Robin Hood, Penge

Prior to its rebuilding in the early 1860s, this was originally a hostelry notorious for the highwaymen that once frequented Penge Common and located at the edge of the common on the old crossways of roads from Croydon, Penge and Elmers End. The common land was enclosed following the Penge Inclosure Act of 1827, which was then followed by the construction of Anerley Road. The rebuilt public house, with its distinctive architecture designed to emulate the grand houses being built nearby, was to serve the expanding suburbs of Penge and Anerley. Owned by Allsops, this boasted a tea gardens and pleasure grounds. Later owned by Hoare & Co in the 1930s, this was eventually owned by Charrington (later Bass Charrington) until it closed in 2002. The crossroads was later referred to as the "Robin Hood", now serving the main roads between Croydon to Penge and Elmers End to Crystal Palace. The surrounding area was later known as "Anerley, Robin Hood" following the arrival of the tramlines in 1906, this being used as an intermediate destination for trams from Croydon to both Crystal Palace and Penge (the Penge Depot for trams was situated in adjacent Oakgrove Road). The tramline to Penge closed in 1933, whilst the tramline to Crystal Palace closed in 1936 being replaced by trolleybus route 654, still with "Robin Hood" as an intermediate destination, until this in turn closed in 1959.