Living in Bexley

Bexley is London's south-eastern corner, bordering Kent, and it is one of the most suburban boroughs in the capital. Its main centres — Bexleyheath, Sidcup, Welling, Erith and Crayford — are largely made up of interwar semi-detached houses with gardens, and car ownership is higher than in most of London.

There is no Underground or DLR in the borough. Southeastern trains run to London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross along three routes, and the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood, on the borough's northern edge, has transformed access to the City, Canary Wharf and the West End for residents within reach of it. Journeys from the southern suburbs are longer.

Bexley has more history and green space than many visitors expect. Red House, built for William Morris, is one of the most important Arts and Crafts buildings in the world; Hall Place is a Tudor mansion with formal gardens; Danson Park has a lake and a restored Georgian villa; and Lesnes Abbey Woods, near Abbey Wood, combine medieval abbey ruins with ancient woodland and a fossil bed. The Thames riverside at Erith has one of the longest piers in London.

The borough's grammar schools and relatively low housing costs make it popular with families, and its population is older and more settled than inner London's. Rents are among the lowest in south-east London. The trade-offs are distance from central London, limited nightlife and a strongly car-oriented lifestyle in many areas. Sidcup, Welling and Erith offer similar suburban value to Bexleyheath, and Erith's riverside is changing as new flats replace old industrial land along the water.