Farnborough, London

History

The village name derives from Fearnbiorginga, meaning a village among the ferns on the hill. Old records date from 862 when Ethelbert, King of Wessex, gave away 950 acres at Farnborough. The village was not included in the Domesday Book of 1086, but the manor existed in the Middle Ages and was held in the 13th century by Simon de Montfort.

The village evolved on the main road from London to Hastings which originally ran via Church Road and Old Hill (to the south of the village). The George pub existed in the 16th century and was used as a coaching inn. Coaches and horses were accommodated later. In 1639 a severe storm destroyed St Giles' Church –it was later rebuilt.

Suburban development occurred in the post-Second World War years, resulting in the village becoming almost contiguous with the London conurbation, however Green Belt legislation prevented any further development southwards. On 30 March 2008, a Cessna Citation jet carrying five people onboard crashed into a house in the village. All five people on board died, including former racing drivers Richard Lloyd and David Leslie.

Local government

Farnborough formed a civil parish in the Ruxley hundred of Kent. In 1840 the parish was included in the Metropolitan Police District. It was part of the Bromley rural sanitary district and went on to form part of the Bromley Rural District from 1894 to 1934. The parish was abolished in 1934 under a county review order, following the Local Government Act 1929, and its area was split between the Municipal Borough of Bromley (3 acres) and Orpington Urban District (1,426 acres). The entire area has formed part of the London Borough of Bromley in Greater London since 1965.

Farnborough is part of the Farnborough and Crofton ward for elections to Bromley London Borough Council.

In film

On 1 May 1933, British Pathé released As Befits a Romany Queen. The subject was the funeral of Urania Boswell, wife of Levi Boswell, of Willow Walk, behind Princess Royal University Hospital, on 24 April. She was the last Queen of the Kent Gypsies (Romani People). The film lasts just under two minutes, and follows the cortège into Saint Giles the Abbott Church, where the gravestone may still be found, near to the war memorial.

Transport

The nearest National Rail station to Farnborough is Orpington station, located 1.7 mile away.

Farnborough is served by two London Buses routes.

• 358 to Crystal Palace via Bromley, Elmers End, Beckenham & Penge or to Orpington.
• R4 to Locksbottom or to Paul’s Cray Hill via Orpington & St Mary Cray.

Population

Notable residents

• Steve Bennett (b. 1961) – football referee, born in Farnborough
• Chris Cowdrey (b. 1957) – cricketer, born in Farnborough
• Nigel Farage (b. 1964) – politician, born in Farnborough
• Ben Wallace (b. 1970) – Conservative politician, born in Farnborough
• Patrick Watts (b. 1955) – racing driver, born in Farnborough
• Melbourne Inman (1878–1951), six-time world billiards champion, spent his later years in Farnborough

References

References

1. "Bromley Ward population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
2. (2006). "The London Gazetteer". Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd.
3. "Farnborough Village Society". Farnboroughvillage.info.
4. (6 April 2008). "Crash dead remembered at service". BBC News.
5. {{cite vob. link
6. Film identification No.:705.07; media urn: 6136
7. "Birthdate and Biographical detail". [[the Football League]] official website.
8. "Biography of Nigel Farage at the European Parliament". [[European Parliament]].
9. (9 June 2018). "Ben Wallace: we don't set out to kill terrorists". [[The Times]].