Hop House, Penge

Before its final name (the Hop House) the pub had been known as (working backwards) the Hopsack, the Hop Exchange, before its original name, the London Tavern.

The London Tavern was in the Good Beer Guide editions of 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983, and the Hop Exchange was in those of 1988, 1989 and 1993. The 1983 (London Tavern) entry reads:

“Adnams Bitter

Everard Tiger

Godson Best Bitter

Ruddle County (H)

Adorned with bric-a brac”.

In its issue of 14 April 2003, the News Shopper reported a police raid of the pub on 9 April 2003.

The first picture, of the Hop House after closure and having been knocked about to the extent of having lost its top floor, appears with the kind permissions of the Closed Pubs and Dover-Kent Archives websites.

After closure, the building reacquired its second floor, plus another one, and was converted to flats, as shown in the third picture, which was taken on 7 September 2015.

The second picture appears with the kind permission of Ian Muir, of Beckenham History, and shows the pub back in 1900, early in its London Tavern days.
News Shopper article: Police seize guns in Penge pub
Closed Pubs web entry: Hop House
Dover-Kent Archives web entry: Hop House
Beckenham History gallery containing the London Tavern picture: Penge Pubs