The Crown Public House Wyboston

Crown in 1961 [Z53/40/19]

The Crown Public House: Great North Road, Little End, Wyboston

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service has very few references to this public house in its records because it was tied to an out of county brewery. The first reference to the house in any document held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service is in the register of alehouse licences beginning in 1822. The house is much older, Department of Environment considering, when they Grade II Listed it in 1961 that it is 17th century with 19th century reworkings. A two storey extension was erected in 1989 and in 1990 planning permission was refused for proposed offices on the site. The Crown remains a public house just on the Bedfordshire side of the border with Cambridgeshire and it is owned by Chef & Brewer [March 2007].

The countywide licensing register for 1876 notes that the Crown had, by that stage, been licensed for over sixty years and was owned by M. A. Willington of Huntingdon. The register of 1891 gives the owner as Marshall of Huntingdon. That of 1903 elaborates, stating that the owners were Marshall Brothers. The register comments: "Fair, clean, no urinal".

The Crown was valued in 1927 under the 1925 Rating Valuation Act, at which time the valuer recorded that F.Archbold was the owner, the premises comprised: a tap room ("small"), a living room ("small"), kitchen, wash-house, cellar, three bedrooms and a box room. The building was constructed of plaster and thatch and the valuer noted "old good draw up" it had 1.409 acres attached. Trade at that time was 4½ gallons per week "never gets up over 18 gal" as well as two or three doze bottles - gross takings were £84/15/4½ .

 
Crown in March 2007

References:

• CLP13: register of alehouse recognizances: 1822-1828;
• PSB9/1: register of licences: c.1903-1932;
• WW2/AR/CO/2/2: German Dornier 17 bomber shot down near public house: 1940;
• PSB9/2: register of licenses: c.1955-1995;
• Z53/40/19: photograph: 1960
• BorB/TP/89/1024/LB: 11 plans for refused two storey extension: 1989;
• BorB/TP/89/1980: 5 plans for two storey extension: 1989;
• PCRoxton18/5: plans regarding two storey extension: 1989;
• PCRoxton18/5: plans for proposed offices on site: 1990 

List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:

1822-1830: William Prudden;
1830-1831: Ann Prudden;
1831-1832: Samuel Darrington;
1832-1849: James Anderson;
1849-1851: Rebecca Anderson;
1851-1864: Joseph Brawn;
1869-1883: Samuel Tingey (market gardener);
1883-1907: Mary Ann Tingey;
1907-1910: John Tingey;
1910-1922: Tom Norman;
1922-1931: Albert Newman Norman;
1931-1940: Henry Charles Probert;
1945-1976: Victor Henry J.Probert;
1976-1981: Ida Probert;
1981-1984: Alan Michie;
1984-1998: Ian C. Robinson