Crayford

For other uses, see Crayford (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Crawford (disambiguation).

Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement developed by the river Cray, around a ford that is no longer used.

Crayford
Crayford Location within Greater London
Population	11,226 (2011 Census. Ward)^[1]
OS grid reference	TQ515745
• Charing Cross	13.7 mi (22.0 km) WNW
London borough	Bexley
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DARTFORD
Postcode district	DA1
Dialling code	01322
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Bexleyheath and Crayford
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley
List of places UK England London 51°26′57″N 0°10′52″E / 51.4491°N 0.1812°E / 51.4491; 0.1812

History

 

Lion remains from Crayford; dated to the Palaeolithic

An Iron Age settlement existed in the vicinity of the present St Paulinus Church between the Julian and Claudian invasions of Britain, from roughly 30 BC to AD 40. Roman ruins have been discovered and Crayford is one of several places proposed as the site of Noviomagus Cantiacorum, a place mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary as being on the Roman equivalent of the later Watling Street. Crayford is also plausible as the site of the bloody battle of Crecganford ("Creeksford") in 457 in which Hengist defeated Vortimer to become the supreme sovereign of Kent.^[2][3] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written around 400 years later describes how Hengist and Æsc defeated the "Brettas" at that battle.

Crayford is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was compiled just prior to 1086, as a settlement within the Hundred of Litlelee with a church, three mills, and a relatively large population of 27 regular householders (villeins) and two smallholders. Its overlord was not a private individual or the king but Christ Church, Canterbury.^[4]

As a (civil/combined) parish (before 1920) it included the hamlets of Northend, Perry Street and Slade Green which lie to the north. In 1831, the population of the parish was 2022 people.^[5] For centuries it was strongly associated with brick-making, the printing of silk scarves, ties and calico cloths, and for a short period carpet-making.

 

Crayford Manor House, reconstructed in 1816

 

1887 photograph of May Place

There were two main Manor Houses in the area during the Middle Ages, Newbery Manor on the site of what is now Crayford Manor House, and Howbury Manor next to Slade Green. Roger Apylton had served Kings Henry V and Henry VI as auditor, and resided at Marshalls Court, Crayford. Late in the reign of Elizabeth I Henry Partich sold Newbery Manor to Henry Apylton of Marshalls Court, and Apylton built May Place close by.^[6] Hall Place, which lies alongside the River Cray, was built for Lord Mayor of the City of London Sir John Champneis in around 1537. There was also an Iron Mill, which was later replaced by a saw mill (in 1765), which produced the timber for the floor of Buckingham Palace.^[5] In 1551 Francis Goldsmith bought a 'Great tenement called The Place' next to the bridge in Crayford, and between 1556 and 1586 purchased substantial amounts of local farmland and the Old Bell Public House.^[7]

In 1623 most of the parish of Crayford was purchased by Merchant Taylor Robert Draper^[8] including Newbery Manor, Howbury Manor, Marshalls Court and May Place, where his family took up residence. Draper's wife Anne was the daughter of Thomas Harman who lived at Ellam House which subsequently passed to the Drapers.^[9] The ownerships subsequently passed to Robert Draper's son William, who was selected to be the Sheriff of the County of Kent but died in 1650 before taking office, and then to Robert's grandson, parliamentarian Cresheld Draper. On the death of Cresheld Draper in 1694, his heirs sold all the properties to Sir Cloudesley Shovell'.^[9]

Crayford Manor House was rebuilt in the eighteenth century, at the time essentially a farmhouse until it was remodelled in 1816 for the Rev. Thomas Barne. Historic England state it was built piecemeal over several periods, with a porch and Italianate features being added to the 1816 building.^[10]

Other notable 19th-century local houses included Shenstone (built around 1828 and demolished 1974, the site is now Shenstone School, with Shenstone's former grounds now being Shenstone Park),^[11] Stoneyhurst (which became Stoneyhurst Convent High School and is now the site of St Catherine's Roman Catholic School for Girls),^[12][13] Martens Grove and Oakwood - the latter two designed by architect John Shaw Jr. and built by George Locke of builders Locke & Nesham with each occupying one of the houses.^[14]

Industrialisation

In 1819, the former saw mill site became a flour mill. Another major employer was the silk works set up by Augustus Applegath and later run by David Evans. The Maxim Nordenfeldt Gun and Ammunition Factory was also a major employer, until taken over by the Vickers Company in 1897. Vickers built military aeroplanes and armaments and became the dominant employer, building homes, a theatre and a canteen close to many workshops. The canteen (built during the First World War) was converted for use by the Crayford Urban District Council as Crayford Town Hall and is a locally listed building.^[15]

Another former major employer in Crayford was Dussek Brothers (part of Burmah-Castrol since the 1960s) who operated their oils and waxes blending business on Thames Road from around 1928 until the site was bought by BP and subsequently closed down in 2001. The entire site was demolished in early 2010. The David Evans silk works is another recent closure, in 2002.

In 1982 a housing cooperative was built at Craymill next to the A206 road.^[16]

Demography

According to the 2011 census, 84% of the population is White British.^[17]

Leisure

 

Crayford Gardens, with the River Cray running through it, lies in the centre of Crayford.

Crayford has a theatre and a greyhound racing track. The theatre was named in honour of Geoffrey Whitworth who played a key part in developing a British tradition of amateur drama and in building political support for The Royal National Theatre. The new Crayford Community Centre, located above the library, is the venue for many groups.^[18]

Nearby Hall Place is a scheduled monument lying between Crayford and Bexley. It has gardens with the River Cray running through and a plant nursery, a cafe and restaurant plus the silkworks shop.

"The Bear and Ragged Staff" public house is in the town centre.

The large Sainsbury's supermarket situated next to the greyhound stadium was claimed by Sainsbury's to be the world first's use of technology which heats the store using natural energy captured through boreholes buried hundreds of metres beneath the ground and was at the time of its expansion (2010) the largest Sainsbury's in England.^[19]

The Tower Retail Park is opposite Crayford Town Hall.

The High Street is partly one-way for motor traffic.^[20]

Sport

 

Crayford Town Hall

• VCD Athletic Football Club compete in the Isthmian League Premier Division ('VCD' stands for Vickers, Crayford and Dartford). They play at Oakwood stadium, on Old Road, Crayford, which they share with Kent Football United
• Crayford Arrows Sports Club^[21] is a local football team, established in 1981
• Crayford Jujitsu Club^[22] are a local self-defence martial art club, providing Jujitsu instruction to both adults (over 15 years of age) and children (from 6–14 years old). It was formerly located in the sports hall adjacent to the Crayford Greyhound Stadium, but was re-established at the Europa Centre, on Vimy Way in 2012 after being closed for a number of years
• Speedway racing was staged at Crayford Greyhound Stadium. The team raced in the inaugural 1968 British League Division Two as the Highwaymen before closing down. In later years the sport was revived and the team were known as the Kestrels. The track subsequently closed and the team moved to Hackney Stadium in East London

Education

• Secondary schools in the area include Haberdashers' Crayford Academy

Places of worship

 

St Paulinus Church, as seen from the southwest

• Acts 2 Church Crayford,^[23] Haberdashers' Aske's Academy, Iron Mill Lane
• Crayford Baptist Church, Bexley Lane
• St Paulinus Church (Anglican), Manor Road^[24]
• St Mary of the Crays Catholic Church, Old Road
• Crayford Mosque, Crayford High Street

Locality

 

Crayford ward (green) within the London Borough of Bexley (yellow)

Nearest places

• Bexleyheath
• Dartford
• Barnes Cray
• Slade Green
• Barnehurst
• Erith
• Bexley

Transport

Rail

Crayford railway station connects the town with Southeastern services to London Charing Cross via Sidcup, London Cannon Street via Sidcup and Lewisham, London Cannon Street via Woolwich Arsenal and Greenwich, Dartford and Gravesend.^[25]

Buses

Crayford is served by three Transport for London bus services.

• 96 to Woolwich via Bexleyheath and Welling, and to Bluewater via Dartford
• 428 to Erith and to Bluewater via Dartford
• 492 to Sidcup via Bexleyheath and to Bluewater via Dartford

Notable residents

 

A sculpture of Alcock and Brown near the location of the (demolished) Vickers factory in Crayford

• Semi Ajayi, footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion and the Nigeria national football team^[26]
• Augustus Applegath, inventor who built Shenstone House^[27]
• Thomas Bevan, soldier and played first-class cricket for the British Army cricket team^[28]
• Algernon Blackwood, author, journalist and broadcaster, lived in Crayford Manor House between 1871 and 1880^[10]
• William Claiborne, surveyor of Jamestown in the Virginia Colony and established the first permanent European settlement in Maryland^{[29][30][31][32]}
• George Green, footballer^[33]
• Thomas Harman, author who resided in Crayford from 1547^[34]
• Henry Nuttall, cricketer^[35]
• Keith and Gavin Peacock, father and son footballers.^[36]
• Cloudesley Shovell, admiral who lived at May Place between 1694 and 1707^[37]
• Frederick Currie, lived at the Manor House, May Place
• Hiram Maxim, inventor, lived at Stoneyhurst from 1884 until 1889)^[12][38]
• Derek Ufton, played cricket for Kent and football for Charlton Athletic^[39]
• Jack Wall, inventor of the Crayford focuser^[40]

References

1. . Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
2. Brayley, Edward Wedlake (1808). The Beauties of England and Wales; or, Original Delineations Topographical, Historical and Descriptive of Each Country. Vol.VII. London: Thomas Maiden Sherbourn-Lane. p. 550. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
3. Schofield, John (1999). The Building of London: From the Conquest to the Great Fire (3 ed.). Sutton. p. 21. ISBN 0750921838. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
4. Domesday Map 20 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2013-08-23
5. 'Pigots 1840', on website freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~shebra/pigots_1840 accessed 5 December 2007
6. British History Online version of Edward Hasted's History of Kent Volume 2 accessed 10 February 2016
7. History of Parliament page on Francis Goldsmith accessed 10 February 2016
8. History of Parliament article on Cresheld Draper accessed 10 February 2016
9. Facets of Froyle website articles on the Draper family accessed 10 February 2016
10. Historic England assessmengt of Crayford Manor House 7 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 February 2016
11. Parks & Gardens website page on Shenstone Park 8 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 February 2016
12. Dartford Council website article on Hiram Maxim Accessed 7 February 2016
13. Bexley Boroughs Photos website text accompanying picture of Stoneyhurst Convent High School accessed 9 February 2016
14. Bexley Council article on Martens and Oakwood 15 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 February 2016
15. "Local List" (PDF). London Borough of Bexley. 1 November 2019. (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
16. CDS https://www.cds.coop/for-co-ops/co-op/craymill/
17. Services, Good Stuff IT. "Crayford - UK Census Data 2011".
18. Crayford Community Centre 7 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Your London Library; accessed 7 February 2016
19. Sainsburys article on largest stores in England, Scotland and Wales 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine J Sainsbury; accessed 7 February 2016
20. Developer plans for new Crayford retail park 7 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Completely Retail
21. . Crayford Arrows FC. Archived from the original on 3 September 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2006.
22. . Europa Centre. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
23. . Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
24. "IDEAL HOMES:A HISTORY OF SOUTH-EAST LONDON SUBURBS". Retrieved 9 April 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
25. Crayford National Rail Enquiries
26. "Semi Ajayi". 11v11. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
27. Bexley Council article 'Crayford' 21 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 February 2016
28. McCrery, Nigel (2011). The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two. Vol. 2nd volume. Pen and Sword. pp. 104–5. ISBN 978-1526706980.
29. Clayburn Family website page about Thomas Claiborne 26 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed 10 February 2016
30. Kent Island website history page 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 10 February 2016
31. Archives of Maryland biography of William Claiborne by Jennifer Copeland accessed 10 February 2016
32. New Kent History Blog article on its establishment accessed 10 February 2016
33. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.
34. Rogues & Early Modern English Culture (University of Michigan Press, Craig Dionne & Steve Mentz, Editors ISBN 0-472-03177-5) page 106 shown at books.google.co.uk accessed 10 February 2016
35. "Henry Nuttall". cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
36. . London Borough of Bexley. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
37. CrayfordHistory website article about May Place 27 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 February 2016
38. Bexley Council website article on Hiram Maxim 7 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 7 February 2016
39. 'A Remarkable Sporting Life' - article about Derek Ufton on Kent Cricket website accessed 10 February 2016
40. Description of the Crayford Focuser 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine accessed 28 November 2007

External links

• A description of Crayford in c. 1870 in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (from the 'Vision of Britain' website)
• Two maps of the area c.1800 27 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
• Maps of Crayford Parish in the past^{[permanent dead link]}
• A diary listing musicians booked to appear at the Bear and Ragged Staff public house, 2 London Road 10 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• Crayford Manor House Astronomical Society 8 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
• The brick-faced Town Hall, built as a canteen and offices for Vickers' staff and subsequently used for tea dances and other community events, now a clinic with flats above
• Summary of Vickers' mergers/acquisitions
• The Geoffrey Whitworth Theatre
• Crayford Tubes