Longlands

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Greater London
region= London
population=
official_name= Longlands
latitude= 51.4302
longitude= 0.0854
os_grid_reference= TQ449722
london_borough= Bexley
post_town= SIDCUP
postcode_area= DA
postcode_district= DA14, DA15
post_town1= LONDON
postcode_area1= SE
postcode_district1= SE9
dial_code= 020
constituency_westminster= Old Bexley and Sidcup

Longlands is a place and suburb in southeast London, England and an electoral ward in the southwest corner of the London Borough of Bexley; its main postcodes are DA15 and DA14. Its post town is Sidcup and it is sometimes regarded as part of the town of Sidcup. Some old maps and records have the name as two words "Long Lands", and show it was in the Foots Cray/Sidcup parish [ [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10193382&c_id=10001043 Map of Sidcup parish] from Vision of Britain.org.uk] in the Hundred of Ruxley [ [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/image.aspx?compid=53779&filename=fig7.gif&pubid=415 Old map] showing Long Lands (bottom right) in the Hundred of Ruxley. From [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ British History Online] ] .

Found within Longlands

On Main Road there are a small number of shops including a Peugeot show room, an off license/convenience store, a fish and chip shop, a restaurant, a launderette and a small post office. Shops here seem to be some what over shadowed by nearby larger towns, New Eltham and especially Sidcup. London Buses also serve Main Road and its side roads, including the "321", the "160" and the "233". There are no buses or shops on this part of the A20, however there is a Jack Nicklaus golf centre other sports grounds here but they actually fall just south of the ward and borough boundary.

Within Longlands the place gives it name to Longlands Recreation Ground, Longlands Primary School, Longlands Road and Longlands Park Crescent. Also things found within the ward of Longlands include Queen Mary's Hospital, Frognal Corner Roundabout, Sidcup Fire Station, Sidcup Place, two primary schools, Longlands primary school and Dulverton Primary School, one secondary school, St Mary and St Joseph's Catholic School, and a small college. Most of these would give "Sidcup" as their address, with the exception of Dulverton Primary School which occupies the small westerly part of the ward that overlaps into SE9, and is classed by Royal Mail as New Eltham.

The small river Wyncham Stream also flows from Chislehurst northward through Longlands toward Lamorbey and finally into the River Shuttle.

Boundaries

Although, the area that is Longlands Ward itself is within the London Borough of Bexley, the shops on Main Road are in the northwest tip of the ward, and this small general area regarded as Longlands is very close to and may overlap both the borough boundaries and the postcode boundaries, making the general area of Longlands overlap into three London Boroughs and four postcodes. The boroughs being: Bexley, Bromley, and Greenwich; and postcodes: DA15, DA14, BR7, and SE9.

The ward is long from northwest to southeast like the main roads; all its long southwest boundary follows and includes the A20 Sidcup By-Pass Road. Although there are no railway stations within the ward, the northern boundary follows part of the railway line between Sidcup and New Eltham train stations, which are both only around a kilometre outside the border.

Education

:"For education in Longlands see the main London Borough of Bexley article"

Transport and locale

Nearby places

*Sidcup - to the east
*Lamorbey - northeast.
*Blackfen - northeast.
*Avery Hill - north.
*New Eltham - west
*Chislehurst - south
*Foots Cray - southeast.

Nearby railway stations

*Sidcup railway station
* New Eltham railway station
* Chislehurst railway station

Roads

Two A roads pass through Longlands, the A20 "Sidcup By-Pass Road", a dual carriageway, primary route to and from London, and the A211 called "Foots Cray Road" and "Main Road". They both run from northwest to southeast, the A20 being the southern most; on both these roads Longlands sits between New Eltham and Sidcup. An odd fact about the area is these A roads begin some distance apart, come closer together, they then run parallel for a short length at Longlands but move apart again without ever directly meeting; This makes the area recognizable on a map. A large concrete wall stands here separating the roads as they run parallel, stopping the faster traffic of Sidcup By Pass from swerving onto Main Road and possibly hitting on coming traffic. This wall is on the only bend of a relatively straight by-pass, and there have been several accidents involving cars crashing into this wall, that could have otherwise hit on coming traffic. around 2002 railings were put on the by-pass to prevent pedestrians attempting to cross the road, at least where the concrete wall is.

External links

* [http://www.bexley.gov.uk/about/councillors/wards/longlands.html Longlands Ward] on Bexley council website
* [http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/elections/streetindex/wardmaps/longlandsward.pdf Map of Longlands Ward] on Bexley council website. (Ordnance Survey map ©Crown 2006)

References