Crockenhill encapsulates the south part of Swanley, as well as the village of Crockenhill. The area is cut by the A20 and the M25, with Swanley town being bounded by both these motorways. To the southwest is Crockenhill, a small village less than two kilometres from Swanley centre. The area features a few factories, such as the Swan Mill Paper Company as well as the Olympic and Pedham Place Golf Range; there are also a few sports clubs in BR8-8. To the south and east are several nature reserves, such as High View Field and Farningham Wood Nature Reserve, opened by David Attenborough in 1986, which is just outside the postcode sector.

Crockenhill derives its name from Crockern-Held, which means ‘the hill where a pottery kiln stands’, due to the fact that the area contained heavy clay soil, sand and woodland which all in all provided the resources to make tiles, giving rise to location names in the area such as Tyler’s Green. The tiles were supplied to a kiln in Dartford which smelted Frobisher’s gold from Canada – which collapsed when it was found that the gold was instead fool’s gold.

Swanley used to grow a lot of soft fruit, in particular strawberries – and there was a jam factory, opened by the Woods family. The Woods family also introduced steam power to the village, and turned the area into a place for large-scale fruit planting, cementing Swanley’s horticultural reputation.

The Hart Dyke family owned a lot of land in Swanley and Crockenhill, and their ‘benevolent rent policy’ was responsible for the growth of the market gardening industry in the 19th century. The family received the land back in Tudor times, with Henry VIII gave it to Sir Percyval Hart of Lullingstone (after taking it from the monasteries). The family has survived up to today, with a descendant of theirs, David Hart Dyke, having commanded the HMS Coventry during the Falklands War.

Abraham Hill was the man responsible for introducing orchards into Swanley, back in the 17th century, a legacy that has only grown over time – he bought the Manor of St. John Jerusalem and introduced apple orchards to the area.

Crockenhil does not have many businesses in the area, owing to its relatively sparse population, with the exception of the numerous driving schools which have taken advantage of this fact. While not necessarily a constant nuisance, one does see the effect of many car parks and garages littering the village centre.

Swanley, which borders Crockenhill to its South, and Hextable, a neighbourhood of Swanley located a bit further North, are expected to receive some exciting changes. Tibbalds recently completed a study that reenvisions Swanley and Hextable in such a way that it supports the regeneration of both areas, in particular Swanley town centre, housing, retail and transport infrastructure. The study also considers the replacement of Swanley’s leisure centre. Tibbalds was appointed by Sevenoaks District Council for the study and their findings now forms part of the evidence incorporated into the council’s new local plan.