TOWNSPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on Orpington
THE LONDON / KENT GATEWAY
ORPINGTON MAY HAVE LONDON ON ITS DOORSTEP ( JUST 16 MINUTES BY TRAIN ), AND IT MAY BE PART OF THE LONDON BOROUGH OF BROMLEY . IT MAY EVEN BE ONE OF THE 35 MAJOR CENTRES OF GREATER LONDON , BUT IT HAS KENT IN ITS HEART AND IN ITS BLOOD . SURROUNDED BY HOP FIELDS , FARMS AND ORCHARDS , IT COULDN ’ T BE ANYWHERE ELSE . BY LISAMARIE LAMB
HISTORY IN BRIEF
It was the Romans who first found Orpington – they inhabited Crofton Roman Vila from AD140 to AD400 . The reason that they decided the area around Orpington was such a great place to settle was the land ; it was rich and fertile , easy to grow crops in , and there was plenty of it too . The land was so well regarded that by 862 it had become a reward that was given away by Ethelbert , King of Wessex . He gave it to his first minister , Dryhtwald .
The land passed from person to person , each one a custodian of this perfect farming soil . In 1032 it was a man named Eadsy , chaplain to King Canute , who owned the land ; it was known as Orped ’ s Farm , or Orpedingetune . Eadsy , with no one to pass the land on to , gave it instead to Christ Church Priory in Canterbury .
As the years , decades and centuries passed , Orpington and the land around it became more and more important to trade . Rich landowners chose to settle there , and a number of manor houses were built ( notably at Ruxley and Lullingstone ). Orpington was the place to be for the wealthy and influential . At this point , along with new shops , taverns , inns and buildings , Orpington became a town to be reckoned with – an important stop on the way to and from Canterbury from London for those travelling for business and those on pilgrimage .
Orpington ’ s railway was built in 1868 ( this was later improved and enlarged in 1904 ) giving it links to the capital and further out into Kent . Orpington was – and is – an important hub .
In 2013 , Orpington ’ s business community came together to form Orpington 1st , the borough ’ s first Business Improvement District ( BID ) ( www . orpington1st . co . uk ). A BID is a not-for-profit company owned and led by local employers . Businesses in a defined area pay a levy based on their premises ’ rateable value which is reinvested back into the area .
Capitalising on the town ’ s position as the London / Kent Gateway , Orpington 1st funds a wide range of projects with the aim of improving Orpington as an area to work , visit and live . These include a calendar of events , improvements to the look and feel of the town , safety and security initiatives , measures to reduce businesses ’ operating costs as well as promoting the town and its businesses to a wider audience .
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