Bromley, England is a town in south east London. After a railway station opened there in the mid-nineteenth century, the town eventually transformed from a market town into an important commercial and retail center.  Just ten miles south of Charing Cross, Bromley is now considered a major industrial suburb of London.

Originally developed from a land grant by the King of Kent, it belonged to the Bishops of Rochester who built a large manor house there called the Bishops' Palace.  It was used by them for five hundred years and is now part of the civic center of Bromley.  

The market square, in the heart of Bromley, is a historic landmark at High Street and Church Road junction that includes a large area of retail shops.  Its retail establishments in the past have included Rumbelow's electronics, the flagship store of Allders department store, Marks and Spencer menswear and Woolworths.  Today the High Street contains the clothing retailer, Primark, the furniture retailer, Multiyork, the discount retailer, T. K. Maxx and many others, including a spa retailers who will let you try Bromley hot tubs and hot tubs in Bromley.  A great number of the former retailers on the High Street moved into The Glades, a shopping center which was opened in 1991 and now has one hundred thirty five shops within it, including a Disney Store.

Another historic landmark in Bromley is the St. Peter and St. Paul Church on Church Road.  It was the scene of much destruction during the Second World War bombings but it was reconstructed after the war.  The stone building's original fragments were saved for use in the reconstruction. Bromley College on London Road is also a significant landmark of the town.

Among Bromley's famous residents was the novelist H. G. Wells who wrote "War of the Worlds".  He was born in Bromley and his birthplace is noted with a historic marker.  Other famous residents included Charles Darwin, David Bowie, Peter Frampton, and Billy Idol.  Bromley was mentioned in the famous Monty Python "Spam" sketch as the location of the Green Midget Café.  And last year a BBC survey named Bromley the UK's capital of curry due to its number of curry restaurants!

There are several open spaces and parks in Bromley.  The Crystal Palace Park has a popular children's farm, boating lake and maze, along with a dinosaur display and geological exhibits.  The Queen's Gardens is an award winning garden with flower beds, a maze and a patio.  Scadbury Park is a nature reserve with three hundred acres of pastures and woodlands that offers public paths for visitors. There is also a labyrinth of caves called Chislehurst Caves that were carved from chalk over thousands of years.  These were used as air raid shelters during the war and are now one of the area's popular tourist attractions.

The railway began the town's rapid growth from a rural village which was helped in part by its proximity to London.  Two railway stations serve the city, Bromley South and Bromley North.  There are night buses linking Bromley to central London as well as regular bus service from the town center.