Related Articles
A Facebook post by News Shopper sparked over 390 comments, with people passionately defending their positions.
Hundreds argue that Bexleyheath belongs to Kent, while just as many insist it’s firmly part of south London.
The discussion gained further traction when TikTok influencer Dilan Kurt, with over 144,000 followers and 9.3 million likes, took to Bexleyheath High Street to ask locals, schoolchildren, and residents: Is Bexleyheath part of south London or Kent?
Officially, Bexleyheath is within the London Borough of Bexley, classified as a London borough since the creation of the Greater London Council in 1965.
However, history, postcodes, and personal ties continue to fuel the Kent connection for many.
Here’s what people had to say in the News Shopper post comments:
Dean Bentley argued Bexleyheath is unquestionably part of London: “Metropolitan Police, double-decker (red) buses, London Borough of Bexley. It may have been Kent once upon a time, but it’s literally London.”
Rose O’Keefe disagreed, saying: “Kent. Same as Bromley—it’s classed as Kent, but it’s in a London borough.”
Lewis Dowse dismissed the postcode argument altogether: “The only argument people come out with for any of Bexley (and Bromley, for that matter) being in Kent is the postcode.
“The truth is, postcode has no relevance. BR1 extends into Lewisham, while DA15 and DA16 extend into Greenwich.
“Part of Essex is E4 and in Epping Forest District, not London. Bexley has wholly and entirely been in London since 1965.”
For Kayleigh Rice, the postcode was enough to settle the debate: “Kent, DA postcode, not SE.”
Paul Wilmot kept it factual: “It is in south east London and has been since it became part of the London Borough of Bexley in 1965. Before that, it was in Kent.”
Mick Williams pointed out the flaw in using postcodes to define geography: “I love how people say ‘but it’s a Kent postcode.’
“The postcode is only to help Royal Mail organise deliveries. If Amazon decided that Bexleyheath orders were going to be delivered from a Birmingham depot, would you argue that it was in the West Midlands?”
Others, like Janice Hill and Jackie Heinink, stood by tradition: “Kent when I moved here, and I haven’t moved, so I’m still Kent.” “I lived there for over 35 years, and it will always be Kent to me.”
For Lisa Thompson, it’s all about convenience: “Kent postcode, yet it’s the London Borough of Bexley, so I always go with both. You can interchange to choose whatever suits at the time.”
Helen Helsbels clarified the postal confusion: “For those arguing about the postcode. It corresponds to outer London; we just aren’t in inner London.
“We have all been outer London since the 1960s. If you look up your postal address on the Royal Mail postcode finder, you will find it doesn’t add Kent onto it.”
Margaret Fraser highlighted the local governance: “We pay our council tax to the London Borough of Bexley, so it is London.”
However, some remained unconvinced, with Mick Barnard and Clinton Stephenson insisting: “Kent, of course.”
“No debate whatsoever—it’s in Kent.”
Meanwhile, Samantha Cooper and Alan Cherry pointed out that history is one thing, but facts are facts: “Was once Kent, but is now considered part of Greater London, and has been for many decades.”
“Not even a debate—pre-1965, Kent; post-1965, London.
“It’s been in London for 60 years. If after that many years your brain can’t grasp that fact, you have a problem.
“This debate is only kept alive by people who would like to live in Kent.”
