In 1663, the landlord of
the pub was rewarded by Charles II for giving support to his
executed father and his royalist supporters - The Cavaliers.
During the Civil War, the pub had been used as a mustering place by
King Charles I, where his personal standard had been raised to draw
royalist supporters in fighting
for his cause against the
Parliamentarians –The Roundheads. Charles II
honoured the landlord by
agreeing to change the name of the pub from The Ship to
“The Royal Standard of England ”, the only pub in the
country with the honour of the full title.
About half a mile from the cache is Penbury Grove a
a substantial 3 storey Edwardian mansion. Built in 1907 by an
American Civil Engineer the mansion remain in use as a private
house for approximately 25 years. The main house was then converted
into a private school around 1933, and then acquired by London
County Council in 1947
and remained in residential educational use until its closure in
July 1996.