Romans camped along the banks of the river, and even earlier settlements are suggested by the mysterious dene holes, caverns shaped in the chalk, which have been found on either side of the valley.

William Camden born in 1551 writes in a 1610 travel guide in a section on Kent: "Here the riverlet Crey, anciently called Crecan , intermingleth it selfe with Darent, ?

[4] While some development has taken place on the east side of the old village, open country with a belt of woodland extends to the hamlet of Hockendenin Swanley and the borough boundary.

On the west side, a large housing estate to accommodate 10,000 of London's overspill has swallowed up farm and woodland since the Second World War.

St Paul's Cray is served by St Mary Cray station with National Rail services to London Victoria via Bromley South, London Blackfriars via Bromley South and Catford, Sevenoaks, Ashford International via Maidstone East and Dover Priory via Chatham.