For other uses, see Bexley (disambiguation).

Bexley is a place in south east London in the London Borough of Bexley. It was once an ancient parish of Kent. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road Watling Street. There are two parts to the town - Old Bexley, still with the appearance of a village, and more recent suburban areas that blend into Bexleyheath where the main administrative offices of the London Borough of Bexley and council chamber are located.

The main landmark is the church of Saint Mary's which gives its name to the electoral ward containing the village. The church's most distinctive feature is probably the unusual spire which resembles an octagonal cone balanced precariously on top of a truncated pyramid.

Hall Place

Hall Place is a former stately home, beside the River Cray near Bexley. The house is unusual in that its two halves are built in highly contrasting architectural styles, with little attempt at harmonizing them.

It was first built in 1540 by Sir John Champneys, a former Lord Mayor of London, out of stone recycled from a nearby former monastery. A hundred years later, in 1640, the house was bought by another wealthy City businessman, Sir Robert Austen, who added a second wing built of red bricks in the latest style.

Arms of the former Bexley Borough Council

The house and grounds are now owned by Bexley borough council, and are open to the public. The gardens include a topiary display of traditional heraldic figures. The "London LOOP" walk passes Hall Place on its way through Bexley, following the River Cray from Crayford to Foots Cray.

External link

• A very useful website, produced by the local archives (http://www.bexley.gov.uk/visiting/history.html)