Coordinates: 51°24′28″N 0°01′19″W / 51.4077, -0.022
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles (13.5 km) south east of Charing Cross.
It is referred to as Bacheham in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name appears to derive from Beohha's homestead (Beohhan + ham in Old English).[1] The River Beck was named after the town. The word Beck also means a stream in Middle English. Many attribute John Cator as being responsible for turning the village of Beckenham into a significant town in the late 1700s - a process that accelerated after his death in 1806 with the arrival of the railway from the 1830s.
About the Town
St George's church at the centre of Beckenham has a 13th century lychgate that is said to be the oldest in England.[1]
Beckenham Cricket Club staged the Kent All-Comers' Championships, an international tennis tournament, from 1886 to 1996. The club held the world's first Open grass-court tournament in June 1968 - one month after the sport became 'open' to amateur and professional players - with Australians Fred Stolle and Margaret Court winning the singles titles.
The local Odeon cinema has four screens and is a grade II listed building.
Notable people
Famous people who lived and/or have been buried in Beckenham include:
References in pop culture
- In The Streets' song Who Got The Funk? from their first album Original Pirate Material Mike Skinner talks of London towns and names: 'Barnet; Brixton; Beckenham.'
- In Simon Brett's long-running BBC Radio 4 comedy drama, No Commitments, Beckenham is the home of the wildly snobbish, socially aspirational and insecure sister Victoria, and the town is frequently mocked by association.
Notable places
Nearest places
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