South London locals have said they still giggle at the name of their village after having lived there for decades. Pratt's Bottom sits near the Kent border in the south of Bromley borough, just below Chelsfield.
James Horgan, 64, was born up the road in Keston and has run his kitchen servicing company for over 40 years. He moved the business to Pratt's Bottom 20 years ago from Farnborough, and said the area often comes up in lists of silly place names in the UK alongside the nearby Badgers Mount and Locksbottom.
Mr Horgan told MyLondon: "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 added: "Local people just accept it. 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, has lived in the area for 20 years after having grown up in Bromley borough. She said most people living in the area were likely to find some link to the Pratts family if they checked the deeds to their homes.
Ms Lock told MyLondon: "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 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 added that she still giggles about the name of the area and it often comes up on television and radio media.
Tony Lavelle, 72, has lived in his house in Pratt's Bottom for over 20 years. He said he has traced the history of his home back to the late 15th century when his property was used as a farmhouse.
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 added: "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 has previously written about the area while researching the history of it. He said he was aware of radio presenter Terry Wogan often using Pratt's Bottom as a joke, and even knows of previous attempts to rename the village.
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."
He added: "So he called it Chelsfield Valley, he tried to change the name in an effort to improve the area."
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