Beckenham history: from East Cannington to a London name

Beckenham is a suburb that named itself after one of its own streets.

How Beckenham got its name

The area was once part of East Cannington. The City of Gosnells records that the name came into use in 1948 to avoid confusion with Cannington. New streets in the area had been named after London localities such as Wimbledon, Clapham and Tooting, and among them was a Beckenham Street, which gave the area its name.

Before the suburb

The City of Gosnells records that the Canning River, Djarlgarra Beeliar, supplied food for the Beeliar and Beloo people.

How it grew

The area was subdivided from the Sevenoaks estate in the 1890s for farming or brickmaking. East Cannington State School opened in 1912 with 21 pupils. The main residential growth came after the Second World War, and enrolments at the school peaked at more than 640 in 1969.

Places that tell the story

Wimbledon Park, also known as Brooking, on Packer Street is a 1909 Federation bungalow with chauffeur’s quarters and is heritage listed.

Skinner’s House on Beckenham Street was built in about 1929, when there were only two other houses in the area, and was one of the district’s first houses with a telephone.

Beckenham Primary School on Railway Parade dates from 1912 and is on the municipal inventory.

Beckenham today

Beckenham is now an established suburb of post-war and newer houses beside the Armadale railway line.

More about Beckenham

For what Beckenham is like to live in now, read our Beckenham suburb profile. If you own a property in Beckenham and are thinking about selling, start with buyers for your property.

Sources

• City of Gosnells: the history of suburb names (PDF, archived copy of May 2022; no longer on the City’s website)
• Landgate: Perth and surrounds suburb names (archived 2022)
• City of Gosnells: history of the City
• inHerit: Beckenham Primary School
• inHerit: Wimbledon Park (Brooking)
• inHerit: Skinner's House (former)
• Beckenham Primary School: school history

Top image: Railway Parade, Beckenham. Photo: Steelkamp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Dates and names are drawn from the sources above. Where sources differ, we have said so or given an approximate date.

By Key Performance Real Estate, 338 Beaufort Street, Perth