Penge
Encyclopedia
Penge is a suburb of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in the London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley
The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.-Geography:...

. It is located 7.1 miles (11.4 km) south east of Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...

.

History

Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

 deed dating from 957. Most historians believe the name of the town is derived from the Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...

 word Penceat which means "edge of wood" and refers to the fact that the surrounding area was once covered in a dense forest. The original Celtic words of which the name was composed referred to pen "head", as in the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

 pen, and ceat "wood", similar to the Welsh coed, as in the name of the town of Pencoed
Pencoed
Pencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea.Lying on the Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000...

 in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

.

Penge formed a part of the parish of Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...

, with the historic county boundary between Kent and Surrey forming its eastern boundary. In 1855 both parts of the parish were included in the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. Its principal responsibility was to provide infrastructure to cope with London's rapid growth, which it successfully accomplished. The MBW...

, with Penge Hamlet Vestry electing six members to the Lewisham District Board of Works. The Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...

 abolished the Metropolitan Board, with its area becoming the County of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...

. However the London Government Act 1899
London Government Act 1899
The London Government Act 1899 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the administration of the capital. The Act divided the County of London into 28 metropolitan boroughs, replacing the 41 parish vestries and District Boards of Works administering the area...

 subsequently made provision for Penge to be removed from the County of London and annexed to either Surrey or Kent. Accordingly, an Order in Council transferred the hamlet to Kent in 1900, constituting it as Penge Urban District
Penge Urban District
Penge was a civil parish and a local government district located to the southeast of London, England. It included the settlements of Penge, Anerley and part of Crystal Palace...

. The urban district was abolished in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...

, and its former area merged with that of other districts to form the London Borough of Bromley. With the creation of the Penge Urban District, Penge New Road (formerly the part of Beckenham Road north of Kent House Road) was renamed Penge High Street.

From 1885 the Hamlet of Penge was part of the Dulwich parliamentary constituency
Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dulwich was a borough constituency in the Dulwich area of South London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

, which was then in Surrey, and remained in that seat until 1918 when it was transferred to the new Bromley constituency
Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bromley is a former borough constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan ....

. From 1950 it was part of the Beckenham constituency
Beckenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Beckenham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Constituency profile:...

. Since the 2010 general election Penge has formed part of the Lewisham West and Penge constituency
Lewisham West and Penge (UK Parliament constituency)
Lewisham West and Penge is a cross-border constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

.

In the Victorian era Penge developed into a fashionable suburb because of its proximity to the relocated Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...

. It became a fashionable day out to visit the Crystal Palace during the day and to take the tram down the hill to one of the 'twenty-five pubs to the square mile' or two Music Halls - The King's Hall and the Empire Theatre (later the Essoldo cinema).

By 1862 Stanford's map of London shows large homes had been constructed along Penge New Road (now Crystal Palace Park Road, Sydenham and Penge High Street), Thick Wood (now Thicket) Road and Anerley Road. This all came to an end with the notorious Penge Murders of 1877.

Historical buildings and structures

  • There are many Victorian almshouse
    Almshouse
    Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...

    s in Penge, the oldest being the Royal Watermen's Almshouses, built around 1840 by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the City of London
    City of London
    The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

     for retired company Freemen and their widows. It is also known as the Free Watermen and Lightermen’s Almshouses
    Free Watermen and Lightermen’s Almshouses
    The Free Watermen and Lightermen’s Almshouses on Beckenham Road / Penge High Street, Penge, Kent, were built in 1840–1841 to designs by the architect George Porter by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the City of London for retired company freemen and their widows...

     on Beckenham Road, built 1840-1841 to designs by George Porter (architect)
    George Porter (architect)
    George Porter was an Early Victorian English architect, active in early to mid-nineteenth-century Kent, England.-Works:*The Free Watermen and Lightermen’s Almshouses on Beckenham Road, Penge, Kent, built 1840-1841 to designs by George Porter by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen of the City...

    . It is the most prominent building in Penge, Kent. In 1973, the almspeople were moved to a new site in Hastings, and the original buildings were converted into private homes.
  • The Queen Adelaide Almshouses, also known as the King William Naval Asylum, St. John’s Road, founded 1847 and built in 1848 to designs by Philip Hardwick
    Philip Hardwick
    Philip Hardwick was an eminent English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere...

     at the request and expense of Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
    Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
    Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her.-Early life:Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany...

    , the widow of King William IV
    William IV of the United Kingdom
    William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...

    , to provide shelter for twelve widows or orphan daughters of naval officers. Again, the almshouses are now in private residences.
  • St. John the Evangelist's Church, Penge, Beckenham Road, built 1850 to designs by Edwin Nash
    Edwin Nash
    Edwin Nash FRIBA was an English Victorian ecclesiastical architect active in mid-nineteenth-century Kent, England. Most of his commissions were churches. He worked with architect John Nash Round) on St. John the Evangelist, Penge . Thereafter he worked alone. He proposed Joseph Fogerty to be a...

     & J. N. Round
  • Penge Congregational Church, built 1912 to designs by P. Morley Horder with passage aisles and clerestory. Shafts on large, excellently carved corbels. and has a stained glass window by William Morris.
  • St Johns C.E. Primary School, was originally part of the Old Penge Chapel which opened in 1837. Early in the 1850s following the completion of St John the Evangelist , the chapel building became used entirely as a school. In 1977 the school’s site was extended and a new school building was opened in September 1978.
  • St. John's Cottages on Maple Road were built as almshouses in 1863, designed by the architect Edwin Nash. As with their predecessors, the cottages are now privately owned homes. On New Years Day 1959 No.8 was destroyed by a gas explosion killing one person. The cottage was rebuilt to closely resemble the original.
  • The Police Station at the corner of the High Street and Green Lane is believed to be London's oldest working police station but has been scheduled for closure since January 21, 2010. Now closed and sold for use by a private company. (June 2010).
  • When completed in 1956 the Crystal Palace Transmitter
    Crystal Palace Transmitter
    The Crystal Palace transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site in the Crystal Palace area of the London Borough of Bromley, England .Its tower is the third-tallest structure in London...

     was the tallest structure in the UK, a record it lost to the Anglia Television
    Anglia Television
    Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...

     transmitter in 1959. It remained the tallest structure in the London area until 1991.
  • The London and Croydon Canal
    Croydon Canal
    The Croydon Canal ran from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809, and closed in 1836, making it the first canal to be formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament.-History:...

     was built across Penge Common
    Penge Common
    Penge Common was an area of north east Surrey and north west Kent which now forms part of London, England; covering most of Penge, all of Anerley, and parts of surrounding suburbs including South Norwood...

     along what is now the line of the railway through Penge West railway station
    Penge West railway station
    Penge West railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. First Capital Connect and some Southern services pass through the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone...

    , deviating to the south before Anerley railway station
    Anerley railway station
    Anerley railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone 4....

    . There is a remnant at the northern corner of Betts Park
    Betts Park
    Betts Park is a public park in Penge, London Borough of Bromley, England. It has a number of attractions, including part of the old Croydon Canal. It was opened in December 1928. -Location:...

    , Anerley
    Anerley
    Anerley is a district of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Bromley. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Anerley is geographically an outer lying area of London, although it is considered to have characteristics of an Inner city suburb...

    .
  • Following the closure of the London and Croydon Canal
    Croydon Canal
    The Croydon Canal ran from Croydon, via Forest Hill, to the Grand Surrey Canal at New Cross in south London, England. It opened in 1809, and closed in 1836, making it the first canal to be formally abandoned by an Act of Parliament.-History:...

    , the London and Croydon Railway
    London and Croydon Railway
    The London and Croydon Railway was an early railway which operated between London and Croydon in England. It was opened in 1839 and in July 1846 it merged with other railways to form a part of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway ....

     was built largely along the same course, opening in 1839. Isambard Kingdom Brunel built an atmospheric railway
    Atmospheric railway
    An atmospheric railway uses air pressure to provide power for propulsion. In one plan a pneumatic tube is laid between the rails, with a piston running in it suspended from the train through a sealable slot in the top of the tube. Alternatively, the whole tunnel may be the pneumatic tube with the...

     along this course.

Pensgreene (Penge Green) and the Crooked Billet

Penge was an inconspicuous area with few residents before the arrival of the railways. A traveller passing through Penge would have noticed the large green with a small inn on its boundary. Penge appears as Pensgreene on Kip's 1607 map. The green was bounded to the north by Penge Lane, the west by Beckenham Road and the southeast by the Crooked Billet. On a modern map that area is very small but the modern day Penge Lane and Crooked Billet are not in their original locations and Beckenham Road would have been little more than a cart track following the property line on the west side of Penge High Street. Penge Lane as the road from Penge to Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...

 is now named St John's Road and Newlands Park Road. There was also an old footpath crossing the Green leading to Sydenham that was known as Old Penge Lane. After the London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...

 was built, Penge Lane crossed the line by level crossing. When this crossing was closed Penge Lane was renamed and Old Penge Lane became the present day Penge Lane.

The 1868 Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...

 map shows the Old Crooked Billet located to the southeast of the current location. This earlier location was on the eastward side of Penge Green, which disappeared as a result of The Penge Enclosure Act, 1827 which enclosed the whole Green. This left the Crooked Billet with no frontage to Beckenham Road, so new premises were constructed on the present site in 1827 and subsequently replaced in 1840 with a three-storey building. This was severely damaged by enemy action in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and subsequently rebuilt.

The Crooked Billet is by far the oldest and arguably the most famous public house in Penge. Peter Abbott states that it was there in 1601 and speculates that it might be much more ancient. In modern times it is particularly well known for lending its name as a bus route terminus. From 1914 General Omnibus routes 109 and 609 both operated between Bromley Market and the Crooked Billet following different routes. The 109 was renumbered 227 by London Transport and continued to terminate at the Crooked Billet. (Route 609 was shortened terminating in Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...

 ). Around 1950 some services were extended past the Crooked Billet to the Crystal Palace. Eventually nearly all buses traveled the extended route. The 354 buses now use the terminus, as do so short running buses on route 194 which carry the destination 'Penge High Street'.

William Hone
William Hone
William Hone was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. His victorious court battle against government censorship in 1817 marked a turning point in the fight for British press freedom.-Biography:...

 wrote about a visit to the Crooked Billet in 1827 and included a detailed sketch of the last building on the original site.

Buses

Penge is served by London buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...

 routes N3
London Buses route 3
London Buses route 3 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...

, 75
London Buses route 75
London Buses route 75 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Metrobus.-History:...

, 157
London Buses route 157
London Buses route 157 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...

, 176
London Buses route 176
London Buses route 176 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...

, 194
London Buses route 194
London Buses route 194 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:...

, 197
London Buses route 197
London Buses route 197 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London....

, 227, 249, 354, 356
London Buses route 356
London Buses route 356 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:The first route 356 ran from Tatsfield and Biggin Hill directly into Croydon....

. and 358. The bus station at Crystal Palace lies within the area historically occupied by Penge. This adds a large number of routes that technically serve Penge but are of little practical use to the residents of Penge.

Road

Three A roads, the A213
A213 road
The A213 is an A road in South London. It runs from Sydenham to Broad Green. It crosses through 3 London Boroughs which includes the start in the London Borough of Lewisham, a small section in the London Borough of Bromley and the ending part inside the Croydon...

, A214
A214 road
The A214 is a part primary, part non-primary A road in London, England. It runs from Wandsworth to West Wickham. The section at Wandsworth, which is part of Trinity Road, was to be part of the London Ringways and is built as a three lane dual carriageway. The route runs through the London...

 and A234
A234 road
The A234 is an A road between Crystal Palace and Beckenham in London, England.It starts as Crystal Palace Park Road near the top of Sydenham Hill. Running down on the North side of Crystal Palace Park it passes under two viaducts for the railway lines between London Bridge and East Croydon and...

 pass through the area. The A213 intersects with the A234 at the Pawleyne Arms and the A214 at the Robin Hood.

Rail

Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...

 trains to London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...

 and East Croydon
East Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...

 or West Croydon
West Croydon station
West Croydon station is a transport interchange for National Rail and Tramlink services, as well as London Buses. It is in the London Borough of Croydon and Travelcard Zone 5...

 run from Penge West railway station
Penge West railway station
Penge West railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. First Capital Connect and some Southern services pass through the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone...

 (originally named Penge but renamed Penge West because of the change of name of Penge East railway station
Penge East railway station
Penge East railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is in Travelcard Zone 4, and the station and nearly all trains are operated by Southeastern...

). Southeastern
Southeastern (train operating company)
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee for the new Integrated Kent Franchise , replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains on the former South East Franchise...

 services between London Victoria and Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...

 via Bromley South
Bromley South railway station
Bromley South railway station is a major interchange and station in Bromley town centre within the London Borough of Bromley in southeast London. It is in Travelcard Zone 5, and the station and all trains are operated by Southeastern...

 operate from Penge East railway station
Penge East railway station
Penge East railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is in Travelcard Zone 4, and the station and nearly all trains are operated by Southeastern...

 (originally named Penge Lane but renamed after the portion of Penge Lane in proximity to the station was itself renamed.). A very limited number of trains operate between Beckenham Junction
Beckenham Junction station
Beckenham Junction is a railway station and a tram terminus in Beckenham, south east London. It is in the London Borough of Bromley and Travelcard Zone 4, 8.6 miles from London Victoria....

 or Kent House
Kent House railway station
Kent House railway station serves an area between Penge and Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley in south London: it takes its name from Kent House farm nearby, historically the first house in Kent after crossing the Surrey border. It is in Travelcard Zone 4, and the station and all trains...

 and Bedford stopping at Penge East.

The other nearest stations are:
  • Anerley railway station
    Anerley railway station
    Anerley railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. The station is operated by London Overground, with London Overground and Southern trains serving the station. It is located in Travelcard Zone 4....

  • Crystal Palace railway station
    Crystal Palace railway station
    Crystal Palace railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south London. It is located in the Anerley area between the town centres of Crystal Palace and Penge...

  • Birkbeck station
    Birkbeck station
    Birkbeck station is a railway station and light rail stop in the London Borough of Bromley in the southern suburbs of London. It is located on Elmers End Road and alongside Beckenham Crematorium.- Network rail :...

  • Clock House railway station
    Clock House railway station
    Clock House railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south east London, in Travelcard Zone 4 between Beckenham and Penge. The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern on the Hayes line....

  • Kent House railway station
    Kent House railway station
    Kent House railway station serves an area between Penge and Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley in south London: it takes its name from Kent House farm nearby, historically the first house in Kent after crossing the Surrey border. It is in Travelcard Zone 4, and the station and all trains...



Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...

 has completed the southern extension of the East London Line
East London Line
The East London Line is a London Overground line which runs north to south through the East End, Docklands and South areas of London.Built in 1869 by the East London Railway Company, which reused the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, the line became part of the London...

, rebranded as the London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...

 East London Railway. This brings services to the Docklands and Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...

 through Penge West to connect with the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...

, opened in summer 2010.

In the 1860s, Penge was also a terminus for the short-lived Crystal Palace pneumatic railway
Crystal Palace pneumatic railway
The Crystal Palace pneumatic railway was an experimental atmospheric railway constructed near Crystal Palace Park in South London c.1864.-History:...

.

Cultural references

After the Crystal Palace was moved to Penge Place, a fashionable day out was to visit the Crystal Palace during the day and to take the tram down the hill to one of the 'twenty-five pubs to the square mile' or two Music Halls:The King's Hall and the Empire Theatre. http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/detail.aspx?uid=77020 http://www.ideal-homes.org.uk/bromley/penge/empire-theatre.htm
Music Hall comedians were in the habit of making fun of the locale in which they appeared and consequently Penge became the butt of many jokes.
  • Spike Milligan
    Spike Milligan
    Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...

     in much of his work including the Goon Show. In Scradje (series 6, episode 26) Professor Hercules Grytpype-Thynne was described as 'the strolling anchorman for the Penge and district tug-of-war team. In Round the world in 80 days (series 7, ep. 20) it was revealed that Count Villion de Jim "Thighs" Moriarty was the gold medallist road sweeper to the Penge district. A dialogue in Insurance - the White Man's Burden (series 7, ep. 21) went:


Seagoon: I didn't know you had a deaf ear.

Bloodnok: Yes, I found it on the floor of a barber's shop in Penge

A small Post Office in east Penge was the location for Part 2 of The Stolen Policeman (series 8, ep.11) and Series 8 episode 13 opens:

Greenslade: This is the BBC light program. We present the all leather Goon Show. For the benefit of listeners who are listening we present 'The Plasticine Man'. The curtain rises on a window revealing the waiting room of the East Penge labour exchange. On a crude wooden bench sit two crude wooden men.
  • Horace Rumpole, a barrister known as "Rumpole of the Bailey
    Rumpole of the Bailey
    Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...

    ", frequently tells others of his greatest triumph, winning an acquittal in the Penge Bungalow Murders "alone and without a leader." Author John Mortimer
    John Mortimer
    Sir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...

    's original chronology was incorrect, as the Penge bungalows were prefabricated houses which replaced homes destroyed during World War II
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

    , long after the date of Rumpole's claimed triumph. When the details of the trial were later documented by Mortimer in the novel Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders in 2002, he moved the events to the early 1950s.

  • Terry Wogan
    Terry Wogan
    Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...

     as Penge-sur-mer or Penge-les-trois-auberges, pronouncing Penge as the French might

  • Brian Wright in his (1986) book Penge Papers: confessions of an unwaged metropolitan househusband

  • The Meaning of Liff defines a Penge as 'the slotted wooden arm on which a cuckoo emerges from a cuckoo clock'.

  • In the 'far-fetched fiction' of Robert Rankin
    Robert Rankin
    Robert Fleming Rankin is a prolific British humorous novelist. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with Snuff Fiction in 1999, by which time his previous eighteen books had sold around one million copies...

    , characters from Brentford refer to Penge as a far-flung outpost of civilisation and often say that they 'hear it's very nice, but I've never been there myself'. On one occasion the anti-heroes Pooley and Omally took so long to walk home from Penge that they grew beards on the way. Their friend Professor Slocombe claims that Penge was the true birthplace of the Virgin Mary (he also claims that Chiswick is the original Babylon).

  • Former Beckenham resident David Bowie
    David Bowie
    David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...

     makes reference to Penge in the song 'Did You Ever Have A Dream', itself the B-side of Bowie's early 1967 single Love You Till Tuesday (song). Bowie juxtaposes the ordinariness of Penge with America by singing "You can walk around in New York while you sleep in Penge".

  • The original version of The Italian Job
    The Italian Job
    The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....

     had scenes shot including some on the old Crystal Palace race track
    Crystal Palace (circuit)
    Crystal Palace circuit was a motor racing circuit in Crystal Palace, London, England. The circuit was located within Crystal Palace park. The route of the track can still be seen on maps providing access to the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre that is also located in the park.- History :The...

    .The television transmitter is visible in the scene where an armoured truck is destroyed by explosives.

  • In the film The Football Factory (2004), main character Tommy Johnson refers disparagingly of Tamara, the girlfriend of his best mate Rod, as a "Penge Minge" and "...wannabe Middle-class scum.".

  • Radio 4 series "Old Harry's Game
    Old Harry's Game
    Old Harry's Game is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary Satan. "Old Harry" is one of many names for the devil...

    " references Penge several times throughout the first five series, including the replacement of the Archbishop of Canterbury with the Bishop of Penge as the 'supply' Archbishop.

  • It is the setting for the BBC (2006) comedy series Pulling.

  • English dramatist Christopher Fry
    Christopher Fry
    Christopher Fry was an English playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, notably The Lady's Not for Burning, which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life:...

    , in his play "Venus Observed", includes the phrase, "...every pool's as populous as Penge..." in a long speech.

  • In South Africa the largest amosite (Grunerite
    Grunerite
    Grunerite is a mineral of the amphibole group of minerals with formula Fe7Si8O222. It is the iron endmember of the grunerite-cummingtonite series. It forms as fibrous, columnar or massive aggregates of crystals. The crystals are monoclinic prismatic. The luster is glassy to pearly with colors...

    ) mine in the world was named Penge (apparently one of the U.K. directors considered that the two areas were similar in appearance.)

  • A scene from The Buddha of Suburbia was filmed around Penge East station, and showed the offices of Tomei & Sons.

  • In How Not To Live Your Life Don refers to Penge as "Where the sun doesn't shine"

Famous public houses

  • Penge is home to a number of taverns and public houses, indeed it was noted in Victorian times for its '25 pubs to the square mile'. The Crooked Billet is by far the oldest and arguably the most famous.
  • The Pawleyne Arms is currently the terminus for the 176 bus service. It was previously an intermediate turning point for short running buses on the 12
    London Buses route 12
    London Buses route 12 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...

    , 75 and 194 bus services, becoming the southern terminus for route 12 between 1986 and 1988 when the route was again shortened.
  • The public houses in Maple Road have nearly all changed their names. The Dew Drop Inn was known as The Market Tavern (and featured in the television series The Bill
    The Bill
    The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

     as the Market Tavern in Canley Market)before its closure. The London Tavern became The Hop Exchange and then The Hop House. As of 2006, it was closed, and as of 2009 the pub's facade has been removed and the building is undergoing conversion into residential accommodations. The Lord Palmerston has been delicensed and is now a pizza outlet. The King William IV became The Crown and is now The Maple Tree. Only The Golden Lion has retained its name, although it has extended its premises substantially.
  • Other public houses in the area include: The Goldsmith Arms, Bridge House Tavern, Queen Adelaide Arms (closed 2010), The Alexandra, Graces (formerly Dr W G Grace) , Kent House Tavern, Robin Hood (closed, subsequently destroyed by fire in 2006 and demolished), Royal Oak (closed 2011), The Mitre, The Goat House (destroyed by fire and now demolished), The Waterman's Arms (now Superdrug), The Anchor (closed circa 1910), The Thicket Tavern and Hollywood East (formerly The Park Tavern). The last named was the venue for the inquest into the Penge Murders.
  • Penge also has several clubs including a Conservative Club. The Penge & District Trade Union & Labour Social Club (CIU
    Working Men's Club and Institute Union
    The Working Men's Club and Institute Union is a voluntary association of private members' clubs in Great Britain & Northern Ireland, with about 3,000 associate clubs. One club in the Republic of Ireland, the City of Dublin Working Men's Club is also affiliated. Most social clubs are affiliated to...

    ) built by local tradesmen in 1922, the former Liberal Club closed in 2005.

Notable residents

  • Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Bourne
    Frank Bourne
    Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Edward Bourne OBE DCM was a decorated British soldier who participated in the defence of Rorke's Drift during the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War. He was also the last known survivor of the battle.-Early life:...

     OBE DCM, Colour Sargeant at the Battle of Rorke's Drift
    Rorke's Drift
    The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers, immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of...

    , lived at 16 Kingshall Road after his retirement.
  • Penge was the childhood home of Bill Wyman
    Bill Wyman
    Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...

     (b. 1936 William George Perks) bassist
    Bassist
    A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

     from The Rolling Stones
    The Rolling Stones
    The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

  • Thomas Crapper
    Thomas Crapper
    Thomas Crapper was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co. in London. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ballcock...

    , the famous Victorian manufacturing plumber retired to live at 12 Thornsett Road (c1897-1910). He is commonly, but erroneously, credited with inventing the WC.
  • Walter de la Mare
    Walter de la Mare
    Walter John de la Mare , OM CH was an English poet, short story writer and novelist, probably best remembered for his works for children and the poem "The Listeners"....

    , famous poet and author of ghost stories, resided at 195 Mackenzie Road (1899–1908), 5 Worbeck Road (1908–1912) and 14 Thornsett Road (1912–1925).
  • John Freeman
    John Freeman (Georgian poet)
    John Frederick Freeman, , was an English poet and essayist, who gave up a successful career in insurance to write full time.He was born in London, and started as an office boy aged 13...

    , Georgian poet and essayist. A friend of Walter de la Mare.
  • Camille Pissarro
    Camille Pissarro
    Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...

    , French impressionist painter, lived in Penge in the 1870s.
  • H. T. Muggeridge, British politician, father of Malcolm Muggeridge
  • Malcolm Muggeridge
    Malcolm Muggeridge
    Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy...

    , British journalist, author, satirist, media personality, soldier-spy and latterly a Christian apologist.
  • Andrew Bonar Law, Prime Minister
    Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...

    , who was the Member of Parliament
    Member of Parliament
    A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

     for Dulwich
    Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)
    Dulwich was a borough constituency in the Dulwich area of South London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

     and lived in Oakfield Road in Penge.
  • John Clunies-Ross, first King of the Cocos Islands
    King of the Cocos Islands
    King of the Cocos Islands was a title given by the press to John Clunies-Ross, a Scottish sea captain, and other members of his family.He went to live on the Cocos Islands in 1827. Queen Victoria granted the islands in perpetuity to the Clunies-Ross family in 1886...

    .
  • Tom Hood
    Tom Hood
    Tom Hood , was an English humorist and playwright, son of the poet and author Thomas Hood. A prolific author, he was appointed, in 1865, editor of the magazine Fun. He also founded Tom Hood's Comic Annual in 1867....

     1835-1874, author, playwright and editor of "Fun" lived at 12 Queen Adelaide Road.
  • Helena Normanton
    Helena Normanton
    Helena Florence Normanton, KC was the first woman to practise as a barrister in the UK. In 1922 she was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Middle Temple, following the example set by Ivy Williams earlier that year....

     1882-1957, the first woman to practise as a barrister in the UK.
  • Herbert Strudwick
    Herbert Strudwick
    Herbert Strudwick was an English wicket-keeper...

     Surrey and England wicket-keeper lived at 4 Worbeck Road.
  • Simon Moores, the mining industry's writer, author and modern day thinker who made his name in Industrial Minerals magazine
    Industrial Minerals magazine
    Industrial Minerals magazine is a specialist, monthly publication, which covers all aspects of the non-metallic minerals industry...

    .
  • Henry Howse, a very early film actor with the Lumière brothers, moved to Penge by 1911 by which time he had become a cinematographer. He was a member of The Salvation Army
    The Salvation Army
    The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

     and was instrumental in establishing the Limelight Department
    Limelight Department
    The Limelight Department was one of the world's first film studios, beginning in 1898, operated by The Salvation Army in Melbourne, Australia. The Limelight Department produced evangelistic material for use by the Salvation Army, including lantern slides as early as 1891, as well as private and...

    . He moved to Melbourne
    Melbourne
    Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

    , Australia with the Salvation Army then to southern Africa resuming his career as cinematographer. He returned to live in Penge until his death.
  • Roger Mallett (Author, Photographer and Global Expert in Asset Management) lived in Penge from 1955 to 1977 (at 95 High Street Penge with his parents) and again from 1980 to 1983 (34 Albert Road).

Nearest places

  • Sydenham
    Sydenham
    Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...

  • Crystal Palace
    Crystal Palace, London
    Crystal Palace is a residential area in south London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...

  • Anerley
    Anerley
    Anerley is a district of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Bromley. It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Anerley is geographically an outer lying area of London, although it is considered to have characteristics of an Inner city suburb...

  • Upper Norwood
    Upper Norwood
    Upper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...

  • Beckenham
    Beckenham
    Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...

  • South Norwood
    South Norwood
    South Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...

  • Elmers End
    Elmers End
    Elmers End is a place in London Borough of Bromley, England. It has a large green space which is the centre of a gyratory. Very close to the combined railway station and Tramlink terminus bearing its name is the old sewage farm. The remains of this industrial site can still be seen...


Open spaces

  • Crystal Palace Park
  • Alexandra Recreation Ground
  • Cator Park
  • Penge Recreation Ground
  • Betts Park
    Betts Park
    Betts Park is a public park in Penge, London Borough of Bromley, England. It has a number of attractions, including part of the old Croydon Canal. It was opened in December 1928. -Location:...

  • Royston Playing Fields
  • South Norwood Country Park
    South Norwood Country Park
    South Norwood Country Park is a park in South Norwood, close to Elmers End station, mainly in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a 47 hectare green space which opened in 1989...

  • See Also Penge Common
    Penge Common
    Penge Common was an area of north east Surrey and north west Kent which now forms part of London, England; covering most of Penge, all of Anerley, and parts of surrounding suburbs including South Norwood...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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