The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Orpington, Greater London*

Orpington, Greater London Famous Residents

Cringing Cult of Celebrity (Famous residents and ex-residents.)

• Steve Bennett- premiership referee. Ivy Mildred Millichamp died March 27 1945 age 34 of 88 Kynaston Road and was last person killed in Britain by enemy action in second world war.
• They filmed the Bill here once...
• It was recently revealed that Magaret Thatcher was going to end her career early when she wasn't given the opportunity to run as an MP for Orpington. Apparently she had a "great affinity" for the place. Unfortunaltey she decided to go ahead and become Prime Minister instead. Nevermind.
• my mum saw gary rhodes in Blockbusters once
• Famous residents?.....hmmmmm oo year.....some Judo bloke called Brian Jacks (always carried an orange) lived in Cockmannings Lane!
• that donkey brian jacks was in waitrose once and only had a few items so he looked at the queues and saw someone he vaguely knew started a conversation and jumped the queue what a slimey toad . saw brian jacks with his son another time I do not know which was more sad a right couple of peacocks. went to school with a bloke in the 80s who was in a anti smoking advert as a cool young guy not smoking. thats how good orpington is.
• The banjo player from the film Deliverance came from Homefield Rise
• P.J.Moriarty the film actor, Hatchet Harry in Lock Stock. Razors in Long Good Friday, lived in The Avenue for a time in the seventies.
• leslie grantham lived at 45 tillingbourne green
• Brian (I did for England Jacks
• Mick McCarthy used to live in Worlds End Lane - Former Millwall and Ireland manager, now Sunderland manager. Brian Jacks used to live in Oxenden Wood Road - Olympic Judo Medalist and of Superstars fame. Nigel Benn in Merc with blacked out windows Gary Rhodes Homestead Road - Celebrity Chef - lots of flash cars Jack Dee - St Paul Cray Jeremy Beadle - St Pauls Cray - Celebrity Prankster Hale & Pace lived in Chislehurst Joey from 'Bread' St Mary Cray Leslie Grantham - Eastenders The new Sam Mitchell - Eastenders Violet Kray (ma of Ron & Reg) owned a restaurant in Locksbottom Bumped into Trevor Noronha recently who I used to go to school with. Still lives in Chelsfield. Used to be a god on a BMX. Was British champion and had a single number world ranking too. Not really famous but the only person I know who was always in magazines and on telly.
• I lived in Orpington for the first six months of my life. However, my Gran lived in Hayes. She was friends with the parents of the TALLEST MAN IN ENGLAND - Christopher Greener - who lived in Bromley or Orpington - now THAT'S a celebrity. Although I understand he's now been beaten by a man who has emigrated from Pakistan (forgive me if i'm wrong)
• David Bowie use to play at gigs in the St. Mary Cray area, but he was not known then as David Bowie. Played at my wife's 21st back in 1967 when he was an art student. Pity we do not have any tapes.
• Gary Rhodes lives just around the corner from me. My house is up for sale.
• I heard Jeramy Beadle lived locally and went to the Priory School - no wonder he turned out the way he did, I should know being a Priory student! (don't kill me) Also, that Gary Rhodes bloke and Nigel Ben, who I met when he looked around the Priory when he was considering sending his daughter there. Why? I do not know..
• Scary Steve and Wild Slag Pete of Fast Car magazine fame can be found (apparently) haunting the crime ridden streets of Orpington. Try Knoll Rise at 10.30 by the access to the High St. You may even see them!!
• The new Sam from Eastenders used to go to Newstead.
• Splodgenessabounds were NOT one hit wonders with "Two pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please!" They also did a punk version of Big Ralph's "Two Little Boys had Two Little Toys." The actress Yvonne Servante lived in Orpington and attended Elmstead Wood school in the early to mid 70s.
• only one i know of the lead singer of wet wet wet lives in chelsfeild lane i think.
• Gary (I love myself) Roades.
• Yvonne Servante, the actress, went to Newstead Woods Girls' School.
• The actress Eve Servantes went to Newstead Woods. Don't take my word for it look her up in the Friends Reunited website.
• Gary Rhodes the famous chef.
• Nigel ben lives in beckenham park not orpington. Gareth hale lives in chislehurt, Brian jacks split from the younger wife and still lives in orpington. Wolf the Gladiator is the brother of the lady that runs the cafe at the priory grill whose brother in law is brian jacks!
• Hey doesnt Som Wardner of My Vitriol fame come from Orpington? used to go to St Olaves I believe. MV rock!!
• Kenny Cunningham the footballer, lives next door to darrick wood school, (just opposite the entrance to tudmutton common, i think i'm the only one who knows that though :-) i know coz my m8 used to live in the house
• I beleive that most members of that semi-famous 1980's group Splodgenessabounds went to St Olaves. I seem to remember that they played a few gigs there several years back.
• One celebrity who I was reliably informed (around 5 years ago) who lives in Orpington not mentioned anywhere else is Joan Regan. Anyone younger than 45ish will have to ask their parents who she is (was?). I think she lives in The Drive. I remember seeing her top the bill at the Wellington pier theatre in Great Yarmouth around 1960.
• Hale and Pace were from the area. One of them used to teach at Kemnal Manor School.
• Annabell Croft used to live in Keston Park and Barry from Eastenders lived in St Mary Cray for adges and no one has mentioned Handy Andy either. Also ther is a 1980's one hit wonder called Splodgennesabounds who's song was called '2 pints of lager and a packet of crisps' Leonie Martin. Siouxsie Soux from Siouxsie and the Banshee's lived in Chistlehurst - which is sort of close.
• Word has it that a distant cousin of Keith Chegwin knew someone that had an aunt who occasionally stayed in a B&B just outside of Orpington every leap year!
• Jeremy Beadle went to the Priory!? Wow i thought he was too old for that.
• The famous Billy-Boy and Tommy-boy and Mommy's boy are the three types of pikey!
• gaary rhodes
• famous residents are linda & brian of SEAFOODS fish & chips shop
• Jack Dee - which is why he's so miserable, he claims. I have to concur.
• Gary Rhodes, who says that the afore mentioned Xian is his favourite restuarants, but don't let that put you off.
• I heard that Jack Dee lived in Orpington till he was three. Anyone know any different? He was lucky he got out when he did.
• Unfortunately Gary Rhodes, Brian Jacks the judo guy who fancies himself big time and strutts around with a much younger girlfriend. Also Wolf from the Gladiators.
• I believe Gary Rhodes has now seen the light and made himself an ex-resident. Some boy out of that infamous boyband 'Bad Boys inc.' lived somewhere around here. Anyone with any amount of money won't actually live in Orpington.
• Does 'THE' Orpington Bi-election count?
• Gary Rhodes actually lives in Homestead Road not Oxenden Wood Road. Brian Jacks still lives in Oxenden Wood Road - His house was up for sale about 6/12 months ago, but no one wanted it due to the complete over the top price tag attached to it. Mick McCarthy used to live in World's End Lane but moved when he got the Ireland job. Jeremy Beadle never went to Ramsden. He went to the "now demolished" Charterhouse School.
• General De-Gaulle the French President lived in Chistlehurst Road sometime during the 2nd World War. The big house on the left corner just before the railway bridge
• Ooo, this is good. Apparently, Jeremy Beadle used to go to Ramsden Boys' School (which recently merged with the Girls' School to form The Priory). And ladiators' Wolf lives out Petts Wood way I think. And Nigel Benn lives in the area - my mum looked after his baby on her hospital ward... The Bill also recently filmed in the High Street between WHSmith and Woolies. The episode was shown over Christmas 1998.
• Jeremy Beadle. He went to charterhouse school which has now been knocked down to build houses. Gary Rhodes. Lives in Chelsfield, Oxendenwood Rd? (behind Saffrons). Arragont b*st~#d
• The fool who invented daylight saving time lived in Pettswood (part of Orpington)
• Er- Violet Cray?
• One of the actors who played Joey in Bread lived in St. Mary Cray (Marion Crescent).
• Leslie Grantham used to live in St Paul's Cray (Ringshall Road to be precise).
• Mick McCarthy (Ireland manager) has been glimpsed in the Five Bells (Chelsfield) a couple of times, while he was the Milwall manager.
• Well, Gary Rhodes lives on Spur Road (you can tell which is his house because he's got two Porsches, a Mercedes and a yellow Lotus in the drive).
• Chris Armstrong of Spurs - I know coz I saw him in the Lotus House takeawy once. He ordered a chicken chow mein - no. 18 - £2.95.
• Brian Jacks - (celebrity????)

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• The Shoe man is pretty entertaining but he hangs out exclusively on buses so I guess that he dosn't really fit into the street entertainer category.
• Me! I'll be singing the new Hear'say song in a cardboard box at the end of your street (not kidding!)
• I've never seen any in Orpington (unless you call watching mini-tarts trying to attract the spotty, braindead yobs "street entertainment").
• The big issue salesman. provides entertainment for everyone who ignores him
• The almost tribal gangs of incestrous scum make for good entertainment when you realise they all fuck their mums!
• There is a black woman who always wears tight, revealing clothes, accompanied by a cap. She is seen dancing and singing as she goes down the high street, and she always puts a smile on my face when I see her!
• On market days you can sometimes find a strange young man trying to sell women's shopping bikes near to the high street.
• The single mothers and teenagers are sometimes entertaining. Other than that the closest thing I've seen to a busker orstreet entertainer is the countless 'gothic' looking kids that stroll up and down Orpington high street as if on a funeral prosession.
• Orpington's a staunch Tory borough. Any buskers tend to be carted of extremely quickly by the local SS.
• The pikies who collect outside McDonalds and demand a 50p pavement tax to get by are quite amusing :)
• Yet again more Gypsies busking for a spare fag or even money.
• dodgy violinist occasionally but sometimes we get treated to a class performance from some of the BYMT lot (ace)
• I suppose you mean the bloke who murders popular classics on his violin outside the Walnuts?

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

In most cases, the information in each section has been submitted by more than one contributor (the credits at the bottom of the page list some, but not all, of the contributors) and some of it dates back to the 1970s.

We make no claims as to the accuracy of the information in the Guide - our only purpose is to provide a forum for users to share their knowledge and opinions. So please keep a large bag of salt handy and be prepared to read between the lines!

If you disagree with a comment, or information is out of date, please submit an update! The contributors come from all walks of life, and their opinions are bound to be subjective, so if your view isn't represented, please speak up and contribute to the balance of the Guide. See below in the 'Have Your Say' section for how to add your voice.

If we have helped you out or made you laugh you can buy us a pint.

Have Your Say...

You can tell us more about Orpington. This is also the method to use if you want to correct some of the information already here. (But please remember you're not mailing the person who actually wrote whatever-it-is.)

You can use the add an event form to tell us about events happening in Orpington.

Or, if you'd just like to leave a message for other users of this site, take a look at The Knowhere Board (handy if you're just trying to get in touch with someone).

Credits

Last updated: 2008-05-15