The London/Kent boundary - Chalk Wood and Mount Misery

Boundary London/Kent/Bexley
The boundary continues southwards through Chalk Wood, not particularly straight and is not followed by the paths. At the end of the wood it follows the edge southwards and crosses a path going between Ruxley and Stonehill Green. It continues south and after a while turns sharp east, crosses a path, and a belt of woodland and then turns south down the far edge of the wood.
TQ 48426 70198

Post to the north Joydens Wood and Gattons

An area of woodland, garden centres and agriculture,


The London/Bexley side of the boundary

Chalk Wood
Marked on a map of 1799, the name is probably ‘Chelkeheide’ 1301, 'the chalk slope', from Old English. This was probably meant a place where chalk, for marling soils, was dug. In the 19th sweet chestnut was planted as a coppice crop but the wood is now mainly oak and birch with obvious signs of coppicing. It is managed by the London Borough of Bexley.
Denehole. There is a grille over the entrance to this shaft and it is used as a bat hibernaculum. It is a circular 10m deep chalk mine probably dug c.1300. It is well preserved, fenced and has a dome shaped working area at the bottom of the shaft. It was abandoned in the 16th. . In 1881 a Mr. Glossop stepped back into the hole while nut gathering. He was missing for three days and was only discovered when two men and a dog passed by, and the dog refused to leave the spot. He died a year later from his injuries at the age of 28 and is buried at Orpington.

Old Dover Road
Timbertops Farm –cattery and stables

Maidstone Road
Upper Ruxley Farm - cattery
Ruxley Farm Hollow Way – there are references to an old road through the wood, which runs north south and was said to go through the fields of the farm going towards the old turnpike road and the turnpike gate.

The Kent/ Dartford side of the boundary

Mount Misery
Stonehill Woods Park - site of an over 50s housing estate and caravan park

Sources site
British History Online. Bexley
Bygone Kent
Chelsea Speleological Society. Newsletter
London Borough of  Bexley. Web

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