The Sun in the Sands is a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

- restaurant between Blackheath and

Shooter's Hill Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a district in South East London within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in t ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It lends its name to the adjacent junction, where the A2 between central London and north

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

meets the A102, which notably, to the north, provides access to the

Blackwall Tunnel The Blackwall Tunnel is a pair of road tunnels underneath the River Thames in east London, England, linking the London Borough of Tower Hamlets with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and part of the A102 road. The northern portal lies just south ...

. Several Transport for London (TfL) bus routes pass the former simple crossroads.

History

The upland heath, ridge, to the east was a meeting point since the Middle Ages, and was, in widespread recountings, a stopover of King Henry VIII when riding from

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

to Shooter's Hill with his first Queen and several Lords. The present pub dates from around 1745 and its name comes from the sight of the setting sun amidst dust, kicked up by sheep herded by drovers from Kent headed to London. It was soon an isolated inn on heathland, frequented by

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

in one period known as "the Trojans", who regularly

pickpocket Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A th ...

ed.

William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English lan ...

was known to visit the inn. The junction was built in stages, due to various 20th-century projects to bypass the old Roman Road between Blackheath and Dartford. The modern A2, parallel to this, forms the Shooters Hill By-Pass which took most of the 1920s to complete. The modern roundabout with side sliproad dates from the late 1960s. As well as the junction, the pub inspired the name of Sunfields Methodist Church and to the adjacent Sun Lane, a former caravan repair site which now hosts a garage. Before which it was a tiny passage, Sun-in-the-Sands Lane. Since 1995, Greenwich Council has protected the appearance of a zone east of the junction, including the pub, as a Conservation Area, defined as an area "of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance."

References

External links

Official website
{{Pubs in London Pubs in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Road junctions in London Blackheath, London