Editing Beckenham (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Bowie Bandstand, Croydon Road Recreation Ground (11).jpg|thumb|right|The "Bowie Bandstand" in Croydon Road Recreation Ground, site of one of musician [[David Bowie]]'s earliest public performances; it is now Grade II listed.]]
Beckenham lies {{convert|1.7|mi|km}} west of [[Bromley]] and {{convert|3.8|mi|km}} north-east of [[Croydon]].

The original village of Beckenham was a cluster of development surrounded by the lands of a series of manorial estates: Beckenham, Foxgrove, Kelsey, Langley and Kent House Farm with their mansions, halls and Parks.
The parish boundary has changed over time but extended from Crystal Palace Park to Bromley and Lewisham to West Wickham.

The [[River Ravensbourne]] flows northwards at the eastern side of the town, towards its confluence with the [[River Thames]] forming an eastern boundary with Bromley. A small stream, the River Beck (sometimes referred to as the Hawkesbrook), passes through the town before joining the Ravensbourne via the Pool River further north near Catfod.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53788&strquery=Beckenham|title=Parishes: Beckenham|work=british-history.ac.uk}}</ref>

The area is part of an outcrop of [[London Clay]] which were the basis for several brickworks during the development period{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} with areas of Harwich Formation and consists of many small hills. Several gravel pits extracted parts of the Blackheath Beds which are now included in the Harwich Formation <ref>''The Rural Landscape of Kent'' S.G.McRae & C.P.Burnham, published by [[Wye College]], 1973</ref>