Elmers End

Coordinates: 51°23′50″N 0°03′09″W / 51.3971°N 0.0525°W / 51.3971; -0.0525

Elmers End is an area of south east London within the London Borough of Bromley, largely falling within the borders of Beckenham. It borders the London Borough of Croydon. It is located south west of Bromley.

Etymology

There are two leading theories about where the name Elmers End originated. The more romantic of the two is that a famous highwayman, Elmer, was hanged at the crossroads, making it ‘Elmer’s end’. The more historically accurate reason is that there were a number of local people who were proclaimed as an Elmerus (Anglo Saxon translation of a criminal), who were executed on the green.

Area

It has a large green space which is the centre of a gyratory. Very close to the combined railway station and Tramlink terminus bearing its name is the old sewage farm. The remains of this industrial site can still be seen. The sewage works is thought to be contaminated with heavy metals and is therefore unfit for building houses. The sewage farm has been converted into a country park (South Norwood Country Park), but many of the locals still know it as the sewage farm. The park falls within the boundaries of the London Borough of Croydon.