Pratt's Bottom
| Pratt's Bottom | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Pratt's Bottom Location within Greater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ471622 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ORPINGTON |
| Postcode district | BR6 |
| Dialling code | 01689 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Pratt's Bottom is a village in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley and the historic county of Kent. It is south of its parent parish of Orpington, and beyond London's urban sprawl.
It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[1]
It is a small village, consisting of a main road (Rushmore Hill) on which is situated a school, a village shop (the post office was closed as part of the widespread branch closures of June 2008) and the Bulls Head pub, two small churches and a few side roads. There is a village hall behind the green.
History
A "bottom" in this context means a valley or hollow, and the Pratts were a noble family once seated in the area.[2] Pratt's Bottom formed part of the ancient, and later civil, parish of Chelsfield in Kent[3] and was part of the Bromley Rural District from 1896.[3] The parish was abolished in 1934 and the village became part of Orpington Urban District.[4] In 1965 it was transferred to Greater London, to form part of the London Borough of Bromley.[4]
A tollgate stood in the village for many years. The turnpike cottage was demolished in the 1930s but is still seen as emblematic of the village, so much so that it is the basis of the recent village sign placed on the green. Sue Short has written a book about the history of the village titled Pratts Bottom: A Journey Through Life.[5]
Pratt's Bottom was declared to be the 'sister city' of Wellington, New Zealand in 2009 by then-Mayor, Kerry Prendergast [citation needed].
Local Government Elections
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mike Botting | 2,928 | 21.6 | ||
| Conservative | Angela Page | 2,770 | 20.5 | ||
| Conservative | Samaris Huntington-Thresher | 2,715 | 20.1 | ||
| Labour | Margaret Mills | 809 | 6.0 | ||
| Labour | Stephen Richardson | 748 | 5.5 | ||
| Labour | Peter Moore | 726 | 5.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Gerda Loosemore-Reppen | 674 | 5.0 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | John Bray | 620 | 4.6 | ||
| Green | Daniel Sloan | 616 | 4.6 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Webber | 434 | 3.2 | ||
| UKIP | Michael Porter | 246 | 1.8 | ||
| UKIP | Brian Philp | 244 | 1.8 | ||
| Turnout | 13,530 | 42.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Transport
Pratts Bottom being in the county of Greater London, is still under Transport for London remit despite being outside London, is served by several London Buses bus services from London with routes R5 and R10 with services to Orpington via Green Street Green and to Knockholt. The nearest rail link to Pratts Bottom is at Knockholt station in Kent.
Nearby Areas
Pratts Bottom borders Chelsfield to the north and north east, Badgers Mount to the east, Halstead to the south east, Knockholt to the south and south west, Hazelwood to the west and Green Street Green to the north west.
References
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (22 January 2009). "No Snickering: That Road Sign Means Something Else". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
- ^ a b Vision of Britain - Chelsfield parish (historic boundaries Archived 1 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ a b Vision of Britain - Orpington parish Archived 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Short, Sue (2009). Pratts Bottom: A Journey Through Life. BPR Publishers. ISBN 978-0-9554336-1-0.
External links
Media related to Pratt's Bottom at Wikimedia Commons
