The Knowhere Guide

Other Stuff in Orpington, Greater London*

Orpington, Greater London Stuff You Don't Get Anywhere Else

The Stuff We Can't Fit In Somewhere Else

• What makes Petts Wood nice and Orpington horrible? Ok so Orpington is surrounded by council estates in the Cray, and no-go gypsy roads, but hey there are some nice bits too. Lets smarten the town centre up a bit, drag it into this century, and give all the residents someting to be proud of for a change?
• During my short visit to Orpington, I noticed that it had a distinct lack of places to sleep when staggering in a drunken stupor. (Benches, conveniently placed bus shelters, Heated ATM vestibules, etc.)
• Orpington Rep drama group, peform and rehearse in the Orpington area. We meet Monday and Wednesday evenings at the Methodist Church Hall in Windsor Drive, Chelsfield. Please visit our website at WWW1.50megs.com/orprep/ for more information about the club or our forthcoming productions, visit the event page on Knowhere or contact Nicola on 01689 828534.
• I notice there is not a link to hobby groups locally. I am the Chairman of Orpington Rep, a local based drama group and we are always looking for new members and residents to attend our productions. I try to advertise on the 'event' section, but that is more to advertise the show not the club. We have a website that tells all about our group. www1.50megs.com/orprep/ Thanks, S
• The Walnuts Leisure Centre, there is one. It has a swimming pool and squash courts, i think that's about it. The Superbowl is very expensive and full of kids 'hanging out' and playing pool.
• There is a fab computer shop in Orpington (Green St Green actually) called Senseware 2000 - they sell everything from software, printers and scanners. They even make computers to order. They are in Crescent Way (near the BUFF pub) and the people in there are really nice, friendly adn helpful. The man who works there looks a bit like Joe 90, but he knows his stuff and the lady in the shop looks a bit like Mrs Doyle from Father Ted!
• The place where MY ViTRiOL (formerly Shock Syndrome) originated from.
• I've lived in orpington all my life(17 years) and it is the crappest place on Earth. as soon as I'm 18 I'm getting out(to Newport, Gwent preferably)where humans exist.
• It's got a bad reputation but the pubs have improved (you can now go to the Artichoke without fearing for your life, its now become the Ye Old Blacksmiths)
• Orpington is situated in just far enough from London that it is a nice place but just close enough that London is just 30 minutes away by train.
• St Mary Cray is just that, and is not St Mary's Cray or even St Marys Cray. People from the area know this and most hate it when it is written or said incorrectly.
• The public transport in and around Orpington is really good. Even St Mary Cray station (which is actually in St Paul's Cray) has four trains an hour running to London.
• Orpington is home of St Olave's Grammer School for boys and Newstead Wood school for girls. Both are selective schools and usually come very near to the top of the league tables for GCSEs and A Levels (top 10 I believe).
• It's got a good train service to almost everywhere, seeing as the station's got eight platforms and all...
• Orpington's no longer the 'poor relation' of Bromley, considering half the shops in Bromley have closed. Problem is that they're pedestrianising the High Street, so parking's going to become a problem again.
• House prices in Orpington are highish; maybe this is the reason that people who grow up there have to leave when they leave school.
• There's only one school in Ramsden - The Priory - which performs better than 99% of the schools in Southwark, Lewisham, Lambeth, ewham, and countless other London Boroughs, not to mention almost the whole of Merseyside and so on.
• The Ramsden Estate's no longer a crime centre, due to big police operations.
• It's St Mary Cray, not Mary's (anyone who's lived in the area for any reasonable amount of time would never make that mistake...)
• The Little Chef's in Farnborough, and that's *miles* away.
• Bromley Council's got a hell of an imagination as to how to spend money, so much so that it can't afford normal things!
• Orpington houses two of the best schools in the country (St Olave's and Newstead Wood) as shown by league tables.
• The average age of Orpington inhabitants is lower than Bromley.
• Most college students don't live in Orpington.
• I've got to hold the other people here to task: There are NO 50p shops in the High Street. There's a hell of a lot else.
• I don't agree with the person who said it should be deleted from the list, either - maybe it isn't the best place on earth, but I grew up there and it's a lot better than some of the other places I have lived.
• There is a good rail service to London - direct to Charing Cross / Victoria etc. when the trains are running...
• The best thing about Orpington is that, if you have a car, it is about a million times easier to find a parking spot there than in Bromley. It IS the "poor relation" though.

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!

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Credits

Last updated: 2008-05-15