The Rose and Crown
The original Rose and Crown was a thatched building in the hamlet of Little London. It was demolished along with several cottages and in 1938 it was replaced by a red brick building of the same name on the corner of Folly Road and Little London. This operated as a pub until 1989/90, when it closed, was boarded up, and stood empty for several years. In 1993, it was bought by Chris and Cathy Powell who converted it into a home, but also ran a youth group in the public bar. The building was sold in 1996 and is now a private residence, however, it still retains the pub sign on its exterior.
A view of Little London taken in the 1920s. It shows the old thatched Rose & Crown on the righthand side and adjoining cottages, one of which was a sweet shop. Note the stand pipe at the side of the building on the left. This view remained up to the 1930s when the buildings were demolished.
A photo of old The Rose and Crown public house with a thatched roof, taken in about 1900. A postcard featuring the Old Rose & Crown, published in about 1900 has the following words on the reverse of the car: "I M Clarke Deanshanger Post Office. Published by L O Eales, The Stores, Deanshanger, Stony Stratford. The Vulcan Series postcard".
The thatched Cottages in this photo were situated opposite the old Rose and Crown public house on Puxley Road, Little London. The cottages were demolished in the 1930s and replaced by houses on the Ridgmont Estate.
A photo taken in 1927 of Little London with the Rose & Crown pub with Folly Road in the background. It is thought that the houses on Folley Road that face onto the Playing field were once known as 'Mountain Park'.
The 'new' Rose and Crown, built in 1938, operated as a pub until 1989/1990, when it closed, was boarded up and stood empty until it was purchased in 1993.
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During the mid-1900s, Sid Webb a colourful village character, was the publican of the Rose and Crown. In order to expand his business, he invented other ways to use equipment that he already had. One such piece of equipment was an old funeral bier, used for transporting bodies to a funeral. However, Sid Webb also found the bier useful for transporting Ale and pies to sell in Deanshanger and nearby villages.
A Photo of Little London looking towards Puxley Road. The garage shown in the foreground, originally a butchers shop, later traded as Joe's Greengrocers. At the end is the 'new' Rose and Crown, public house, built in 1938 on the corner of Little London and Folly Road. The cottages were demolished and replaced by new homes and Joe's Greengrocers closed in 2008 and was later demolished. The 'Coffee Stop' now stands on the site.
A photo of the Rose and Crown today. The building was sold in 1996 and is now a private residence, however, it still retains the pub sign on its exterior.