Bromley is the principal town in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a suburban development situated 9.3 miles (14.9 km) south east of Charing Cross.
The town has a large shopping and retail area including a pedestrianised High Street and The Glades shopping centre. The London Borough of Bromley Civic Centre is located in the town.
H. G. Wells, most famous for his book The War of the Worlds, was born in Bromley. In August 2005, the wall honouring H.G Wells outside various coffee shops was repainted. The current wall painting features a rich green background with the same H.G Wells reference and the evolution sequence of homosapiens featured on Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.
Bromley is also known for The Bromley Contingent, who were a group of followers and fans of the Sex Pistols, including Siouxsie Sioux, Sid Vicious and Billy Idol who went on to become famous themselves.
Other famous people who lived in Bromley include David Bowie who went to Ravenswood School for Boys and Aleister Crowley, who had stayed shortly to study Freemasonry in Locksbottom.