Crown Hotel

The Crown seems to be the baby brother of The George, sat splendidly next door to the more well-​known hotel and bar in the Market Place.
But looking at the Crown from the side, it’s almost as big — four stories high and several house-​depths back. Recently refurbished, it operates as hotel with large public bar, just as it used to.
The façade isn’t quite so imposing as the George, being more plain/​classical, but it’s smart and smooth.
Inside, I remember many a Christmas Eve in the jam-​packed main bar, juke-​box blaring out and the dark wood panelling seeming to hold in the smoke and salt & vinigar crisp aroma actually it had a great atmosphere and was always a must-​stop on a pub crawl.
Nowadays the bars have all been opened out, lighter wood flooring and lighter walls, all rather smart looking — but to me personally it doesn’t have quite the same character as before.
It’s still popular with it’s regulars, and there are usually interesting ads for new guest beers, or bar-​special offers. Give it a go — it’s been carefully restored and well worth spending time for a pint in.