It is south of Bromley town centre and Bickley, west of Southborough and Petts Wood, north of Locksbottom and Keston, and east of Hayes.

The Chatterton Arms pub, which opened around 1870, was originally named the "Hit or Miss", presumably a reference to "Shooting Common", dating back to the 'dark' days of highwaymen.

[citation needed] It amounted to about 300 acres, extending irregularly along the sides of the road that formed the main route from Tunbridge Wells and Hastings to Bromley and, beyond, to London.

[5] At the heart of what is now Chatterton Village stood the grounds of Bromley Villa (later renamed Walpole Lodge), a large house owned by gentryman landowner Henry Hebbert.

[4] The area to the west, formerly home to a house called The Rookery which later burnt down, was maintained as open space by green belt legislation.

[8] The common was used for matches on at least 12 occasions between 1735 and 1752, a period which coincided with Bromley Cricket Club having one of the strongest teams in England during the career of Robert Colchin.