Sidcup

Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. The name is thought to be derived from Cetecopp meaning "seat shaped or flat topped hill"; it had its earliest recorded use in 1254.[2] The population of Sidcup, including its neighbourhoods Foots Cray, North Cray, Albany Park, Longlands, Ruxley, Blackfen and Lamorbey, was 43,109 in 2011.

Sidcup

Sidcup High Street
Sidcup
Location within Greater London
Population43,109 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ461718
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSIDCUP
Postcode districtDA14, DA15
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtSE9
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

History
Sidcup ward (dark green) in the Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency (light green) within the London Borough of Bexley (yellow)

Origins

Sidcup originated as a tiny hamlet on the road from Maidstone to London. According to Edward Hasted, "Thomas de Sedcopp was owner of this estate in the 35th year of king Henry VI. [i.e. in the 1450s] as appears by his deed."[3] Hasted described Sidcup in the latter part of the 18th century as "a small street of houses, among which is an inn of much resort", referring to the former Black Horse pub on the high street.[4]

Sidcup parish formed the Sidcup Urban District of Kent from 1908. It was initially known as Foots Cray; however, in 1921 the urban district,[5] and in 1925 the parish,[6] were renamed Sidcup. The parish and district were abolished in 1934 and combined with Chislehurst to form the Chislehurst and Sidcup civil parish and urban district. In 1965 the parish and urban district were abolished. Sidcup went on to form part of the London Borough of Bexley in Greater London and Chislehurst formed part of the London Borough of Bromley.

Recent

A number of manor houses, converted to other uses, remain. They include Frognal House, the birthplace and residence of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, converted for use as residential and nursing accommodation; Lamorbey House, now used by Rose Bruford College; Sidcup Place, a bar and restaurant; and The Hollies, converted for residential use.

Area

Sidcup borders Blackfen to the north, Albany Park to the northeast and east, Foots Cray to the south-east, Chislehurst to the south and south-west, New Eltham to the west and Avery Hill to the north-west.

Sidcup has a mixture of large Victorian and Edwardian properties alongside typical 1930s suburbia. It retains many parks and open spaces hinting at the great estates and large homes which once stood in the area.

The town contains Queen Mary's Hospital, a large Leisure Centre, four colleges and three secondary schools. Sidcup High Street is the main retail and commercial street, and there are some other shops and local businesses on the adjacent Station Road. In 2014, Sidcup High Street was the subject of a £1.8 million regeneration scheme In Store For Sidcup paid for by London Borough of Bexley.[7]

Most of the district is within the London Borough of Bexley, however, several parts in the North are under the governance of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, including Southspring, Greenhithe Close, Halfway Street (offsite Avery Hill), Radfield Way, Croyde Close and Overmead.

Geography

Sidcup lies 2.8 miles (4.5 km) south-west of Bexleyheath; 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Bromley; 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of Orpington; 3.4 miles (5.5 km) north-west of Swanley.

Demographics

In 2011 The total population was recorded as 10,844. Many residents are aged 65+ or 85+, in line with the whole of London Borough of Bexley. At the census of 2011, the non-white population of Sidcup was recorded at 10.1%; the largest minority group were Asian or Asian British (5.4% of the total population), with White Other totalling 4.8% of the total population. The number of single parent families was higher in the district in comparison to the rest of the London Borough of Bexley. 63.8% reported Christianity as their religious beliefs which was above the borough average. However, these figures do not include the Blackfen and Lamorbey wards within the district.[8]

Education
For education in Sidcup see the main London Borough of Bexley article

Primary schools in Sidcup include: Birkbeck, Burnt Oak Junior School, Chatsworth, Days Lane, Holy Trinity Lamorbey, Longlands, Orchard School, Our Lady of the Rosary, Royal Park, Sherwood Park, and St Peter Chanel.

Secondary schools in Sidcup include Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, Blackfen, Cleeve Park, Hurstmere and Kemnal Technology College.

Bird College, Christ the King: St Mary's (RC) Sixth Form College, and Rose Bruford College all have sites in Sidcup.

Sport and leisure

Sidcup has a Non-League football club Sporting Club Thamesmead F.C. who play at the Sporting Club Thamesmead. On Sydney Road, there is a Sidcup Sports Club, housing the local rugby and cricket clubs.

Live music venues include the Charcoal Burner and The Iron Horse public houses, although the larger premises at the Beaverwood Club, Chislehurst, draw a significant audience from this area.

The Sidcup and District Motor Cycle Club was formed at the Station Hotel, Sidcup in 1928. The club owns the Canada Heights motorcycle sport venue in Button Street, Swanley.

Culture, identity and community
Buildings along Faraday Avenue, reflecting a mix of high-rise and low-rise buildings in the area around Sidcup railway station

Sidcup is home to the Rose Bruford College of drama and Bird College, both of which have several famous alumni, and the Sidcup Symphony Orchestra,[9] which also serves the wider South East London area. In an interview with Lake Bell (who studied at Rose Bruford College) in 2015, comedian James Corden described Sidcup as "the armpit of England" on his late night American chat show The Late Late Show with James Corden.[10]

The murder of teenager Rob Knox at the Metro Bar on Station Road in 2008 was national headline news. Knox was an aspiring actor who had, just before his death, filmed a small part in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He was killed protecting his brother from a group of youths.[11] His murderer, Karl Bishop, also from Sidcup, was later found guilty of murder and sentenced.[12] Following Knox's death, his family have campaigned to end knife crime among young people.[13] The Rob Knox Foundation has organised a Rob Knox Film Festival in Sidcup and the neighbouring town of Bexleyheath, and a bench was dedicated to Knox at St John's Church in Sidcup in 2015.[14]

Transport

National Rail

Sidcup station opened in October 1866, a month after the opening of the Dartford Loop Line on 1 September 1866. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Sidcup town centre. The station provides the area with Southeastern services to London Charing Cross, London Cannon Street via Lewisham, Woolwich Arsenal, Dartford and Gravesend.

Roads

Sidcup High Street is on the A211, following in length the old London – Maidstone – Hythe road. The A211 starts just after Eltham High Street, in the middle running along the A20 Sidcup By-pass before ending at Foots Cray, where the B2173 continues along the former A20 road. The A211 connects the two main roads in this district; Station Road and Main Road.

East Rochester Way on the A2 road runs partly through the district, adjoining Blackfen Road. The road provides links to the Blackwall Tunnel and Kent.

Buses

Sidcup is served by a number of Transport for London bus routes, namely the 51, 160, 229, 233, 269, 286, 321, 492, 625, 669, B14 and R11 [15]

Notable residents

Fictional residents

Bibliography
  • Mercer, John (1994). Sidcup: A Pictorial History. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 978-0-850-33907-9.
  • Mercer, John (2013). Sidcup & Foots Cray: A History. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1-445-61195-2.

References
  1. Sidcup is made up of 4 wards in the London Borough of Bexley: Blackfen and Lamorbey, Cray Meadows, Longlands, and Sidcup. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Anthony David Mills (2001). Sidcup. Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280106-6.
  3. Hasted, Edward (1797). The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2. pp. 135–141.
  4. Mercer 1994, Introduction.
    The phrase of much resort means much frequented or visited.

    The Black Horse is now used for adult education.

  5. "Vision of Britain through Time:Foots Cray UD". A Vision of Britain through Time.
  6. "Vision of Britain through Time:Sidcup CP/AP". A Vision of Britain through Time.
  7. "New-look Sidcup High Street after £1.8 million regeneration". Newsshopper. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Sidcup Symphony Orchestra". Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  10. Bell, Jess (22 August 2015). "'It's not the armpit, but it's close': James Corden trashes Sidcup on chat show". News Shopper. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  11. Lusher, Adam; Sawer, Patrick (24 May 2008). "Harry Potter actor Robert Knox stabbed to death protecting his younger brother". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  12. "Man guilty of Potter actor murder". BBC News. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  13. Christie, Sam (12 June 2013). "Mum of Sidcup knife victim Rob Knox 'not surprised' by high weapon crime in Dartford". newsshopper.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  14. Griffiths, Josie (15 August 2015). "Church bench tribute to murdered Harry Potter actor, Sidcup's Rob Knox". newsshopper.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  15. "TFL Bus Route Map from Sidcup" (PDF).
  16. "Surnames beginning with A". bexley.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  17. O'Brien, Brendan (25 March 2015). "Harry Arter looks to make up for lost time". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  18. "Surnames beginning with B". bexley.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  19. https://www.bexleytimes.co.uk/news/bexley-x-factor-star-sam-bailey-reveals-song-choice-1-2903327
  20. "Player profile: Christopher Battarbee". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  21. "Our Founder". Bird College of Dance. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  22. "Rt Rev. Tom Burns". Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  23. Woods, Alan (3 July 2012). "Columnist Garry Bushell throws support behind Sidcup's Waitrose campaign". News Shopper. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  24. Johnson, Boris (7 November 2011). "Metal thieves dishonour the war dead with their vandalism". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  25. "Callender, Sheila Theodora Elsie". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/93866. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  26. "Ben Chorley Profile". aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  27. "Jason Crowe – football stats". soccerbase.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  28. "Jay Darlington, born in London, England, keyboardist... May 3 in History at BrainyHistory.com". BrainyHistory. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  29. "Ian Davenport". University of Warwick Art Collection. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  30. Cawdell, Luke (30 September 2016). "Dartford searching for goalkeeper to replace Deren Ibrahim after call-up to Gibraltar's World Cup qualifying squad". Kent Online. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  31. "John Paul Jones". led-zeppelin.org. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  32. "☽EDDiE LiND☾". SoundCloud. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  33. Glendinning, Lee (24 May 2008). "Harry Potter film actor stabbed to death". theguardian.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  34. Edwards, Richard (4 March 2009). "Harry Potter actor Rob Knox: profile". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
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  36. Wildsmith, Prof. Tony. "Dr Ivan Whiteside Magill". Royal College of Anaesthetists. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  37. "SIDCUP: Cage fighter Lee Murray will not be extradited over Securitas robbery". News Shopper. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
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  42. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  43. "Members of the San Luigi orders: Archbishop Geoffrey Paget King". san-luigi.org. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
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