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NATURAL AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Beckenham is a residential suburb situated in the County of
Kent, in the extreme North-West corner of the County, and just
outside the Metropolitan area ; it has only two well defined industrial
areas, one at Elmers End and the other at Lower Sydenham.
It is about eight miles from Charing Cross. On its North and
West borders it touches the Metropolitan Boroughs of Lewisham,
Camberwell and Lambeth ; on its West and South sides the Urban
District of Penge and the County Borough of Croydon; on its
East and South-East sides the Borough of Bromley and the Urban
District of Orpington.
The total area of the district, which was enlarged in 1935,
including all land and inland water, is 5,935 acres. Its elevation
varies from 100 to 300 feet above sea-level. The district generally
is flat with rising ground on the West towards the site of the Crystal
Palace and Sydenham, and again on the east towards Lewisham and
Bromley.
With regard to the geological formation of the district, about
half the area consists of " Blackheath Pebble Beds," and the
remaining half of "London Clay" with beds of "Valley Gravel"
following the course of the streams known as Chaffinch Brook and
the Ravensbourne River.
The climate is comparatively mild and the annual rainfall is
low, averaging 35.62 inches in the last year of which records are
available.
The Council have purchased about 170 acres of land for public
open spaces and also about 90 acres for use as allotments.
Several large open spaces are held by Business houses and
Sports Clubs as Playing Fields and these have helped to preserve
the pleasant character of the district. In the Wickham area, there
is a large tract of open country which forms part of the "Green
Belt."
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AREA
SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE.
The sewerage and excreta of the district are removed by the
Water Carriage System. The sewers are on the " separate system,"
that is to say, there is one set of pipes for sewerage and another for
surface and storm water.
For the purposes of sewage removal, Beckenham is divided into
two districts, namely, the Metropolitan Sewerage Area and the
West Kent Area. The former district comprises the Kent House
and Lawrie Park Wards (area 567 acres), and the latter the remainder
of the district (area 5,368 acres). The dividing line between
the two areas is the Crystal Palace branch of the Southern Railway
and the Poole River.
The drainage of the Beckenham Sewerage Area discharges
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