Greenwich is a Borough in South East London, and includes part of Blackheath, Kidbrooke and Westcombe Park. This borough is south of the River Thames, putting it in close proximity to East London, especially areas such as the Isle of Dogs, which is situated on the other side of the Thames. Kidbrooke itself is slightly set back from the river at the top of Greenwich hill. It has its own rail station, and this means that it is well connected to neighbouring areas of Eltham and Greenwich, as well as to London Bridge and the rest of the city. Compared to Greenwich, Kidbrook’s green spaces are less concentrated, and instead there are more individualised patches of greenery and park.

Kidbrooke is located in the London Borough of Greenwich and by the 11th and 12th century it had its own Church and a small population. Kidbrooke was named after the Kyd Brook, a river course that runs from Orpington to Lewisham, after connecting to the River Quaggy. The area was predominantly known for its farming history right up until Kidbrooke station opened in 1895, which attracted commercial businesses and residents to the area. The area contains a lot of 1920s and 1930s residential houses, developed mainly by the Kidbrooke Park Estate, and built between Shooters Hill and Rochester Way.

Greenwich Secondary School, Thomas Tallis, was named after a 16th century Greenwich resident and famous composer of the same name. Looking further into etymology associated with the area, the name ‘Kidbrooke’ has its roots in Anglo Saxon, meaning ‘the brook where the kites were seen’.

Greenwich has seen a disproportionate increase in knife crime, as part of the recent wave, when compared to the rest of London. The area also suffers heavily from congestion, as research suggests that for every five miles car drivers are on one of Greenwich’s main roads, they should add an extra 84 seconds to their journeys.

Greenwich Council has agreed to a new larger train station to meet the demands for Kidbrooke’s growing population. The improvements made by TFL are planned to be integrated with the wider Kidbrooke Square development, which is a similar residential-led scheme providing 619 new homes across eight buildings. South of here, the £1bn redevelopment of the nearby Ferrier Estate, named Kidbrooke Village, has been one of the largest changes to hit this area in recent years. So far 1,900 of a planned total of 4,800 homes have been delivered, 35% of which will be ‘affordable’. This will not only increase the local population, but is also hoped to spur investment into the area.