Crooked Billet, Penge

The Crooked Billet, Penge
The Crooked Billet
Map
General information
Address99 High Street, Penge, London SE20 7DT
Town or cityLondon
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°24′58″N 0°03′11″W / 51.41599°N 0.05317°W / 51.41599; -0.05317

The Crooked Billet is a public house at 99 High Street, Penge, London SE20 7DT. It was built in 1827 and is the oldest pub in Penge.[1] It is part of the Craft Union Pub Company.[2]

Background

The name 'Penge' originates from the Celtic word ‘penceat’ which means ‘edge of wood’ in the Brittonic languages.[3] There appears to be Celts living here for many years on what was a luscious common with medieval woodland. [4]

History

The Crooked Billet was constructed in 1827, rebuilt in 1840 and then extended in 1925.[5]

Outside the original double-fronted house was an ancient oak tree and a wooden seat where locals sat and talked. It became a popular meeting place for many decades to come. Coaches used to stop at the old inn on their way to London to change or refresh the horses, with the coachdriver and passengers stocking up on food and home-brewed ale.[6]

Legend has it that as the hamlet was so heavily wooded, a sign had to be placed on the main road to guide the traveller to the overnight shelter. This sign was a bent or knotted branch and the ‘crooked billet’ led to the pub’s name. The building was badly damaged during the Second World War which meant the top floor had to be removed and rebuilt in the 1950s.[7]

In literature

The Crooked Billet, as seen by Hone in 1827

William Hone was an English writer, satirist and bookseller. He wrote about a visit to the pub in 1827. He and a friend ate eggs, bacon and spinach from the pub garden. They sat in a comfortable parlour, with a bow-window view of Penge Common. He said the house affords as good accommodation for man and horse as can be found in any retired spot so near London. His friend sketched an illustration of the pub.[8]

Sport

A field behind the Crooked Billet pub was where the first Crystal Palace FC played their home games between 1864-66 after their pitch in Crystal Palace Park became unavailable.[9]

England’s second football captain and second oldest player, Alexander Morten, played on the ground for the club and probably enjoyed some ales in the pub afterwards.[10]

Football Association administrator Charles W. Alcock, who devised the FA Cup and international football, played on the field for the Wanderers F.C..[11]

The Crooked Billet Ground also hosted cricket with Penge United playing matches there between 1856-58.[12][13][14] Sydenham Albion Cricket Club was using the field as their home ground in 1865. After the opening match of their season, "a very excellent lunch was provided on the ground by Mr Matthews, of the Crooked Billet Tavern, Penge."[15]

References

  1. ^ Abbott, Peter (2002). Book of Penge, Anerley and Crystal Palace: The Community, Past Present and Future. p. 111. ISBN 1-84114-210-7.
  2. ^ "The Crooked Billet". article. Craft Union Pub Company. 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  3. ^ Law, Gordon (2022). Crystal Palace & Penge in Colour. p. 68. ISBN 9798851043611.
  4. ^ Spence, Martin (2007). The Making of a London Suburb. p. 37. ISBN 978-0850365894.
  5. ^ Abbott, Peter (2002). Book of Penge, Anerley and Crystal Palace: The Community, Past Present and Future. p. 112. ISBN 1-84114-210-7.
  6. ^ Pullen, Doris E (2021). Penge. p. 19. ISBN 9780950417134.
  7. ^ Abbott, Peter (2002). Book of Penge, Anerley and Crystal Palace: The Community, Past Present and Future. p. 111. ISBN 1-84114-210-7.
  8. ^ "The Crooked Billet, on Penge Common", The Every-day Book and Table Book; or, Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs, and Events, Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Days, in Past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Months, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac, Including Accounts of the Weather, Rules for Health and Conduct, Remarkable and Important Anecdotes, Facts, and Notices, in Chronology, Antiquities, Topography, biography, Natural History, Art, Science, and General Literature; Derived from the Most Authentic Sources, and Valuable Original Communication, with Poetical Elucidations, for Daily Use and Diversion. Vol III., ed. William Hone, (London: 1838) p 669-74.
  9. ^ Law, Gordon (2021). Palace Pioneers: How the first Crystal Palace FC helped create the modern game. p. 37. ISBN 979-8772662892.
  10. ^ Law, Gordon (2021). Palace Pioneers: How the first Crystal Palace FC helped create the modern game. p. 193. ISBN 979-8772662892.
  11. ^ Hibberd, Stuart (2021). The first Crystal Palace Football Club 1861-1876. p. 85-86. ISBN 978-1-9163095-0-0.
  12. ^ The Era, 3 August 1856, p14
  13. ^ The Morning Advertiser, 2 July 1857, p7
  14. ^ The Era, 4July 1858, p14
  15. ^ Sydenham Times, 9 May 1865, p8