Bromley Rural District facts for kids

Bromley was a special area in Kent, England. It was called a rural district. This means it was mostly countryside and small villages. It existed from 1894 to 1934. Today, this area is part of the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London. The main town of Bromley was not part of this rural district. It had its own local government.

What Was the Bromley Rural District?

The Bromley Rural District was created in 1894. This happened because of a law called the Local Government Act 1894. This law changed how local areas were managed. The district was based on an older health district.

Areas It Included

When it first started, the Bromley Rural District included fifteen small local areas. These small areas were called civil parishes. They were:

• Chelsfield
• Chislehurst
• Cudham
• Downe
• Farnborough
• Foots Cray
• Hayes
• Keston
• Knockholt
• Mottingham
• North Cray
• Orpington
• St Mary Cray
• St Paul's Cray
• West Wickham

Why Did Bromley Rural District Change?

Over time, the Bromley Rural District started to get smaller. Some of its parishes grew into towns. They became their own separate local government areas. For example, Chislehurst became an urban district in 1900. Foot's Cray became an urban district in 1902. It was later renamed Sidcup Urban District.

The End of the District

A new law in 1929, the Local Government Act 1929, allowed for big changes to local areas. More and more people were moving into the countryside around London. This meant the rural district was becoming less rural. It was clear that the district would not last much longer.

Local councils started to discuss how to divide the area. They held public meetings to talk about the changes.

How the District Was Divided

The Bromley Rural District officially ended on April 1, 1934. This happened because of the Kent Review Order of 1934. The district was split up and its parts joined other areas:

• Hayes and part of Keston joined the Borough of Bromley.
• Mottingham, North Cray, and St Paul's Cray became part of the larger Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District.
• West Wickham joined the Beckenham Urban District.
• The rest of the rural district became a new area. This new area was called the Orpington Urban District. It included Chelsfield, Cudham, Downe, Farnborough, part of Keston, Knockholt, Orpington, and St Mary Cray.