Bexleyheath & Crayford
May 30, 2022 15:07:24 GMT
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Post by sirbenjamin on May 30, 2022 15:07:24 GMT
Another unnecessary case of an 'X & Y' named seat that crosses no LA boundaries, Bexleyheath & Crayford takes in a fairly compact chunk of the London Borough of Bexley. Essentially 'Bexley Mid', it borders just the other two Bexley-based seats, plus the constituency of Dartford, across the border in Kent. And there are many in this part of the world for whom this /is/ Kent rather than South East London.
The main centre is Bexleyheath, covered by a ward of the same name and the more esoteric 'Crook Log', which actually takes its name from an 18th century ale house. The modern day Crook Log pub is, sadly, a Toby Carvery, but it isn't all bad news: as in neighbouring Old Bexley & Sidcup, the Bexleyheath area has seen its high streets rejuvenated - at least as far as beer lovers are concerned - by the arrival of several micropubs. These include BV London Pub of the Year, the Kentish Belle, whose landlord stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate (in Crayford ward) in the 2022 locals, and where the first post-Lockdown pints were served at one second past midnight on April 12, 2021. (If you were watching the TV news coverage you'll have seen a certain right-wing beer writer there!)
Bexleyheath was the birthplace of Sheila Hancock and Kate Bush, while Roger Moore - a rare recent example of an 'out' Tory celebrity - also lived in the area until becoming a tax exile. Along its unspectacular Broadway, with a Wetherspoons at either end of it, Bexleyheath merges imperceptibly into Barnehurst, one of those destinations seen on train departure boards that isn't the end of the line, but simply the furthermost point on a 'round the loop' service that heads back to London; a loophole (literally) exploitable by those in the know.
Slade Green is the most Easterly part of London South of the river. With light industry and river plains, it is bordered by the river Thames to the north, while the east the Darent marks the border between London and Kent, specifically Dartford. This is the only part of the seat that reliably votes Labour at local level - every other ward is still Conservative on the current boundaries, though in some cases by a narrow margin.
Further inland - and arguably the superfluous part of the seat name - is Crayford, named after the River Cray, itself a tributary of the Darent. Historically very much part of Kent, these areas still look to Dartford as their main local centre and cross-county transport connections are unusually good. This is classic middle-class suburbia in all its mock-Tudor glory, but there are still signs that it was once a little Kentish village, with plenty of green spaces and a Georgian Manor house.
B&C is represented by Sir David Evennett, now something of a veteran parliamentarian, having served as MP for the predecessor seat of Erith & Crayford until its abolition in 1997. He stood twice unsuccessfully for the new seat before returning to the green benches in 2005 (quite possibly a unique feat?) and by 2019 had built up his majority to a healthy 13,103.
This seat has long been undersized and is due to gain territory from Erith & Thamesmead when the next boundary review is implemented. As these wards typically vote Conservative it is unlikely to change the overall profile of the seat, though Evennett is now well into his 70s and may not have many more elections left in him.
The main centre is Bexleyheath, covered by a ward of the same name and the more esoteric 'Crook Log', which actually takes its name from an 18th century ale house. The modern day Crook Log pub is, sadly, a Toby Carvery, but it isn't all bad news: as in neighbouring Old Bexley & Sidcup, the Bexleyheath area has seen its high streets rejuvenated - at least as far as beer lovers are concerned - by the arrival of several micropubs. These include BV London Pub of the Year, the Kentish Belle, whose landlord stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate (in Crayford ward) in the 2022 locals, and where the first post-Lockdown pints were served at one second past midnight on April 12, 2021. (If you were watching the TV news coverage you'll have seen a certain right-wing beer writer there!)
Bexleyheath was the birthplace of Sheila Hancock and Kate Bush, while Roger Moore - a rare recent example of an 'out' Tory celebrity - also lived in the area until becoming a tax exile. Along its unspectacular Broadway, with a Wetherspoons at either end of it, Bexleyheath merges imperceptibly into Barnehurst, one of those destinations seen on train departure boards that isn't the end of the line, but simply the furthermost point on a 'round the loop' service that heads back to London; a loophole (literally) exploitable by those in the know.
Slade Green is the most Easterly part of London South of the river. With light industry and river plains, it is bordered by the river Thames to the north, while the east the Darent marks the border between London and Kent, specifically Dartford. This is the only part of the seat that reliably votes Labour at local level - every other ward is still Conservative on the current boundaries, though in some cases by a narrow margin.
Further inland - and arguably the superfluous part of the seat name - is Crayford, named after the River Cray, itself a tributary of the Darent. Historically very much part of Kent, these areas still look to Dartford as their main local centre and cross-county transport connections are unusually good. This is classic middle-class suburbia in all its mock-Tudor glory, but there are still signs that it was once a little Kentish village, with plenty of green spaces and a Georgian Manor house.
B&C is represented by Sir David Evennett, now something of a veteran parliamentarian, having served as MP for the predecessor seat of Erith & Crayford until its abolition in 1997. He stood twice unsuccessfully for the new seat before returning to the green benches in 2005 (quite possibly a unique feat?) and by 2019 had built up his majority to a healthy 13,103.
This seat has long been undersized and is due to gain territory from Erith & Thamesmead when the next boundary review is implemented. As these wards typically vote Conservative it is unlikely to change the overall profile of the seat, though Evennett is now well into his 70s and may not have many more elections left in him.
