It’s a 90-minute walk to the nearest train station
The Spinning Wheel in London’s southernmost pub(Image: Philip Talmage / WikiCommons)
Over the past century, London has evolved from a humble riverside settlement into a vast metropolitan sprawl, extending its boundaries deep into the neighbouring Home Counties.
In certain areas of the capital, the famous River Thames is completely out of view, and journeying to Charing Cross in the heart of London can be as lengthy as travelling from the M25 to the coast.
One location in South London sits an incredible 22 kilometres from the river’s edge. The Ordnance Survey has confirmed that the area to the southeast of South Street in Bromley claims the distinction of being the most distant point from the River Thames within Greater London’s boundaries.
Speaking to MyLondon, a representative from the Ordnance Survey explained: “To find the furthest point from the River Thames within London, the length of the River Thames through the Great London area was selected from OS Open Rivers.
There’s a lot more room on driveways on South Street(Image: Google Maps)
“Buffers were then used to calculate where the furthest location was situated, which is found in South East London, south east of South Street, in the London Borough of Bromley, 22km from the Thames.”
South Street is a compact neighbourhood situated just past Biggin Hill in Bromley, nestled against the boundary where London borders Kent and Surrey, stretching along Main Road towards Hawley’s Corner.
Westerham Hill, representing London’s most Thames-distant point and the capital’s loftiest residential area at 220 metres above sea level, provides breathtaking rural panoramas across the Surrey-Kent boundary from the summit of Betsom’s Hill. This bucolic pocket of London is a charming mix of cottages, barns, and farms, nestled between two local favourites – the Aperfield Inn and the Spinning Wheel.
The latter, an Indian restaurant housed in a delightful cottage, holds the distinction of being London’s southernmost pub, situated on Hawley’s Corner.
The area’s farmers are famed for their strawberries, which are sold at Covent Garden, and they utilise their land for grazing. It’s also well-known for its equine residents and was once the venue for an annual horse show.
A Baptist church, established in the late 19th century, stands on Main Road. It experienced a boom in its congregation in the 1930s, but numbers have dwindled since the 1960s.
Main Road also hosts a variety of small businesses, including the Saddlery and Gun Room, a go-to spot for countryside pursuits.
However, one drawback is that reaching this area can be quite a challenge without a car. The nearest train station, located in New Addington, is a hefty 90-minute walk away.
But don’t worry, the 246 bus can whisk you to Hayes station in approximately 25 minutes. So, if you’re yearning for a day trip that will transport you far from London’s hustle and bustle without actually leaving the city, why not venture to the southernmost tip of Bromley, where London meets Surrey and Kent?
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