Welling

Did the highwaymen of Shooters Hill ever truly venture down into Welling? Welling, a town nestled in South East London, within the London Borough of Bexley. Legend claims it earned its name from weary travelers declaring themselves “well in” to Kent after conquering the treacherous slopes. Or perhaps it marked a “well end” to their journey, a sigh of relief at escaping the highwaymen’s clutches. Local historians propose alternative origins. They suggest the name derives from “Welwyn,” meaning “place of the spring,” referencing a hidden spring at Welling Corner. Another theory points to the Willing family, who resided in the area in 1301. Today, a relic of a different era stands at Welling Corner: a large Russian cannon. This 36-pounder carronade, used in the Crimean War, rests on a replica carriage. It serves as a link to Welling’s connection to the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, where munitions workers were housed during the Great War. The former Foster’s School building on Upper Wickham Lane remains a local landmark. After the school relocated to Westbrooke Road, the original site became residential, preserving the Grade II listed main building and headmaster’s house. Nearby stands the 12th-century St. Michael’s Church, East Wickham, now a Greek Orthodox congregation. A new St. Michael’s church arose next door in 1933. Another church, St. Mary’s Church, Welling, built in 1955, showcases 20th-century liturgical art. Before the Bexleyheath Line opened in 1895, Welling was a quiet village on Watling Street. Three inns remain as testaments to its role as a coaching stop. After World War I, Bexley Urban District Council built over 400 houses north of the railway line. Later, the sale of the Danson estate spurred suburban growth, encompassing the parishes of St. Michael’s East Wickham and St. John’s Welling. The area was transferred from Kent to Greater London in 1965, becoming part of the London Borough of Bexley.