From notorious highwaymen’s haunts on the edge of open common land to grand Victorian taverns serving the growing suburbs, Anerley’s pubs helped to shape the area, with many of them since finding new uses in the community.
We’ve rounded up Anerley’s lost pubs and what happened to them:
The Robin Hood, Croydon Road
Standing at the junction of Croydon Road and Elmers End Road, The Robin Hood’s history stretched back 140 years.
Before its rebuilding in the early 1860s, the site was a notorious meeting spot for the highwaymen who frequented nearby Penge Common.
Sitting on the old crossroads between Croydon, Penge and Elmers End, it marked the edge of open common land before it was enclosed under the Penge Inclosure Act of 1827.
Owned by Allsopp’s and later Hoare & Co, it even boasted tea gardens and pleasure grounds — a far cry from its more notorious origins.
By the early 20th century, the crossroads itself became known locally as “the Robin Hood”, especially after the arrival of tramlines in 1906, which used it as an intermediate destination between Croydon, Crystal Palace and Penge.
The pub closed in 2002, was badly damaged by fire in 2006 and later demolished.
Today, an Aldi supermarket stands on the site, which opened in July 2012.
Rising Sun, Anerley Road
The Rising Sun, Anerley (Image: Bromley Borough Local History Society)
Once located at what is now 72 Anerley Road, the Rising Sun was already established by the mid-19th century, with licensees dating the pub back as far as 1851.
Originally numbered 3 and 5 Anerley Road in the 1881 census, the pub served a rapidly developing area until the Blitz, when a V2 rocket hit the area, badly damaging the building and causing the pub to close for good.
The derelict building remained for some years before being demolished in the mid-1950s.
Today, the site is occupied by shops, including a Tesco Express.
Thicket Tavern, Anerley Road
Thicket Tavern, Anerley (Image: Bromley Borough Local History Society)
Originally known as the Thicket Hotel, this striking Victorian pub at 75 Anerley Road was later renamed the Thicket Tavern.
By the late 20th century, the pub had gained a less favourable reputation, with locals describing it as an eyesore.
It closed in the early 2010s and, in 2013, the building was transformed into eight self-contained flats after a major restoration project.
The redevelopment uncovered elegant Victorian tiles hidden beneath years of paint, while the ground floor was reimagined as a pop-up gallery space for artists, turning the space into a community asset.
Paxton Arms, Anerley Hill
The Paxton Arms, Anerley (Image: Bromley Borough Local History Society)
The Paxton Arms Hotel stood at 52 Anerley Hill on the corner of Palace Road, spanning 140 years after opening in the mid-1850s.
Like many buildings in the area, it suffered during the bombing of 1944, when a German V1 flying bomb landed nearby, putting the pub out of action.
A sign was later erected in the pub commending the heroics of local publican John Markham, who allegedly finished his pint before helping rescue survivors from neighbouring houses.
The Paxton Arms reopened in December 1955 and survived further waves of redevelopment, remaining the only original building in Palace Road after it was rebuilt in the late 1970s.
The pub finally closed in 2013 and was later reborn as the Paxton Centre — a community arts space hosting exhibitions, workshops, live music and a licensed café, named in tribute to the pub that once served the community.
