Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for ORPINGTON

ORPINGTON, a village and a parish in Bromley district, Kent. The village stands adjacent to a station ofits own name, on the Direct Tunbridge railway, 4 miles S E of Bromley; is a pleasant place; and has a post-office under Bromley, Kent, and a fair on Holy Thursday. The parish contains also the hamlet of Crofton, and com.prises 3, 477 acres. Real property, £6, 142. Pop. in 1851, 1, 203; in 1861, 1, 727. Houses, 320. The increase of pop. arose from the operations of a building society. The property is divided among a few. The manor of Great Orpington belongs to Sir P. H. Dyke, Bart.; and that of Little Orpington, to J. G. Stapelton, Esq. Crofton Hall is the seat of Sir R. M. Bromley; Crofton House, of J. F. Skeggs, Esq.; Aynscombe House, of A. Jackson, Esq.; the Priory, ofBarry, Esq.; and Bark Hart, of H. D. Francis, Esq. Hops and all kinds offruit are plentifully grown. The springs are so numerous as frequently to flood the village. Brickmaking iscarried on. The living is a vicarage in the dio. of Canterbury; and, till 1868, was united with St. Mary Cray. Value, £420.* Patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is mainly early English; includes Normanportions; and has a low embattled tower. There are a British school, and charities £39. Queen Elizabeth wasentertained at Bark Hart, in 1573, by Sir P. Hart.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a village and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Orpington CP/AP       Bromley RegD/PLU       Kent AncC
Place: Orpington

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