The featured blog image features ‘The Surprise’ Inn pub sign from 1993. Courtesy of The Inn Sign Society.
Written by Ebun Omoniyi, Edited by Gale Aitken
For today’s ‘EYA Surprise’ blog we visited a small pub in Shirley, Croydon, a town with a rich and layered history dating back to the medieval times. The pub, locally known as “The Surprise”, has many unexpected and interesting things woven into its fabric.
Built in the mid to late 1860s, The Surprise started life as a taproom for the local Page Overton breweries, which were popular in the Croydon area at the time. It was originally made up of two cottages and located south of the Shirley Windmill.
The Origins of ‘The Surprise’
There are varying stories about how the pub came to be named. The most commonly cited is that nearby in the Addington hills, there were multiple sightings of the very rare ‘Camberwell beauty’ butterflies, also named ‘the grand surprise’ during the Victorian era. Although we didn’t find any documents specifically relating to the butterfly being seen in the Shirley area, we do know that there was a migration around this time with many reported sightings throughout the British Isles.
The Page and Overton Brewery closed in two stages, the Original brewery in Shirley closed in 1903, they moved to Surrey street (Croydon) and renamed the brewery ‘Shirley Brewery’. Acquired by Hoare and Co. Ltd in 1929, they continued brewing till 1954.
Since the area was undergoing a shift due to the breweries’ closure it was decided that the name ‘The Surprise’ would be fitting because of the butterfly sightings. Early signage shows the butterfly along with the pub’s name on it.
In The Aurelian (1766), an 18th Century natural history book,author Moses Harris refers to the butterfly by both names. The butterfly itself, Nymphalis antiopa, has one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly at 11-12 months, and a wing-span range of 76-88mm.
The Penny Bar
The Surprise has a unique bar made almost entirely of old pennies, some dating back as far as the 1930s. The penny bar, created in the early 1970s, marked the ending of decimalisation.
If pub patrons paid by cash and had small change, they would often say ‘keep it behind the bar.’ Staff would stack all these pennies up in small circles on the bar as high as they could go, then when space became an issue, at the end of one night they would push all the pennies over, count them and give the money to a local charity. Named a ‘penny-pile pushover’ became a trend in plenty of pubs across England and Australia in the early 1950s.
The story goes that once they knew a new money system was on the way they gave a round number to charity and kept the rest of the money for memorabilia to make the bar. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) this is no longer the case here anyway.
There are places this is still happening and a video of one as recent as 2018 can be found online.
Winston Churchill
All around the pub there are many photos and tributes to Winston Churchill; the owner has vivid memories of his state funeral when he was a young boy.
In keeping with the penny bar and for continuation, there are two tabletops made of Churchill crowns, a commemorative coin issued in October 1965 to mark the death of Sir Winston Churchill, originally made of cupronickel.
When made, they were worth 5 shillings or 25 pence. However, the kind layered neatly in The Surprise are a gold-plated collector’s item curated by a local, which can sell for up to £15-£20 each! Although I suspect that those here will be staying put, as it makes a charming home for them.
A special ‘mentioned in dispatches’ certificate from the Royal Garrison Artillery awarded to a C.A. Rose hangs amongst the many other memories and items dedicated to Winston Churchill. Dated 5th March 1919, this was signed by Churchill who was secretary of war at the time and gives a real sense pride and appreciation of some iconic British history.
Pol Roger, Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne, features on the bar with the special gift box edition inspired by his last painting, ‘The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell’ (1962). Churchill was said to have described painting as taking a ‘joyride in a paint box’ and ‘complete as a distraction,’ stating ‘I know of nothing which, without exhausting the body, more entirely absorbs the mind.’ His love of painting that he discovered in his forties is well documented and a fascinating read.
In conclusion it was a welcome surprise to find out the backstory of this pub, as well as the stories inside that represent the history of the community.
‘The Surprise inn’ continues to be a place cherished by locals, wrapped in an area with deep heritage.
By Ebun Omoniyi, Edited by Gale Aitken
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