![[Addiscombe]](../../images/addiscombe.jpg)
On this page I am listing the local pubs, including any that have been closed or that have been demolished in the last few years, with just the briefest of notes. The thumbnail photos link to either the associated Fotopic collection or a single photo and the commentary there may add more information if I have anything to say. I do not have any intention of reviewing the pubs as there are plenty of sites out there that do that.
The Google Map shown at the bottom of the page, browser and configuration permitting, has the location of the pubs marked. Clicking on a marker will identify the pub and give its address and any further contact information such as phone numbers or websites (I believe the details to be correct at the time of writing but I make no promises). You can also click the '[show on map]' link next in each pub's description and this will have the same effect as clicking on the appropriate marker on the map (and will save you having to work out which one it is).
I've drifted out of Addiscombe quite a bit with some of the pubs so I've decided to have two batches. The first ones are in Addiscombe itself or so close as to quite easily be 'locals' for residents (e.g. the two on Woodside Green). The second batch are either on the default map above or they a little off the map and are pubs I've passed by with a camera in hand.
I am listing the pubs in alphabetical order ignoring any 'The' that might be part of the name (it can be used inconsistently anyway).
The Alma Tavern lies on the north side of the Lower Addiscombe Road on the west side of the junction with Grant Road. There have been rumours that it might be the next local pub for the chop but these might perhaps have been triggered by a closure for refurbishment. [show on map]
The Beehive is on the north side of Woodside Green just west of the green itself. [show on map]
The Black Horse pub stood on the west side of the junction of Lower Addiscombe Road and Blackhorse Lane. It was demolished in 2005 or 2006 (I forget which) and a new building has been constructed on the site (shown in the photo left). The pub claimed to be the oldest in Addiscombe and may even have dated back to the 17th century or perhaps even earlier. [show on map]
The Builders Arms lies on the north side of Leslie Park Road immediately opposite Lebanon Road. [show on map]
The Claret is an award winning pub sitting in a parade of shops on Bingham Corner, on the south side of the Lower Addiscombe Road between Bingham Road and the tram line. The other pubs in Addiscombe date back to at least the 19th Century but the Claret actually opened as a wine bar in the 1980s, changing its name and the emphasis of its business in the 1990s. [show on map]
There are two pubs named The Cricketers in the Addiscombe area. One lies on the north side of Addiscombe Road more or less opposite Park Hill Drive and not far from Lebanon Road tram stop. It opened in 1874 and it is quite possible that it was in the same building as the Queen which was open from 1843 to 1853. [show on map]
The second pub named The Cricketers lies on the east side of the Shirley Road, immediately opposite the junction with Bingham Road. [show on map]
The Glamorgan was previously called the Grouse and Claret and before that it was the Horse & Groom for long time. It lies on the north-west side of Cherry Orchard Road on the corner with Cross Road. [show on map]
The Joiners Arms lies on the south side of Woodside Green where the road bends a little way west of the green itself. [show on map]
The Leslie Arms lies on the east side of the junction of the Lower Addiscombe Road and Cherry Orchard Road. It has been closed for a few years and apparently there is a planning application in to convert it into flats or something along those lines. The exterior is now listed but the interior has long since been demolished. [show on map]
The Orchard lies on the south-east side of Cherry Orchard Road a little way south-west of the junction with Leslie Park Road. The sign claiming a fine selection of real ales has raised comment as there has apparently only been one on offer. The pub sign shows evidence of the name 'The Cherry Orchard' being overwritten. I thought it was a fairly recent name change but other sources say it was in the 1980s. [show on map]
The Oval Tavern lies on Oval Road next to the school playing field. It was open by 1869. It closed for a while in the 1980s and when it reopened it was called the Sheffield Arms for a while. [show on map]
The Porter & Sorter is on the corner Billington Hill (formerly called Station Road) which is the approach road to the car parking area at East Croydon station. It was open by 1869 and was originally called the Station Hotel. The name changed some time in the 1980s. [show on map]
The Windmill lies on the south side of St James's Road at the bottom of Windmill Bridge on the junction with Lansdowne Road. It isn't in Addiscombe but is close enough to be able to serve as a local pub. [show on map]
This second batch of pubs are all outside Addiscombe and arguably too far to be a 'local' for Addiscombe residents. They may be featured because they appear on the default map I use for Addiscombe (it being rectangular, and Addiscombe not!) or simply because I've passed by with a camera in hand.
The Bedford Tavern is an example of my not only drifting out of Addiscombe, but drifting just off the left side of the map too. It lies at the south end of Sydenham Road on the junction with Bedford Place. It is on the way from parts of Addiscombe to the shopping centres of Croydon so deserves to be included. [show on map]
A little bit out of town and perhaps not an obvious local for Addiscombe, The Bird In Hand lies on the west side of Sydenham Road just north of the railway overbridge. [show on map]
The Drum & Monkey lies on the west side of Gloucester Road just north of the junction with Bridge Place. It is probably close enough to be a local but being down the side road I've excluded it from the first batch. It stands out clearly when viewed from St James's Road. [show on map]
The Duke Of Gloucester lies on the east side of Sydenham Road, just south of the railway overbridge, on the junction with Gladstone Road. [show on map]
The Goose & Carrot stood at the junction of Wellesley Road and St James's Road. The creation of the one-way system around Newgate left it standing on an island surrounded by busy roads. I know nothing of its history but the name does have the ring of a pub that was still operating in the not too distant past. After sitting boarded up and rotting for some time it was finally demolished in August 2007 along with the rest of the site to make way for the IYLO project (yet another tower block for Croydon, I'm sad to say). [show on map]
The Selhurst Arms lies on the south side of Selhurst Road on the west side of the junction with Selhurst New Road. It is a bit of a stroll from any part of Addiscombe because of the railway lines in between but it sneaks onto the map top left so I thought I might as well include it. [show on map]
The Two Brewers lies on the west side of Gloucester Road. It is again a bit of a trek from Addiscombe proper as it is near the north end of the road opposite Bullrush Close. It is a Shepherd Neame pub, which you may or may not consider a good thing (personally I've never had much of a taste for their ales but many do rate them highly). [show on map]
The Woolpack was on the east side of Gloucester Road just before the junction with Roden Gardens, which yet again is perhaps slightly out of the way for Addiscombe. Apparently it closed sometime around 2005 but it still clearly looks like a pub even if the usage has changed. It looks like it may be residential now but I could be totally wrong. [show on map]
There are a few old pubs that are long since gone.
The Nag's Head in Cherry Orchard Road was on the east side of the road and was apparently number 78 which is now part of the number range for 'Acorn House' opposite the Glamorgan. It apparently opened in 1851, closed in 1930 and was demolished post-war.
A little further up the road on the corner with Leslie Park Road was The Surrey Arms. The building dated from c. 1855 with the pub opening a few years later. The Book Of Addiscombe suggests it closed in 1928 when it and the adjoining properties were demolished and replaced by a new parade of shops which still show the year 1929 when they were constructed. However the building on the corner is actually dated 1936 so that does suggest there might be a flaw in that description.
The North Pole (previously the Fox and Hounds) in Cross Road closed in 1900 but the building is still standing.
If you can see this text instead of a Google Map it may mean one of the following: