This western area of St Paul’s Cray is to the northeast of Orpington, and is the locality north of St. Mary Cray’s centre, which has rivalled Orpington for local supremacy for centuries. The north is bounded by the Sidcup By-Pass Road (the A20), but with a several-hundred-metre buffer of green space in the lakes of the River Cray as well as Cray Valley Golf Club. To the east exist St. Paul’s Cray Hill Country Park, the 54-hole Cray Valley Gold Club, and the many acres of farmland of Kevingtown, a rural hamlet with a few old cottages. The south of the neighbourhood blends into the centre of St. Mary Cray, and is where the high street is located on Cray Avenue. The street goes down to Orpington High Street, which used to be shorter than St. Mary’s, but has since, much like its twin town of St. Paul’s Cray, not grown as fast as Orpington, allowing for green spaces to flourish in the area, particularly around the lush river banks of the Cray, which runs vertically through the area. In general, St Paul’s Cray has an industrial vibe, a relic of its long heritage of housing factories, in particular by the River Cray. However, the factories have long gone and today it is a modern London suburb.

St. Mary Cray was a hugely important market town during the Middle Ages, due to the mills that operated near the River Cray. Its significance continued to grow as the railways came in 1860, when banknotes and stamps started being printed in the town. The area’s development would remain largely stagnant until the construction of the Orpington Bypass – the St. Mary Cray portion of which was Cray Avenue. During this time modern industry began to pop up, and by the 60s industrial development and council housing had eliminated most of the original village. Today St. Mary Cray still shows its industrial past, but is gradually moving in line with its neighbouring suburban towns, though house prices remain relatively affordable.

Star Lane cemetery is the burial ground for a few RAF and Commonwealth Air Forces airmen, who were killed in action during the Second World War.

The River Cray was home to many paper mills, with terraced cottages being built beside them to house workers – the micro-localities that formed were given nicknames such as Sloper’s Island or Dipper’s Slip. Traditional industries continued to flourish by the river up to the industrial revolution – in the 17th century, foundries in the area made bells for Canterbury Cathedral and Oxford.

The neighbourhood, in particular Star Lane, has a slight reputation for being a rough area. Nevertheless, other parts of the area are more in line with Orpington and southeast London in general.

The Cray Wanderers football team have been petitioning and planning their own stadium for a while now – having been sharing the lawns of other teams for the past four decades. They had planned to finish a new stadium by 2018, located near St. Paul’s Cray, near the Sidcup Bypass at Flamingo Park; however, the proposal was vetoed by the Mayor’s Office as it was to be built on the greenbelt. This is not the end of the story though! Recently, the Mayor reversed his veto and returned the issue back to Bromley Council, who then approved the development proposal. In 2022, the Cray Wanderers signed a contract with REIDsteel for the design and construction of the Wands new stadium at Flamingo Park. There is an intent to respect its green belt location and optimises its potential contributions to the community. The land to the right of the site has already been cleared in readiness for the much needed proposed and approved housing development that forms part of the new plans for the site’s regeneration.