Did you know that...
In 1320, Elmstead was known as Elmsted. The name derives from an Anglo-Saxon word which translates to “area where elm trees grow”. This BR7 area is part of the historic county of Kent. The wood was called Elmystediswood in 1392. The Bishop of Rochester owned the land. The wood supplied timber for shipbuilding. Records mention the Elmstead Place mansion in the 18th century. According to a gazetteer, this was the only notable house at that time. A Pall Mall bookseller lived in it. The rest of the buildings were farms and workers’ cottages.
The railway station is called Elmstead Woods after the woodland with the same name located in the area. The station opened in 1904 as Elmstead. The current name was adopted in 1908. Southeastern train operating company manages this line that is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station connects the area to Orpington, London Charing Cross, and London Cannon Street. The area is also served by bus line 314. Elmstead Wood is part of the Green Chain walk. The wood features oak trees, hornbeam, and sweet chestnut trees. Sundridge Park Golf Club can be found nearby. F.C. Elmstead is based in this South East London area. It was founded in 1958 as a Sunday league club. The current name is used since 1964. The football club now plays in the Southern Counties East Football League. The nickname of the club is the Cocks.
Elmstead Pit is a small geological site on which 50 million years old fossils, including sharks’ teeth and mollusks, were found. The discoveries made here are important in the study of the Eocene era when the Oldhaven or Blackheath Beds layers were laid down. The site was known as the Rock Pits and it’s considered a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Pit is placed opposite the railway station. There is no public road leading to it. The Pit is within the Sundridge Park Golf Club grounds.