Welling is located in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a suburban development situated between Shooter's Hill
and Bexleyheath on the A2 road and 10.5 miles (16.9 km) east south-east of Charing Cross in London.

It incorporates the local parishes of East Wickham, Falconwood, Danson and St Michaels. It is probably one
of the oldest settlements in this area. A Neolithic stone axe was found in East Wickham in 1910 and more
recently in 1989 the remains of Roman buildings were unearthed near Danson.

Welling is home to a bingo hall, the football ground of Welling United F.C., a lending library with free meeting
room, IT and internet facilities and The Koffi Pot, a popular local café dating from the 1930s.

There is a wide range of ethnic restaurants and  take-aways, an un-cloned  shopping
area and charity shops, lining mainly Welling High Street,  Upper Wickham Lane
and Bellegrove Road.

Former Foster's School building in Upper Wickham Lane is a local landmark. The school relocated to
Westbrook Road in Welling and its original site was converted to residential use (whilst retaining
the old Grade II listed main school building).

Further North of the original site is an ancient church, now used by the Greek Orthodox congregation.

A Russian Canon as those used during the Crimean War (1854 to 1860) is located at Welling Corner.
It was in service from 1780 to 1860 and is now on loan from the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich,
a reminder of Welling's early association with the Royal Arsenal when huts at East Wickham were
built as homes for ammunitions workers in the Great War.

The population of Welling was estimated to be around 42,000 at the 2001 census.
Kate Bush is a famous former resident.
Information courtesy of
Wikipedia  Encyclopaedia

Welling originally formed part of the ancient manor of East Wickham which was centred on St Michael’s Church,
 built in the 13th century. In the Doomsday Book, East Wickham was included as part of the return for
Plumstead and the church was originally a chapel of St Nicholas’ Church in Plumstead.

Welling was originally called ‘Wellyngs’, and was first mentioned in a document dated 1362. The name probably
means ‘the place of the spring’, derived from the Old English word wella (‘well’ or ‘spring’). There is certainly
water in the area, notably the spring that feeds Danson Lake but also the old moat that was part of the grounds
of Moat House, which appears on 19th-century maps of the area near the Guy, Earl of Warwick public house.
Wickham is taken from the old English word wicham (‘dwelling place’ or ‘settlement’). Much of the history of this
area is tied up with the manor of Danson. A magnificent Palladian villa, built in the late 1760s, survives in the
middle of Danson Park, fully restored by English Heritage. One of the owners of Danson manor, Alfred Bean,
bought the house in 1862 and did much to improve local amenities, both in Welling and in nearby Bexleyheath.
The growth of the area, like that of Bexleyheath, was tied up with Watling Street, the Roman road from London
to Dover, and the trade that could be had from the travellers who used it. The old coaching inns such as the Guy,
Earl of Warwick and the Nag’s Head formed the nucleus for development. These inns survive today although
not in the original buildings.

Slowly shops and other amenities grew up beside the inns and in Welling a high-class residential district called
Belle Grove was established on the main road to the west of Welling Corner.

The local economy was originally sustained by farming and in particular market gardening. The arrival in 1849 of
the railway line meant that perishable produce such as soft fruits could be transported to the London markets
a great deal more quickly. The predominant farm in the area was East Wickham Farm in Wickham Street owned
for many years by the Jones family who lived in nearby East Wickham House.

An interesting early development in the area was a prefab estate known as the East Wickham Hutments, put up by
he Royal Arsenal to house its workers on land near St Michael’s Church in 1916. Residents of the estate had their
own amenities, including a theatre, but there were frequent complaints about the drainage and sanitary arrangements.

In the 1920s a major residential development was the Welling Council Housing Scheme undertaken by
Bexley Urban District Council, which borrowed £400,000 to build 426 houses.

During the 1930s New Ideal Homesteads Ltd built the Falconwood Estate and a local builder, Stevens,
constructed another large estate to the north-east of Welling.

Today Welling is predominantly a residential suburb, with vast swathes of 1930s housing. Commercial life
still revolves around activity on the old London to Dover road.
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Much of the history of this area is tied up with the manor of Danson. A magnificent Palladian villa,
built in the late 1760s, survives in the middle of Danson Park, fully restored by English Heritage.
One of the owners of Danson manor, Alfred Bean bought the house in 1862 and did much
to improve local amenities, both in Welling and in nearby Bexleyheath.
Information courtesy of
Ideal Homes Organisation

Welling is a large town centre situated in the west of Bexley Borough. It is home to over 300 shops and
businesses and offers you the traditional shopping experience along one of the longest High Streets in London.
At almost a mile long, Welling High Street has everything from supermarkets and department stores and
speciality shops to bars and restaurants.

Spend a morning in Welling browsing the shops; stop for lunch in one of our popular and friendly pubs
before whiling away the afternoon in the beautiful Danson Park, which features a popular boating lake, and the
famous c18th mansion (recently re-opened after major restoration), only a short walk from the heart of the town.

Welling is benefiting from substantial investment from Bexley Council and improvements have recently been
made to the Embassy Court shopping centre and the Westwood Lane and Nag's Head car parks.
Throughout 2005, all the lamp columns in the town centre are due to be replaced which will significantly
improve the lighting in the town centre, thereby improving road safety and the performance of the town's
CCTV network of cameras. Recent developments in the town centre include the opening of
a large LIDL food store in Upper Wickham Lane.