1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Orpington

ORPINGTON, a town in the Dartford parliamentary division of Kent, England, 133/4 m. S.E. of London, and 21/2 m. S. by E. of Chislehurst, on the South-Eastern & Chatham railway. Pop. (1901), 4259. The church (Early English) contains some carved woodwork and ancient brasses. An old mansion called the Priory dates in part from 1393. The oak-panelled hall and the principal rooms are of the 15th century. In 1873 John Ruskin set up at Orpington a private publishing house for his works, in the hands of his friend George Allen. Fruit and hops are extensively grown in the neighbourhood. From its pleasant situation in a hilly, wooded district near the headwaters of the Cray stream, Orpington has become in modern times a favourite residential locality for those whose business lies in London. A line of populous villages extends down the valley between Orpington and Bexley—St Mary Cray (pop. 1894), St Paul’s Cray (1207), Foots Cray (an urban district, 5817), and North Cray.