Hayes can be described as a unique mix of the old and the new, the rural and the suburban, perfectly placed to give it a feel of being both undisturbed and well-connected, with trains to London Charing Cross leaving every 15 minutes. The area is bisected into two residential parts, north and south of the historic Pickhurst Lane. A large part of Hayes is filled by vast public open space, from Norman Park in the north, through Bromley Common, down to Hayes Common. Station Approach is a more typical high street but with plenty of exposed timber facades of shops and eateries, along with more 70s-style red-brick buildings. Only a few hundred metres away are two of Hayes’ many green spaces, the Knoll and Husseywell Open Space. Further down towards Baston Road, Hayes library is hidden in the Hayes Old Rectory Gardens. Taking a left at the roundabout will take you back in time to Old Hayes Village, featuring the 13th Century St Mary the Virgin Church, the shrub-covered village hall and the rustic pub, The George. Hayes is primarily home to married home owners.

The Hayes railway was laid in 1882, when the town’s population was only 600 but it wasn’t until 1925 that the area became an attractive location, specifically for well-established city workers. From then on, Hayes began to be developed by different public and private companies. Hayes Place estate, north of Pickhurst Road, is a large council-funded development with its own set of shops, originally built for soldiers returning from WWII. The Hayes Players amateur theatre club was founded in 1933 and continues to draw wide audiences, with productions every quarter. In 1822, the elaborate Warren Estate, playing fields, and gardens were built by the Dutch banker Maximillian de Zoete and restored in the 50s. It currently houses function rooms for corporate and community events.

Although prior to the late 19th century, Hayes would not have been more than a mere cluster of homes, these would have been surrounding a grand country mansion, Hayes Place, which in 1754 was bought by the prime minister of the time, William Pitt the elder. It was here that his son, William Pitt the Younger would be born, to then go on to become the youngest prime minister to date, seeing Britain through the Napoleonic wars and reforming the country from the old order to the new.

A neo-Georgian style mansion stands in Keston Park, a five-minute drive from Hayes. It was once home to the late Margaret Thatcher and her family. The same building housed Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones and former English footballer Kenny Sansom. Not bad for a small cluster of tiny Kentish villages! Although the trend is changing, some younger families might have preferred the more vibrant Bromley as compared with an older demographic in Hayes of home-owners in their 50s and 60s. Commuters also admit that trains from Hayes into London are stopping services while a non-stop service from either Orpington or Bromley south completes the journey in around 15 minutes. Both of these towns are a 10-minute drive away, however, and it is this proximity to the capital combined with the expansive countryside which makes Hayes a worthy choice.

Recent new developments in Hayes have included a restoration of Belgrave House in Hayes Common as part of London Square luxury homes development in 2016. This was accompanied by 15 elegant houses in the surrounding area.

Hayes has not received as much attention from developers as nearby Bromley, which is only 10 minutes away by car. Plans are afoot to redevelop the high street, following the successful completion of the first phase of the town centre environmental improvement programme, which focussed on Bromley North Village.