Despite its unfortunate name, residents in Pratt’s Bottom, near the Kent border, say it’s a ‘lovely’ place to live – and it even has a link to infamous highwayman Dick Turpin
Locals have always had a good chuckle over the name of their village, Pratt’s Bottom, a spot that carries on amusing even after years of residence. Settled near Kent’s border and just to the south of Chelsfield within the Bromley borough, this village’s peculiar name certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.
James Horgan, a 64-year-old business owner from the area, has been running his kitchen servicing venture for over 40 years. Having moved his business from Farnborough to Pratt’s Bottom two decades ago, he recognises that the village often pops up in lists featuring Britain’s most hilarious place names, rubbing shoulders with the likes Badgers Mount and Locksbottom.
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Delving into the local history, Mr Horgan shared: “The name is derived from a farmer called Pratts, who was the original farmer that owned the land, and this is Pratts Farm bottom, because we’re at the bottom of the hill.”
He affirmed that for those who live there it’s just part of daily life saying: “Local people just accept it.” Sharing a common experience, he said: “It always raises a laugh when they ask for your address. When you give it and spell it out you notice some people can’t quite get to grips with it.”
Christen Lock, 55, residing at Pratt’s Bottom for 20 years now, also reminisced about her lifelong connection with Bromley borough.
She mentioned that most locals would probably trace back some connection to the Pratts family if they examined their property deeds.
Ms Lock mused on local legends, saying: “People say Dick Turpin used Pratt’s Bottom pub as his haunt. Pear Tree Cottage used to have some tunnel from the pub to the cottage and he used to escape there.”
She added: “It’s a lovely area. Everyone in the village is so friendly and people look out for each other. It’s really nice, you often see children outside playing on their bikes.”
Ms Lock also shared that she still finds humour in the name of the area, noting its frequent mentions in television and radio media, reports Kent Live.
Tony Lavelle, a resident of Pratt’s Bottom for over 20 years, delved into the history of his home, tracing it back to its farmhouse beginnings in the late 15th century. He said: “Pratt’s Bottom was part of Chelsfield until the 1960s.
“Then as Green Street Green developed for housing, that was combined with Pratt’s Bottom to form a different parish.”
He continued: “In the late 15th century, a lot of farmhouses were built as the region was becoming more prosperous. After the Black Death, the population started to grow again. This would probably have been the only house in the valley.”
Mr Lavelle, who has researched and written about the area’s history, recalled how radio legend Terry Wogan would often joke about Pratt’s Bottom and mentioned past efforts to change the village’s name.
He said: “There was a property developer in the early 1900s called George Osgood and he actually used to own the post office around the corner. There are various roads named after him as well.
“As a property developer, he didn’t like the name Pratt’s Bottom. He thought it would put people off, it was too down market. So he called it Chelsfield Valley, he tried to change the name in an effort to improve the area.”