The pub lends its name to the adjacent junction, where the A2 between central London and Kent meets the A102, which provides access to the Blackwall Tunnel.
The upland heath ridge to its east was a meeting point since the Middle Ages. It was a stopover of King Henry VIII when riding from Greenwich to Shooter’s Hill with his first Queen.
The present pub dates from around 1745 – 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 at first an isolated inn on heathland, frequented by highwaymen in one period known as The Trojans.
The junction was built in stages to bypass the old Roman Road between Blackheath and Dartford.
