Rochester Way, Welling, Bexley, 1933

Rochester Way, Welling, Bexley, 1933

If New Ideal Homesteads had not kindly informed the photographer of the location, one could have been forgiven for thinking this was the American mid-west.

The view looks west along the Rochester Way - itself a major catalyst in suburban development.

New Ideal Homesteads were aggressive advertisers, but this took relentless publicity to the extreme. The Falconwood Park Estate being advertised was one of their largest and densest, occupying 300 or so acres of land between the A2 and Welling. Much of it was ancient woodland until the late 19th century when it was felled to form the ultimately unprofitable West Wood Farm.

The Falconwood Park Estate is characterised by long roads unrelieved by tree or shop.