show whether there were intended to be more shops.

Sprout Eater | 05.06.23 - 5:30 p.m. | #

Is there any need to use anything other than 'Bexleyheath' when describing this area to someone who doesn't know Bexleyheath at all? If someone does know Bexleyheath, then I think 'The Pantiles area', 'near Long Lane', or 'towards Erith' generally covers it.

There is another pub in Long Lane - a Sizzling pub called Travellers Home (towards the junction with Erith Road). There are also a couple of micro pubs - one near the station and another in the row of shops near the Long Lane Co-op.

Yes, there isn't much green space, but there is Russell Park, a reasonably large park towards the same end of Long Lane as the pub. You would have missed that from the 422, though.

Trevor S | 05.06.23 - 7:30 p.m. | #

Ah, just re-read it and see you mentioned the micropub.

Trevor S | 05.06.23 - 7:32 p.m. | #

Geofftech: The area between Stoneleigh and Worcester Park to the west of the railway may be in Surrey (thanks, dg) but although it is amorphous, it is undoubtedly Old Malden.

Paul: The area between New Malden and Norbiton, midway along the A2043 may well appear to lack a distinct identity, although I imagine locals would refer to it as "The Triangle" - the local shopping parade. The "boundary" between Norbiton and New Malden is probably at Dickerage Lane, about which dg waxed so eloquently some months ago.

Alpine | 05.06.23 - 10:32 p.m. | #

This is the exact type of never ending suburbia I was so desperate to escape growing up in the North West. Having to walk endlessly to a bus stop to take me some form of life in the city. I can definitely relate to the description of "grim", regardless of how nice the houses are.

Sean | 05.06.23 - 11:01 p.m. | #

Typically your suburb would have been named Bedonwell by local estate agents. In the Upper Belvedere/Lessness Heath area, Nuxley Rd Pharmacy has changed its name from Lloyds to Nuxley Village, so there are agents about.

JonF | 06.06.23 - 10:31 a.m. | #

Haaa. I would love to see your reaction to Mississauga, Ontario. You won't even find a parade of stores in most suburbs, and you'd be lucky to find a pavement

quin | 06.06.23 - 2:36 p.m. | #

Yes, it's technically Bexleyheath but..... We generally use landmarks or major road names to describe the area. Belmont School, Bexleyheath Station, The Pantiles, Long Lane, Oakhampton Crescent. Bostall Heath is the area around the library with the same name, and the actual heath. (No one calls it West Heath)

Kathryn | 09.06.23 - 2:34 p.m. | #

If all else fails, there's always the name of the MSOA, which is "Bursted Wood"

h2g2bob | 10.06.23 - 10:30 a.m. | #

I drove through her today and mentioned this post to my partner. She agreed that it's hard to say where it is.

It's not a horrible area (although you almost certainly would need a car) it's just...there.

One of the churches is St Andrew's Bostall Heath, so...maybe it's Bostall Heath? I dunno.

PGHenn | 11.06.23 - 7:05 p.m. | #











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