BEXLEY

outer borough of eastern London, part of the historic county of Kent, on the south bank of the River Thames. It extends to the borough of Bromley in the south. Bexley was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former boroughs of Bexley and Erith, the urban district of Crayford, and part of Chislehurst and Sidcup. Within the borough are such areas as (roughly from north to south) Thamesmead, Abbey Wood, Belvedere, Erith, Northumberland Heath, East Wickham, Welling, Bexleyheath, Barnehurst, Crayford, Blackfen, Blendon, Bridgen, Bexley, Halfway Street, Longlands, North Cray, Sidcup, and Foots Cray. The settlement of the region dates to the Paleolithic Period, and deneholes (ancient underground chambers) and traces of Roman settlement have been found there. Erith was granted a charter as early as the 7th century, and it later developed as a royal dockyard. It was there in the 16th century that the British fitted out major warships such as the Henry Grce Dieu (also called the Great Harry). Rapid development of the borough began in the 19th century, when Bexley grew as a residential suburb of London. Its historic buildings include the ruined Lesnes Abbey (an Augustinian house of the 12th century) and the 16th-century Hall Place, a stone and brick manor house with extensive gardens. The brick Red House, in Bexleyheath, was built for the 19th-century designer and poet William Morris. St. Paulinus church, Crayford, is the oldest local church, with parts dating from the 12th century; the church of St. Mary, Bexley, was built in the 12th or 13th century. Industries, based on imported raw materials or on the vast local supplies of water, are concentrated along the valley of the River Cray and along the Thames at Erith. They include oilseed and food processing, printing, and the manufacture of paper, plastics, and chemicals. Business and financial services also are important. Leisure facilities include sports stadiums at Erith and Crayford. The population is fairly homogeneous, with minorities accounting for only a tiny proportion of the population. Area 23 square miles (61 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 217,800.