is a town in the
London Borough Of Bromley ,
England . It is located 8.4
Mile s (13.5
Km ) south east of
Charing Cross .
It is referred to as Bacheham in the
Domesday Book of 1086. The name appears to derive from Beohha's homestead (Beohhan +
Ham in
Old English )Brewer's Britain and Ireland, compiled by John Ayto and Ian Crofton,
Weidenfeld & Nicolson , 2005, ISBN 0-304-35385-X. The
River Beck was named after the town. The word Beck also means a stream in Middle English. Many attribute
John Cator as being responsible for turning the village of Beckenham into a significant town in the late 1700s - a process that accelerated after his death in 1806 with the arrival of the
Railway from the
1830s .
St George's church at the centre of Beckenham has a
13th Century Lychgate that is said to be the oldest in
England Brewer's Britain and Ireland, compiled by John Ayto and Ian Crofton,
Weidenfeld & Nicolson , 2005, ISBN 0-304-35385-X.
Famous people who lived and/or have been buried in Beckenham include:
Beckenham is also a
Suburb of
Perth ,
Western Australia .
