Bexley
The London borough of Bexley is in south-east London and is bordered by the Bromley, Greenwich, Dartford and the Thames.
The Borough follows the River Thames as it meanders out of London.
Little more than a century ago Bexley was almost entirely countryside. Nowadays it is a densely populated urban area with a population of 218,000. and is governed by a Labour-run council with a slim majority (they have 32 councillors to the Conservatives' 30);
Up until the early twentieth century, Bexley was primarily a rural district - in fact the name Bexley literally means 'clearing in the box wood'.
Bexley (the borough) was formed in 1965 when Bexley (Kent), Erith, Crayford and Sidcup were combined into one borough as a result of the London Government Act 1963.
In his childhood, former Prime Minister Ted Heath went to school in the Crayford area of Bexley, and later returned when the borough became his first parliamentary constituency as an MP.
Bexley is twinned with Arnsberg in Germany and Evry in France.
London Boroughs