Falconwood

Falconwood
OS grid reference	TQ455755
London borough	Bexley Greenwich
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WELLING
Postcode district	DA16
Post town	ELTHAM
Postcode district	SE9
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Eltham, Old Bexley and Sidcup
London Assembly	Bexley and Bromley Greenwich and Lewisham

Falconwood is an area in South East London, around 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south east (as the crow flies) of The Square Mile. The area is located mostly in the London Borough of Bexley and partly within the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The Local Area

Falconwood forms part of the Falconwood and Welling ward in the London Borough of Bexley, and borders the Eltham North and Eltham South wards in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Falconwood is served by one National Rail train station. Falconwood station which was opened in 1936, is served by Southeastern on the Bexleyheath Line. The station is situated in London Travelcard Zone 4.

The Green Chain walking network runs through Shepherdleas Wood, Oxleas Wood, Eltham Common, Eltham Park North and Eltham Park South. All these wooded and open areas are accessible via footpaths from Rochester Way, Welling Way and Riefield Road.

Falconwood Community Centre, next to Falconwood Park, was opened in 1954. The Falconwood Community Association meets here 5 times a week along with many other groups. The Falconwood and District Horticultural Society stages the Annual Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Show on the third Saturday in August.

In 2008 the Mayor of Bexley, Falconwood & Welling Councillor Nigel Betts, inaugurated the Community Centre as the local Children's Centre.

The Estate

The Falconwood Park Estate was designed and constructed by housing developers Ideal Homesteads in the 1930s. Situated between Welling and Eltham, the estate occupies the site of the former Westwood Farm.

Regarding housing styles, the majority of the estate consists of semi-detached and terraced houses, with bungalows scattered across the roads within the estate. There are flats above the shops on Lingfield Crescent and Falconwood Parade (The Green). There are 3/4 storey blocks of flats on Lingfield Crescent, at the corner of Rochester Way and Riefield Road, near the A2 and Eltham Cemetery & Crematorium. Maisonettes are on Millbrook Avenue.

Education Services

See also London Borough of Bexley and Royal Borough of Greenwich education services.

• Crown Woods College (Riefield Road entrance now closed; main gates are on Bexley Road, Avery Hill)
• Harris Academy Falconwood (Entrance gates on The Green)
• Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School (Entrance gates on Northumberland Avenue)

Crown Woods College (formerly Crown Woods School) is a Specialist Humanities College. The College is a £50million state of the art school and community learning facility. The new Crown Woods College successfully opened on 26th April 2011.

Westwood Secondary School (later Westwood College) became Harris Academy Falconwood in 2008 under the funding of Carpetright Millionaire, Lord Harris of Peckham, who owns several other academies in South London. The Academy occupied the original secondary school and the old junior school buildings, but has now been replaced by a £27 million school (opened in 2011 by Westwood old boy Len Goodman), built on some of the old playing fields.

Westwood Infant & Junior Schools were separate, until the late 1990s, when they merged and became Westwood Primary School. A short while after, the school became a Church School and was renamed Bishop Ridley C of E Primary School. After major renovations it is now one of the most improved primary schools in the London Borough of Bexley.

Transport & Location

Post Code Districts & London Borough Boundaries

Falconwood forms part of 2 London boroughs and 2 post codes. These being:

• Bexley - DA16 (part) - The rest of DA16 being formed by Welling and East Wickham.
• Greenwich - SE9 (part) - The rest of SE9 being formed by Eltham, New Eltham and Mottingham.

The SE9 roads in Bexley became part of LB Bexley under the 1994 boundary change. The Royal Mail have refused many attempts to change the postcode of these roads to DA16.

National Rail Services

Nearest Train Stations

• Falconwood station, Lingfield Crescent, Eltham, London, SE9 2RN.
• Eltham station, Well Hall Road, Eltham, London, SE9 6SL.
• Welling station, Station Approach, Welling, London, DA16 3AU.

Central London bound, trains run to London Bridge, London Waterloo East, London Charing Cross, London Victoria and London Cannon Street.

Travelling away from London, trains terminate at Dartford, but with some trains terminating before reaching Kent: at Barnehurst, Crayford or Slade Green. There are less frequent services for further into Kent, with most services requiring alighting and changing at Dartford.

Transport for London Bus Routes

• 621 - Lewisham station (Loampit Vale) - Avery Hill (Crown Woods School).
• 624 - Grove Park (Downham Way) - Welling Corner, for Welling station.
• B15 - Horn Park (Alnwick Road) - Bexleyheath Shopping Centre.
• B16 - Kidbrooke station / Kidbrooke Ferrier Estate - Bexleyheath Bus Garage.

Main Roads & Access Routes

Falconwood is a junction on the A2. London bound on the A2 will immediately lead to the A102 (Blackwall Tunnel Approach), and the Blackwall Tunnel under the Thames to the A12 in east London, unless changing onto the old A2 at the Sun In The Sands junction (Blackheath). The Kent-bound A2 isn't accessible directly from Falconwood. Access Kent-bound is from either the Danson Interchange or the Eltham junction with the South Circular (A205).

Rochester Way leads to Well Hall & Eltham town centre (continuing straight at the traffic lights junction with Welling Way). Turning right at the junction with Welling Way will lead to Shoulder of Mutton Green & Welling town centre. In the opposite direction, Rochester Way will lead to the dual carriageway Kent-bound A2, unless bearing right on Riefield Road. This leads to Avery Hill (a left turn at traffic lights), and Eltham town centre (a right turn at the lights).

Lingfield Crescent leads towards the Falconwood Park Estate, Falconwood Park and Welling town centre (turning left onto Millbrook Avenue).

Nearest Facilities & Shops

• Lingfield Crescent (Falconwood station shop parade).
• Falconwood Parade, The Green (surrounding Falconwood Park).
• Both Welling and Eltham town centres are also very easily accessible.

Natural Areas & Open Spaces

• Eltham Common (part)
• Eltham Park north
• Eltham Park south
• Falconwood Field
• Falconwood Park (The Green)
• Oxleas Meadow
• Oxleas Wood
• Shepherdleas Wood