Famed for its large houses, Bickley is among the most affluent areas of the capital, and indeed the country. Ten miles south of Charing Cross, this postal sector has a leafy, suburban feel, though is well-connected to Victoria, Kentish Town, Sevenoaks and Orpington, with Bickley Station in the centre and Chislehurst at the eastern edge. For nature lovers and exercise enthusiasts, the Jubilee Country Park offers 62 acres of wildflower meadows, hedgerows and semi-natural ancient woodland, bike tracks, and a link to the London LOOP footpath. Shops and amenities cluster around Widmore Road, though this is predominantly a residential neighbourhood.

Bickley began as a small hamlet called Cross in Hand. The surrounding area (which makes up present-day Bickley) was virtually uninhabited until the eighteenth century, although the name, meaning Bicca’s clearing, was recorded as early as 1279. Bickley Park, the area between Chislehurst Road and Bickley Park Road was once the estate of Bickley Hall, a classical house designed by Robert Mylne, FRS, for John Wells, shipbuilder, in 1780 (demolished 1963). From the 1860s to the 1960s it was redeveloped for residential use, and now boasts some of the country’s most sought-after homes.

Bickley’s most famous resident is singer, song-writer, and actress Pixie Lott. Known for hits such as ‘Baby’ and ‘Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)’, Lott grew up in Bickley, singing at the local church school from a young age.

The Chequers Pub on Southborough Lane is rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of highwayman Dick Turpin! On two separate occasions in 2013, staff reported being terrorised by the supernatural being…

Shops, restaurants and entertainment venues are thin on the ground, and those beautiful houses don’t come cheap! However, leafy streets, beautiful houses, and proximity to nature, as well as what one local mother described as ‘perfect schools’ more than compensate.

Impressive new family homes are springing up along Oldfield Road, but there are no other major developments currently in the works aside from small clusters of newly built detached family homes or apartments, often presented as luxury residences.