RICS Chartered Surveyors Greenwich Greater London

Approximate Population: 232,700

Greenwich is a district in south-east London, England, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.

The town became the site of a Royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation. The historic rooms within these buildings remain open to the public; other buildings are used by University of Greenwich and the Trinity College of Music.

The town became a popular resort in the 17th century with many grand houses, such as Vanbrugh castle established on Maze Hill, next to the park. From the Georgian period estates of houses were constructed above the town centre. The maritime connections of Greenwich were celebrated in the 20th century, with the sitting of the Cutty Sark and Gipsy Moth IV next to the river front, and the National Maritime Museum in the former buildings of the Royal Hospital School in 1934. Greenwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created.

The town and hospital lie on a broad platform to the south of the outside of a broad meander in the River Thames, with a safe deep water anchorage lying in the river. To the south, the land rises steeply, 100 feet (30 m) through the park to the town of Blackheath. The higher areas consist of a sedimentary layer of gravely soils, known as the Blackheath Beds, that spread through much of the south east over a chalk outcrop – with sands, loam and seams of clay at the lower levels by the river.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Greenwich Greater London

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Bromley London RICS Chartered Surveyors

Approximate Population: 299,700

Bromley is an urban centre in the London Borough of Bromley and is listed as a metropolitan centre in the London Plan. It is situated 9.3 miles (15.0 km) south east of Charing Cross. The origin of the town’s name is from Old English brōme-hlǣwe, or “broom hill”, as supported by records of the name as Bramelewe in 1272.

Other places with this name are from Old English brōme-leah meaning ‘broom clearing’ or wood clearing. Bromley was historically in the county of Kent before the creation of Greater London in 1965.

The town has a large shopping and retail area including a pedestrianised High Street and The Glades shopping centre. Bromley is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The London Borough of Bromley Civic Centre is located in the town. The historic Wickham Court with its crow-stepped gable construction is located in Bromley. Bromley’s main retail rival is Croydon, to the west. Bromley is represented by Conservative MP Bob Neill.

There are two railway stations providing connections to the Central London. Bromley South is located on the Chatham main line and is served by fast and local services to Victoria and Blackfriars. Bromley North is located at the southern end of a short branch line from Grove Park from where connections can be made for London Bridge, Cannon Street and London Charing Cross.

Bromley London RICS Chartered Surveyors

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Barnet Greater London

Approximate Population: 323,100

High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet in North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a 12th century settlement and is located 10 miles (16.1 km) north north-west of Charing Cross.

The tower of Barnet parish church – St John the Baptist – at the top of Barnet Hill, claims to be the highest point between itself and the Ural Mountains 2,000 miles to the east. However, the same has been said of numerous other points. Barnet Hill is a major hill on the historic Great North Road, although the modern Great North Road runs along Barnet Bypass.

The town was the site of the Battle of Barnet in 1471 (more accurately, Hadley), where Yorkist troops led by King Edward IV killed the rebellious “Kingmaker” Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Warwick’s brother, John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu.

It is the site of an ancient and well-known horse fair, hence the Cockney rhyming slang of Barnet Fair or barnet for “hair”.   The fair dates back to 1588 when Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the Lord of the Manor of Barnet the right to hold a twice yearly fair.

Chipping Barnet (chipping meaning market) was historically a civil parish of Hertfordshire and formed part of the Barnet Urban District from 1894.   The parish was abolished in 1965 and the Chipping Barnet section of its former area was transferred to Greater London and the newly-created London Borough of Barnet.  In 1801 the parish had a population of 1,258 and covered an area of 1,440 acres (6 km²).   By 1901 the parish was reduced to 380 acres (1.5 km²) and had a population of 2,893.   In 1951 the population was 7,062.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Barnet Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Harrow Greater London

Approximate Population: 213,800

Harrow is a town in the London Borough of Harrow, North West London. It is a suburb situated 12.2 miles (16.4 km) west northwest of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan.

Harrow is widely known for Harrow School, attended by Winston Churchill and Indian Prime Minister Nehru, however Harrow County School also had a tradition of noted staff and pupils, e.g. Sir Paul Nurse, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Michael Portillo, Clive Anderson and Geoffrey Perkins. Harrow is home to a large University of Westminster campus near Northwick Park Hospital (although both these landmarks actually lie within the London Borough of Brent). Harrow was a municipal borough of Middlesex before its inclusion in Greater London in 1965.

Harrow’s name comes from Old English hearg = “(heathen) temple”, which was probably on the hill of Harrow, where St. Mary’s Church stands today.

The town centre also has a major bus station adjacent to Harrow-on-the-Hill station that serves as an important hub for buses in the area. Many routes to North and West London pass through this station. Notable routes serving Harrow include:

* The 140 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Heathrow Airport
* The 182 route starting and terminating at Harrow Weald and Brent Cross
* The 183 route starting and terminating at Pinner and Golders Green Bus Station
* The N18 nightbus which starts at Trafalgar Square and terminates at Harrow Weald
* The 258 route starting and terminating at Watford Junction and South Harrow Station
* The 114 route starting and terminating at Ruislip Station and Mill Hill.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Harrow Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Brent Greater London

Approximate Population: 278,500

The London Borough of Brent is a London borough in North-West London, UK and forms part of Outer London.

The word Brent probably comes from ‘Brigantia’, the name of a Celtic goddess. It is the only Celtic place name in the Borough of Brent in North West London, most are Ango-Saxon. The River Brent divides two major parts of the Borough, Willesden and Wembley. In 1965 these two separate districts were joined to form the London Borough of Brent.

The Borough of Brent started as a collection of villages and farms surrounded by fields and woods. It was transformed into a London suburb by the arrival of railways and extensive housebuilding in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It enjoys a variety of architectural styles and a large mix of communities. Over the years Brent has had its share of agriculture, industry, poverty, and prosperity.

It borders Harrow to the northwest, Barnet to the northeast, Camden to the east and Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster to the south.   Most of the eastern border is formed by the Roman road Watling Street, now the modern A5.   According to the 2001 census, the Borough of Brent has the country’s highest percentage of people born outside of the UK (46.53%).   Brent has a extremely high and formally the highest Indian population.

Brent is a dangerous place in the South, which is Harlesden and Stonebridge (East Stonebridge), but on the other side, Brent is an safe place in the North, West and South-West.   East and South Brent is a gang area.   All the Crimes, Guns, Drugs, Robbery and Gangs in Brent are in Harlesden and Stonebridge.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Brent Greater London

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 RICS Chartered Surveyors Croydon Greater London

Approximate Population: 330,700

Croydon is a large town and major commercial centre in South London, and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon.   It is 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross, and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It is located on the natural transport corridor between London and England’s south coast, just to the north of a gap in the North Downs.

Historically a part of Surrey, at the time of the Norman conquest of England Croydon had a church, a mill and around 365 inhabitants (as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086).   Croydon expanded during the Middle Ages as a market town and a centre for charcoal production, leather tanning and brewing.   The Surrey Iron Railway from Croydon to Wandsworth opened in 1803 and was the world’s first horse-drawn railway, which later developed into an important means of transport – facilitating Croydon’s growth as a commuter town for the City of London and beyond.

In the early 20th century Croydon was an important industrial area, known for metal working, car manufacture and its airport.   In the mid 20th century these sectors were replaced with retailing and service economy, brought about as a result of a massive redevelopment of office blocks and the Whitgift shopping centre. Croydon was amalgamated into Greater London in 1965.

Road traffic is now diverted away from a largely pedestrianised town centre, but its main railway station, East Croydon, is still a major hub within the national railway transport system.   The town is expected to have its urban planning changed as part of Croydon Vision 2020.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Croydon Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Wandsworth Greater London

Approximate Population: 280,500

Wandsworth is a town (an inner suburb) on the south bank of the River Thames in south-west London.   Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth.

Wandsworth appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Wandesorde and Wendelesorde.   It was held partly by William, son of Ansculf and partly by St Wandrille’s Abbey.   Its domesday assets were: 12 hides. It had 5½ ploughs, 22 acres of meadow.  

It rendered £9. Since at least the early 16th century, Wandsworth has offered accommodation to consecutive waves of immigration; from Protestant Dutch metalworkers fleeing persecution in the 1590s, to recent Eastern European members of the European Union.

An influx of French Huguenot refugees in the early 17th century is remembered in many local street names.   There is a band of small and expensive terraced housing (known as The Tonsleys) behind Old York Road — the former centre of old Wandsworth — rising to an area of grander, terraced, semi-detached and detached housing along the roads bounded by West Side Wandsworth Common, Earlsfield Road and East Hill.   In contrast, at the base of East Hill is a collection of high-rise council blocks.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Wandsworth Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Ealing Greater London

Approximate Population:  312,300

Ealing is a town in the London Borough of Ealing. It is a suburban development situated 7.7 miles (12.4 km) west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan and is often referred to as the “Queen of the Suburbs”.

The Saxon name for Ealing was recorded c.700 as ‘Gillingas’, meaning ‘place of the people associated with Gilla’, from the personal name Gilla and the Old English suffix ‘-ingas’, meaning ‘people of’. Over the centuries, the name has changed, and has been known as Yealing, Zelling and Eling, until Ealing became the standard spelling in the 19th century.

Archaeological evidence shows that parts of Ealing have been occupied for at least 7,000 years.   Iron Age pots have been discovered in the vicinity on Horsenden Hill. A settlement is recorded here in the 12th century amid a great forest that carpeted the area to the west of London.

The earliest surviving English census is that for Ealing in 1599. This list was a tally of all 85 households in Ealing village giving the names of the inhabitants, together with their ages, relationships and occupations.   It survives in manuscript form in the Public Record Office (PRO E 163/24/35), and has been transcribed and printed by K J Allison.

Settlements were scattered throughout the parish. Many of them were along what is now called St. Mary’s Road, near to the church in the centre of the parish. There were also houses at Little Ealing, Ealing Dean, Haven Green, Drayton Green and Castlebar Hill.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Ealing Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Westminster Greater London

Approximate Population: 181,279

Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster.   It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) southwest of Charing Cross.   It has a large concentration of London’s historic and prestigious landmarks and visitor attractions, including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and much of the West End of London.

Historically a part of Middlesex, the name Westminster was the ancient description for the area around Westminster Abbey–the West Minster, or monastery church, that gave the area its name–which had been the seat of the government of England for almost a thousand years.   Since its construction in the mid-19th century, Westminster has been location of the Palace of Westminster, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which houses the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The name Westminster was historically used to describe the area around Westminster Abbey–the West Minster, or monastery church, that gave the area its name–which has been the seat of the government of England for almost a thousand years. The name is also used for the larger City of Westminster which covers a wider geographical area; and, since 1965, has included the former boroughs of St Marylebone and Paddington.

The historic core of Westminster is the former Thorney Island on which Westminster Abbey was built. The Abbey became the traditional venue of the coronation of the kings and queens of England. The nearby Palace of Westminster came to be the principal royal residence after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and later housed the developing Parliament and law courts of England. It can be said that London thus has developed two distinct focal points: an economic one in the City of London; and a political and cultural one in Westminster, where the Royal Court had its home. This division is still very apparent today.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Westminster Greater London

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RICS Chartered Surveyors Lewisham Greater London

Approximate Population: 263,400

Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is most likely to have been founded by a pagan Jute, Leof, who settled (by burning his boat) near St Mary’s Church (Ladywell) where the ground was drier, in the 6th century. As to the etymology of the name, Daniel Lysons (1796) wrote:

“In the most ancient Saxon records this place is called Levesham, that is, the house among the meadows; leswe, læs, læse, or læsew, in the Saxon, signifies a meadow, and ham, a dwelling. It is now written, as well in parochial and other records as in common usage, Lewisham.”

‘Leofshema’ was an important settlement at the confluence of the rivers Quaggy (from Farnborough) and Ravensbourne (Caesar’s Well, Keston), so the village expanded north into the wetter area as drainage techniques improved.   In the mid-seventeenth century the then vicar of Lewisham, Abraham Colfe, built a grammar school, primary school and six almshouses for the inhabitants. The Earl of Dartmouth became the (hereditary) Viscount Lewisham in 1711.

Lewisham is a major transport hub, lying on the A20 road towards Dover and at the start of A21 to Hastings, with its own large bus station, railway station and the southern terminus of the Docklands Light Railway. Tube lines run into the north of the borough at New Cross and are due to be expanded south as part of the East London Line extension.

RICS Chartered Surveyors Lewisham Greater London

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