Penge is a busy suburb in south-east London, with a high street full of shops and a market in Maple Road.

Now located within the borough of Bromley, Penge was historically part of the manor of Battersea, despite being separated from the rest of the manor by 12 miles.

The name Penge is of Celtic origin, the word meaning the hill in the forest', referring to the forest which covered much of the area to the north of Croydon.

The opening of the Croydon canal for leisure and trade purposes in 1809 prompted the beginning of development in Penge. Before that Penge was little more than a source of firewood and a common for grazing sheep.

A wharf was opened at Penge and people from London began visiting to enjoy the local countryside.

Soon after growth accelerated when the common was enclosed and plots of land were sold off.

The railway arrived in 1839, replacing the canal, but Penge was really put on the map in 1854 when the Crystal Palace the scene of the Great Exhibition three years earlier was moved from Hyde Park. Penge's population grew from just over 1,000 to more than 13,000 in the space of 20 years.

Development of Penge continued into the 20th century, but the greatest changes took place after the Second World War. Penge was reportedly the most bombed town in the country and major new building was carried out in the areas most affected by bomb damage.

In 1965 Penge lost the administrative independence it had held since 1900 and became part of the London borough of Bromley.