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Eltham highstreet 3 · PeterEltham, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Bromley War Memorial (Southwest View - 03) · Doyle of London, CC BY-SA 4.0
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1212906 II Star ELTHAM COURT (ELTHAM PALACE), COURT YARD, from SW Greenwich London 20250610 0005 · Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0

Chislehurst, United Kingdom

Chislehurst is a town of 15,600 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population15,600 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation282 ft 86 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportLondon Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) 6 mi
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Why visit Chislehurst

Townapedia lists 15 museums and landmarks, 30 parks and trails, 74 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Bob Hope Theatre, Bromley Little Theatre, Chislehurst Caves and Bethlem Museum of the Mind.

About Chislehurst

Chislehurst () is an affluent suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in Kent. According to the 2021 census, Chislehurst has a population of 15,600 (rounded to the nearest 100).

From the Wikipedia article Chislehurst (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do4

Bob Hope Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.5 mi

Community theatre in Eltham, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England

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Bromley Little Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.4 mi

Community theatre in London Borough of Bromley, England

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Churchill Theatre

Cinema and theater · 2.5 mi

Theatre in Bromley, London, England

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Library & Sidcup Storyteller Cinema

Cinema and theater · 1.5 mi

106 High Street, Sidcup

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Museums and landmarks15

Chislehurst Caves

Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi

PH,We-Su 10:00-16:00; Dec 25 off; Jan 01 off

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Bethlem Museum of the Mind

Museum · 3.0 mi

Re-sited and relaunched art and medical museum, sited at the Bethlam Royal Hospital, Beckenham, London Borough of Bromley, United Kingdom

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Bromley Parish Church Memorial

Monument and historic site · 2.6 mi

War memorial in London

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Bromley War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 2.6 mi

War memorial in London

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Eltham Palace

Museum · 2.2 mi

Historic house museum

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Chislehurst War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 0.4 mi

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Sidcup War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 1.5 mi

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Willett Memorial

Monument and historic site · 1.1 mi

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Crofton Roman Villa

Museum · 3.1 mi

Roman villa in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley

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Metropolitan Police Museum

Museum · 1.8 mi

Law enforcement museum in London, England

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Prince Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Napoleon

Monument and historic site · 0.4 mi

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Edlmann Memorial

Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi

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3 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds30

Scadbury Park

Park · 1.1 mi

Local nature reserve

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Birdbrook Road Nature Reserve

Park · 3.4 mi

UK nature reserve

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Burnt Ash Pond

Park · 2.7 mi

Nature reserve in Lee, London, England

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Chinbrook Meadows

Park · 1.9 mi

Park in London Borough of Lewisham, United Kingdom

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Chislehurst Common

Park · 0.5 mi

Park in Chislehurst, London, UK

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Downham Woodland Walk

Park · 3.0 mi

Nature reserve in London, England

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Foots Cray Meadows

Park · 2.6 mi

Park in borough of Bexley, London

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Horn Park

Park · 2.6 mi

Park in London, England

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Chislehurst Golf Course

Golf course

18 hole Par 66

Camden Park Road, Chislehurst

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8467 2782

Downham Fields

Park · 2.7 mi

Park in South East London

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Elmstead Wood

Park · 1.2 mi

Woodland and park in the London Borough of Bromley, England, UK

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Forster Memorial Park

Park · 3.3 mi

Park in London Borough of Lewisham, United Kingdom

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18 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes74

Star at Sidcup Place

Bar and pub · 1.5 mi

Chislehurst Road, Sidcup

Mo-Su 12:00-22:30

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Denny's Seafood Restaurant

Restaurant · Seafood · 0.9 mi

3 Station Approach, Chislehurst

Tu-Sa 18:00+; Su 12:00+

Open in Google Maps · +44 20 8467 5612

Bank House

Restaurant · European, British

11 High Street, Chislehurst

We,Th 18:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-23:00; Su 12:00-18:00; Mo,Tu off

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Caffè Nero

Cafe · Coffee Shop

12 High Street, Chislehurst

Mo-Fr 07:30-17:30; Sa 07:30-18:00; Su 07:30-17:00

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The Bull's Head

Bar and pub · 0.5 mi

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Chillies

Restaurant · Indian · 1.2 mi

273 Main Road, Sidcup

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Giggling Squid

Restaurant · Thai

9 High Street, Chislehurst

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Limoncello

Restaurant · Italian · 1.1 mi

8-9 Marechal Niel Parade, Sidcup

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PizzaExpress

Restaurant · Pizza · 1.5 mi

6, Sidcup

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Rannah

Restaurant · Bangladeshi · 1.1 mi

Marechal Niel Parade, Sidcup

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Horse and Groom

Diner · American · 1.3 mi

136 Main Road, Sidcup

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62 more on the map.

History

The name "Chislehurst" is derived from the Saxon words cisel, "gravel", and hyrst, "wooded hill".

The Walsingham family, including Christopher Marlowe's patron, Sir Thomas Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster, Francis Walsingham, had a home in Scadbury Park, now a nature reserve in which the ruins of the house can still be seen.

A water tower used to straddle the road from Chislehurst to Bromley until it was demolished in 1963 as one of the last acts of the Chislehurst and Sidcup UDC. It marked the entrance to the Wythes Estate in Bickley, but its narrow archway meant that double-decker buses were not able to be used on the route.

From the History section of Chislehurst on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Chislehurst

Geography

Chislehurst is largely a residential area. Chislehurst West, previously known as "Pricking" or "Prickend", includes the biggest of the ponds and the High Street.

Chislehurst is one of the starting points for the Green Chain Walk, linking to places such as Crystal Palace, Erith, the Thames Barrier and Thamesmead.

Chislehurst Common (and nearby St Paul's Cray Common) were saved from development in 1888 following campaigns by local residents. They were a popular destination for bank holiday trips in the early 20th century, and now provide a valuable green space. Nearby Petts Wood, Hawkwood and Scadbury have also been preserved as open spaces following local campaigns.

From the Wikipedia article Chislehurst, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Chislehurst

Born in Chislehurst, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay2

Churches and places of worship28

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Shopping5

Gas and EV charging3

Schools, colleges and libraries26

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Healthcare4

Map of Chislehurst

191 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

London Biggin Hill Airport (BQH) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.

  • Sidcup 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
  • Orpington 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
  • Bexley 4 mi northeast, about 6 min by car
  • Hayes 4 mi southwest, about 6 min by car
  • Kidbrooke 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
  • Plumstead 5 mi north, about 7 min by car
  • Swanley 5 mi east, about 8 min by car
  • West Wickham 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
  • Shirley 6 mi southwest, about 9 min by car
  • Croydon 8 mi west, about 12 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Chislehurst

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.