It was historically a rural village at the south of the parish of Lewisham, Kent that remained undeveloped until after the First World War.

[3] The railway arrived in the late 19th century with the opening of stations at nearby Bellingham and Beckenham Hill in 1892.

The area grew rapidly after the First World War and farmland was sold off for the development of housing, bringing Southend into the orbit of suburban London.

In 1949 the Flower House Estate, built by the London County Council, was opened by Herbert Morrison.

In recent years the area has seen a decline in activity with the closure of both pubs, and the demolition of the former Splendid Cinema at the corner of Bromley Road and Whitefoot Lane.