Crown Hotel, Nantwich
Encyclopedia
The Crown Hotel, also known as the Crown Inn, is a timber-framed
, black-and-white hotel and public house located at 24–26 High Street in the town of Nantwich
in Cheshire
, England. The present building dates from shortly after 1583. One of three buildings in Nantwich to be listed at grade I, the listing describes the Crown Hotel as "an important late C16 building."
The existing hotel was built on the site of an earlier inn of the same name, destroyed in the Great Fire of Nantwich of 1583. This appears to have been constructed on an earlier industrial site, including a medieval tannery
and an 11–12th century salt working
. The area has also been speculated to have been the location of Nantwich Castle
.
, which was built before 1180. Excavations behind the Crown Hotel in 1978 found evidence of terracing, perhaps representing a platform or mound, as well as a pre-medieval ditch, which might have formed the outer bailey
of the castle. Roman pottery
was also found in these excavations, including Samian ware and roof tiles.
The excavations of 1978 found medieval
leather shoes and numerous leather offcuts, suggesting a tannery
was located on the site during this period. A D-shaped oak timber was found which might have formed part of a tanning bench, as well as wooden bowls and platters and medieval pottery. Large amounts of burnt charcoal, coal and clay dating from the early post-Medieval period were uncovered; they are believed to represent an 11–12th century salt working
on the site.
was the greatest of all the buildings rebuilt at that time; £240 was contributed by Crockett. The rebuilt Crown was a coaching inn on the Chester
to London road. During the Civil War
, the inn was used as a place of worship, while the parish church
was a prison. The Duke of Monmouth dined at the Crown in 1682.
During part of the 18th century, the inn was known as the "Crown and Sceptre". The "Crown Inn Lodge", Nantwich's second Masonic Lodge
, was founded in 1794 by Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton
, MP for the county of Cheshire, and presumably met at the Crown; it had 28 members in 1799. Plays were put on in the inn's assembly room until a theatre was built in the early 19th century. The Crown is described in an 1874 directory as a "Commercial Inn and Posting House", one of two in the town (the other being the Lamb Hotel
on Hospital Street).
The Crown was run by The Piggott family for over 30 years from the late 1870s. Thomas Piggott, landlord in 1881, was world famous jockey Lester Piggott's great grandfather.
The Crown Hotel is a black-and-white, timber-framed
and plaster three-storey building with a tiled roof. The street-facing front, described by Nikolaus Pevsner
as "impressive", is flat and features close studding
with a middle rail. Unlike many buildings of a similar date in the town, it lacks ornamental panelling. Each storey has small overhangs, with carved corbel
s (brackets). All three storeys have restored mullion
ed and transomed
windows in oak. The second (top) floor features unusual continuous windows along the entire front.
To the left of the street front is a covered passage known as Crown Mews, which was the entrance to the inn's stables at the rear. On the left of the passage is a recessed shop front; formerly a coffee shop, as of 2009 it houses a jeweller's.
The interior is in good condition. The ground floor features an 18th-century enclosed bar and a wall panel showing the original wattle and daub
construction. A large beam supported by scrollwork forms an archway to the rear, where there is an 18th-century assembly room. An iron mantrap
is mounted on the wall to the rear of the archway. The second storey was originally a single gallery and was partitioned, probably in the 18th century.
chain, with two AA
stars. It has a carvery and Italian restaurant. The Crown is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
, black-and-white hotel and public house located at 24–26 High Street in the town of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The present building dates from shortly after 1583. One of three buildings in Nantwich to be listed at grade I, the listing describes the Crown Hotel as "an important late C16 building."
The existing hotel was built on the site of an earlier inn of the same name, destroyed in the Great Fire of Nantwich of 1583. This appears to have been constructed on an earlier industrial site, including a medieval tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
and an 11–12th century salt working
Salt in Cheshire
Cheshire is a county in North West England. Rock salt was laid down in this region some 220 million years ago, during the Triassic period. Seawater moved inland from an open sea, creating a chain of shallow salt marshes across what is today the Cheshire basin...
. The area has also been speculated to have been the location of Nantwich Castle
Nantwich Castle
Nantwich Castle was a Norman castle in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, built before 1180 to guard a ford across the River Weaver. The castle is first documented in 1288. It was last recorded in 1462, and was in ruins by 1485...
.
Archaeological findings
It has been speculated that the site, which forms a high point in the town adjacent to the river, might have been the location of Nantwich CastleNantwich Castle
Nantwich Castle was a Norman castle in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, built before 1180 to guard a ford across the River Weaver. The castle is first documented in 1288. It was last recorded in 1462, and was in ruins by 1485...
, which was built before 1180. Excavations behind the Crown Hotel in 1978 found evidence of terracing, perhaps representing a platform or mound, as well as a pre-medieval ditch, which might have formed the outer bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
of the castle. Roman pottery
Ancient Roman pottery
Pottery was produced in enormous quantities in ancient Rome, mostly for utilitarian purposes. It is found all over the former Roman Empire and beyond...
was also found in these excavations, including Samian ware and roof tiles.
The excavations of 1978 found medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
leather shoes and numerous leather offcuts, suggesting a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
was located on the site during this period. A D-shaped oak timber was found which might have formed part of a tanning bench, as well as wooden bowls and platters and medieval pottery. Large amounts of burnt charcoal, coal and clay dating from the early post-Medieval period were uncovered; they are believed to represent an 11–12th century salt working
Salt in Cheshire
Cheshire is a county in North West England. Rock salt was laid down in this region some 220 million years ago, during the Triassic period. Seawater moved inland from an open sea, creating a chain of shallow salt marshes across what is today the Cheshire basin...
on the site.
History
The Crown was formerly the principal inn of Nantwich. The original "Crowne" was one of seven inns destroyed in the Great Fire of Nantwich of 1583; the proprietor at the time of the fire was Robert Crockett. The present building is known to have been rebuilt shortly after the date of the fire. The cost of £313 13s 4dPenny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
was the greatest of all the buildings rebuilt at that time; £240 was contributed by Crockett. The rebuilt Crown was a coaching inn on the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to London road. During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the inn was used as a place of worship, while the parish church
St Mary's Church, Nantwich
St Mary's Church, Nantwich, is in the centre of the market town of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval...
was a prison. The Duke of Monmouth dined at the Crown in 1682.
During part of the 18th century, the inn was known as the "Crown and Sceptre". The "Crown Inn Lodge", Nantwich's second Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, was founded in 1794 by Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton
Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton, 5th Baronet
Sir Robert Salusbury Cotton was an English politician. He was Member of Parliament for Cheshire from 1780 to 1796.He was one of the founders of the Tarporley Hunt Club in 1762.- References:*...
, MP for the county of Cheshire, and presumably met at the Crown; it had 28 members in 1799. Plays were put on in the inn's assembly room until a theatre was built in the early 19th century. The Crown is described in an 1874 directory as a "Commercial Inn and Posting House", one of two in the town (the other being the Lamb Hotel
Lamb Hotel, Nantwich
The Lamb Hotel, now known as Chatterton House, is a former public house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It is located on the north side of Hospital Street, at the junction with Church Lane...
on Hospital Street).
The Crown was run by The Piggott family for over 30 years from the late 1870s. Thomas Piggott, landlord in 1881, was world famous jockey Lester Piggott's great grandfather.
Description
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
and plaster three-storey building with a tiled roof. The street-facing front, described by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as "impressive", is flat and features close studding
Close studding
Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels...
with a middle rail. Unlike many buildings of a similar date in the town, it lacks ornamental panelling. Each storey has small overhangs, with carved corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s (brackets). All three storeys have restored mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
windows in oak. The second (top) floor features unusual continuous windows along the entire front.
To the left of the street front is a covered passage known as Crown Mews, which was the entrance to the inn's stables at the rear. On the left of the passage is a recessed shop front; formerly a coffee shop, as of 2009 it houses a jeweller's.
The interior is in good condition. The ground floor features an 18th-century enclosed bar and a wall panel showing the original wattle and daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
construction. A large beam supported by scrollwork forms an archway to the rear, where there is an 18th-century assembly room. An iron mantrap
Mantrap
Mantraps are physical security devices or constructions designed to entrap a human on purpose.-Historical usage:Historically, mantraps were mechanical devices for catching poachers and trespassers. The devices have taken many forms, the most usual being like a large foothold trap, the steel springs...
is mounted on the wall to the rear of the archway. The second storey was originally a single gallery and was partitioned, probably in the 18th century.
Modern hotel
As of 2009, the Crown is an eighteen-bedroom hotel and public house in the Best WesternBest Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
chain, with two AA
The Automobile Association
The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...
stars. It has a carvery and Italian restaurant. The Crown is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.