History of The Crown Hotel

06 History of The Crown Hotel

Did you know? ‘The Crown’ has been a popular name for pubs and inns for several centuries and was a way of showing loyalty to the English monarchy. For this reason, it’s likely that the name all but disappeared during the English Commonwealth (to avoid the wrath of Oliver Cromwell!) and was only restored along with the monarchy after 1660 – hence why there are no recorded references to the Crown of Stamford before this time!

The Crown has a fascinating heritage which dates back several centuries. The earliest recorded reference to the building as an inn is after restoration in 1675 (although it’s almost certain that the original building dated back to the Middle Ages).

Thanks to its prime position just a stone’s throw from the Great North Road, The Crown was one of Stamford’s most important coaching inns and provided lodgings for many travellers making the long journey between London and York. This trade made The Crown extremely prosperous - an inventory of the inn from 1710 places the total value of the contents at £328.19.6. That’s somewhere in the region of £70,000 in today’s money!

For several centuries, The Crown was divided into sections – areas such as the main inn and the stables were all individually owned. However, in the 18th century the building caught the attention of the wealthy Cecil family of Burghley House.

Sections of The Crown were acquired by the family over the course of several decades until finally, in 1794, the south section and the stables were all owned by Henry Cecil, the 10th Earl of Exeter. Cecil’s architect, William Legg, created an ambitious refurbishment plan for the building which included features such as stabling for 39 horses, 4 parlours, a Brewhouse and a piggery! This plan can still be seen in The Crown today. It was not until the 19th century that the property was brought under single ownership when William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter, sold his holdings in The Crown in 1898. The deeds were subsequently acquired by Walter Stevenson Harr – a moment in The Crown’s history that some regard as something of a disaster!

The coaching trade had all but disappeared thanks to the rise of railways and the motorcar, but the inn itself had managed to survive by reinventing itself as an important local centre for meetings, auctions and local business. However, Stevenson Harr wished to open his business up more fully to the ever-growing automobile trade which now dominated traffic along the Great North Road. He therefore decided to demolish the ancient property in 1909 and rebuild a new, more accessible hotel in its place. The building he created is The Crown that we know and love today. Luckily, Stevenson Harr remained reasonably faithful to the original building in his new design, with the façade of the new property echoing its predecessor thanks to the large bay windows and attractive Wittering stone.

Fast forward to the late 20th century when in 1999 the hotel was acquired by Michael Thurlby, a local farmer who oversees life at The Crown to this day. The building was once again extensively renovated and refurbished, with additions such as the snug two-storey lounge next to the main bar and the beautiful garden space creating the comfortable, welcoming hotel which you find yourself in today. The hotel is now the jewel in the crown (pardon the pun!) of the KNEAD family and one of the best-loved venues in Stamford and surrounding areas. It is an ideal base to explore everything that this beautiful part of the world has to offer, as well as continuing to be the perfect meeting point between North and South, as it has been for centuries!

Did you know? If you stand at the front of the building there is a round bay window and a square bay window, as per the original hotel, presumably to represent a King’s crown and a Queen’s crown. To the right-hand side of the The Crown, you will see a cellar entrance. This dates back to the 17th century and survived the demolition in 1909. It is still in use to this day!