Petts Wood & Knoll
vs St Mary Cray
St Mary Cray has the younger population: 17% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Petts Wood & Knoll. Homes in Petts Wood & Knoll sold for a median of £685,000, 59% above St Mary Cray. St Mary Cray has more green space nearby (18% within 500 m, against 11%).
People
Petts Wood & Knoll has 16,930 residents in 6,751 households; St Mary Cray has 18,438 in 7,612. Petts Wood & Knoll has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 22%, 5.2 percentage points more than St Mary Cray (Bromley: 18%). St Mary Cray has the higher share of people living alone: 30%, 6.6 percentage points more than Petts Wood & Knoll (Bromley: 29%).
Homes and prices
In both, semi-detached houses are the most common type of home: 47% of homes in Petts Wood & Knoll and 45% in St Mary Cray. Petts Wood & Knoll has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 85%, 20.7 percentage points more than St Mary Cray (Bromley: 69%). St Mary Cray has the higher share of private renting: 13%, 1.4 percentage points more than Petts Wood & Knoll (Bromley: 17%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £685,000 in Petts Wood & Knoll and £430,000 in St Mary Cray, against £520,000 across Bromley.
Surroundings
St Mary Cray has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 18%, 7.1 percentage points more than Petts Wood & Knoll (Bromley: 17%). A typical postcode has 88 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Petts Wood & Knoll, and 89 in St Mary Cray. The typical postcode is 546 m from the nearest school in Petts Wood & Knoll and 417 m in St Mary Cray. The typical postcode is 668 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Petts Wood & Knoll and 1,038 m in St Mary Cray. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 99% of premises in Petts Wood & Knoll and 94% in St Mary Cray.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 37 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Petts Wood & Knoll and 81 in St Mary Cray, against 88 across Bromley. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Petts Wood & Knoll is one of 22 wards in Bromley, home to 16,930 people in 6,751 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £685,000 over the past two years, 32% above the Bromley median. On average 11% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 37% below the Bromley average.
St Mary Cray is one of 22 wards in Bromley, home to 18,438 people in 7,612 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £430,000 over the past two years, 17% below the Bromley median. On average 18% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 4% above the Bromley average.
More comparisons.
Petts Wood & Knoll and St Mary Cray next to other wards of Bromley.