Estate & Letting Agents in West Wickham

West Wickham sits on the south east fringe of Greater London, in the borough of Bromley, between the built up streets of Beckenham and the open land that runs towards Croydon and Addington. Until 1965 the area was part of Kent, and its name still points to the Anglo-Saxon settlement recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. West Wickham stayed a village for centuries, with farms surrounding Wickham Court, the Tudor manor house built for Sir Henry Heydon in 1469 and later owned by the Lennard family.

Growth arrived properly with the railway station in 1882, and the interwar decades then filled in the fields with the semi-detached and terraced housing that still defines much of the area today, including the Coney Hall estate built by the Morrell brothers on former farmland to the south east.

Living in West Wickham today means a slower pace than neighbouring Croydon or Beckenham, with wide grass verges, mature trees and a high street that has kept its independent feel rather than being taken over by chain retail. Families make up a large part of the population, drawn by the semi-detached houses and the schools within walking distance, while the streets around Wickham Road and Pickhurst Rise attract buyers who want more space than a flat in Zone 3 or 4 would offer for the same money.

West Wickham lies at the edge of Greater London, giving it more transport options than many outer suburbs, from a direct rail line into the city to bus routes running out towards Croydon and Bromley.

• Car & Road: the A232 runs directly through West Wickham as Croydon Road and Wickham Road, linking the area to Bromley town centre in around 10 minutes and to Croydon in 15 minutes. The A21 is reachable within 10 minutes for routes into Lewisham and central London, while the M25 can be joined near Sevenoaks in around 15 minutes, giving a fast route to Gatwick and the Kent coast.
• Bus: routes run between Bromley and Croydon via West Wickham, while others connect West Wickham station with Beckenham, Clock House and West Croydon. Further routes serve Hayes and Coney Hall, putting most streets within a short walk of a stop.
• Train: West Wickham station, a short walk from the high street, has a Southeastern service running up to four times an hour direct to London Charing Cross in around 40 minutes, calling at Lewisham and London Bridge on the way.

Day to day life in West Wickham centres on a high street that has kept most of its independent shops, backed up by playing fields, surgeries and dental practices within a short walk of most houses.

Shopping: the high street forms the spine of the shopping on offer, anchored by a Sainsbury’s supermarket at one end and a Marks and Spencer Simply Food closer to the station. Independent shops, including bakeries, a hardware store and several long standing family businesses, fill the parade between them, with West Wickham Library just off the main run of shops.

Eating & Drinking: the high street and Croydon Road hold a solid spread of cafes, Italian and Indian restaurants and a handful of traditional pubs, drawing custom from Hayes and Coney Hall as well as West Wickham itself. A small Friday market adds fresh produce to the usual shops.

Property styles in West Wickham: the area is built up almost entirely of interwar semi-detached and terraced housing, put up during the 1920s and 1930s as the fields around the railway station were sold off for development.

Detached houses from the same period sit on wider plots around Corkscrew Hill and Gates Green Road, while a smaller pocket of Victorian and Edwardian cottages survives close to St John the Baptist Church, the oldest part of the area.

Flats are limited mostly to purpose built blocks along Station Road and a scattering of conversions above the high street shops, so the property types on offer lean heavily towards family houses with gardens rather than flats.

West Wickham has kept more of its older buildings than many outer London suburbs, giving anyone moving here plenty to explore close by.

• Wickham Court – built around 1469 for Sir Henry Heydon and later held by the Lennard family until 1833, this semi-fortified manor house is Grade I listed. It now houses Coloma Convent Girls School, with its red brick turrets visible from Layhams Road.
• St John the Baptist Church – standing beside Wickham Court, this medieval parish church is known locally for its stained glass and falls under the Diocese of Southwark.
• The Swan – a Grade II listed coaching inn on the high street, with records of a building on the site since the 15th century and the current structure dating from the 1840s, still a working pub today.
• West Wickham Common – managed by the City of London Corporation, this heathland and ancient woodland holds oak pollards thought to be over 600 years old.

Restaurants

Prima Donnas – a long-established Red Lodge Road restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine, with its own Prima Bar for cocktails and wine.

Harpers Restaurant – a stylish, family friendly High Street spot for brunch, lunch and dinner, complete with a secret garden terrace and cocktail offers.

GEUΣΗ – an authentic modern Greek taverna on the High Street serving classics like moussaka, spanakopita and homemade portokalopita.

Topolino Restaurant – an Italian restaurant and bar on the High Street offering à la carte dining, drinks and private hire.

Cacio e Pepe – a Kingsway Italian restaurant blending traditional recipes with modern cooking, from fresh pasta to slow cooked sauces.

Palm Restaurant – a Croydon Road restaurant fusing Turkish and British dishes, known for its bottomless Saturday brunch and Sunday roast.

Pubs

The Wheatsheaf – a recently refurbished High Street pub serving home cooked food from locally sourced produce, with live soul music every second Saturday.

The Railway Hotel – an Ember Inns pub near the train station offering fixed price menus, a Sunday roast and a spacious beer garden.