The Crown (also known as The Crown Inn) is a 16th-century coaching inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, located on the High Street opposite the Market Hall. The Crown is a Grade II listed building with an Elizabethan exterior and the interior retaining some original features including a mural dating to the 16th century in one bedroom. The inn is currently operated as part of an independent hotel chain, Old Amersham Hotels, and has interiors designed by

Ilse Crawford Ilse Catherine Crawford (born 1962) is a British interior and furniture designer. Early life and education Crawford was born in London in 1962 to Jill Rendall and Malcom Crawford. Her father, Malcom, was the editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and ...

. The hotel has 40 bedrooms, one of which was used as a location in the film ''

Four Weddings and a Funeral ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle ...

''. The hotel's restaurant is called The Chop House, reflecting the style of food historically served in coaching inns.

History

According to the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

, the Crown dates back to the late 16th century. During the 18th century It is documented as having belonged to James Child, a member of a family who lived in Amersham for many generations. The exterior of the building was refurbished in the 19th century. The hotel was designated a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

in December 1958. It is currently part of an independent hotel chain, the Dhillon Group. The owners, Tej and Sarina Dhillon, also manage other hotels nearby such as The Olde Bell Inn in Hurley and Stoke Place in

Stoke Poges Stoke Poges () is a village and civil parish in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is centred north-north-east of Slough, its post town, and southeast of Farnham Common. Etymology In the name Stoke Poges, ''stoke'' means " stockaded (pl ...

Architecture

Exterior

The inn consists of a series of historic buildings surrounding a cobbled courtyard, with some as early as the late 16th century. The main building is two storeys, constructed in

red brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

with a slate roof. The western building has an Elizabethan-style timber-framed exterior.

Interior

The main building retains original timbers in the interiors on both floors. The corridors are narrow, typical of an inn of its age. There are wall paintings from the 16th century, including the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. One has a 16th-century

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

which was re-discovered during the recent refurbishment. Soon after the Dhillons took ownership of The Crown, they appointed

to design a refurbished interior, aiming to create the look of a "modern coaching inn". Crawford explained her approach: "We wanted to create a new English vernacular that picks up on the past but can also evolve and be modern and relevant today". The overall look of the hotel's interior is similar to The Olde Bell in Hurley, which was also designed by Ilse Crawford.

Facilities

The Crown has 40 bedrooms, two function rooms and a bar and restaurant. The hotel's Queen Elizabeth I suite appeared in the film ''

'', as the location for the first romantic liaison between Carrie (

Andie MacDowell Rosalie Anderson MacDowell (born April 21, 1958) is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell's known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. MacDowell has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman ...

) and Charlie (

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

). As a result, this suite has proved particularly popular with guests.

References

{{reflist Hotels in Buckinghamshire