Rose & Crown, Caulcott

Rose & Crown Public House, 171 Bedford Road, Caulcott, Marston Moretaine  

Initially a beerhouse, the Rose & Crown was in existence from at least the middle of the 19th century. In 1875 it was one of the premises put up for sale with the Horne Lane Brewery, and was bought along with the brewery by Charles Wells of Bedford. 

The former Rose & Crown stands on Bedford Road at Caulcott, to the south of Lower Shelton Road, next door to what was formerly the Three Horse Shoes public house. A date stone visible in a photograph taken in the 1920s reads 1903, so this was clearly not the original building. Whether the original Rose & Crown was on the same site is not known.  

The Rose & Crown was granted a full licence as a public house in March 1927 on the closure of the Three Horse Shoes. 

Under the terms of the Rating and Valuation Act 1925 every piece of land and building in the country was assessed to determine the rates to be paid on them. When Marston Moretaine was assessed in 1927 the Rose & Crown was owned by Charles Wells Ltd and occupied by William Campin at a rent of £10 p.a. It was described as a brick and slate detached building. Downstairs was a tap room (described as “nice”), a smoke room, a kitchen, a scullery and a cellar. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and a club room which was only in use for one day a year. Outside were a timber and slate barn and a pigsty. The valuer stated that there was a pub next door, but the Three Horsehoes had recently closed resulting in an increase in trade for the Rose & Crown. Typical sales were 1½ barrels of beer and 2 dozen bottles a week, with under one bottle a week of spirits.  

The Rose & Crown remained open as a public house into the 21st century but had closed by 2013. At the time of writing [January 2021] the premises were occupied by the Lounge India restaurant.  

References:  

• PSA5/1: Licensed to sell spirits 1928 

• WL73: Sale catalogue for Horne Lane Brewery, 1875; 

• WL800/4: Photograph of Rose & Crown c.1925; 

• Z1105/1: Liquor Licence Traders Survey Form: 1961  

Licensees:  note that this is not a complete list and that dates in italics are not necessarily beginning or end dates, merely the first/last date which can be confirmed from sources such as directories and deeds:  

1851: William Hammond 

1861-1871: James Smith 

1882: Mary Roberts; 

1882-1893: William Bettle; 

1893-1895: Amos Cambers; 

1895-1900: Thomas Tuffnell; 

1900-1912: George Brightman; 

1912: Thomas Charles Church; 

1912-1915: Sidney John Rust; 

1915-1946: William James Campin; 

1946-1953: Florence Kate Campin; 

1953-1954: Peter John Kemble; 

1954-1975: Rex Rowland George Mole; 

1975-1989: Ronald Dunsdon Vaughan; 

1989-1991: Paul David Bailey and Douglas John Baker; 

1991: Barry James Warner and Stephen Gilbride; 

1991-1993: Reginald Stanley Corley and Barry James Warner 

1993: Patricia Hunt and Hartley Charles Bolton; 

1993: Janet Ann Donnelly and Hartley Charles Bolton; 

1993-1994: Stephen Denis Beddall; 

1994-1995: James Henry Moore