The Crowborough Cross

The Crowborough Cross is a public house in Crowborough, East Sussex, England, standing at the busy crossroads in the middle of the town. It is the only listed building in the town centre and is described in its listing text as dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, with a late Victorian extension on the side facing High Street. A plaque at the pub records that the building was grade II listed in 1953 and that it was renamed the Crowborough Cross around that time; it had long been known as the Red Cross, but the use of the red cross emblem was protected by the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The inn is thought to have been built in 1791, a date visible above the side door of the Victorian extension, and its name is believed to derive from the stopping places marked on maps with a red cross to help coachmen who could not read or write. The pub is operated by J D Wetherspoon plc, the British pub company founded by Tim Martin, whose first pub opened in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1979 and which was floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992. As a Wetherspoon house, The Crowborough Cross offers the chain's familiar formula of value-priced food and drink, an extensive range of real ales and guest beers, and participation in the company's twice-yearly beer festivals. The official pub page lists facilities including Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, room hire, baby change and step-free access, and notes opening hours from 8:00am daily, closing at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. Customers can order food and drinks to their table through the Wetherspoon app. The Crowborough Cross is a local landmark rather than a standalone brand: its identity is bound up with its historic building, its position at the town's central crossroads, and its operation within the Wetherspoon estate. Its menu and promotions follow the wider Wetherspoon programme, including seasonal Christmas menus, spritz cocktail ranges and the autumn beer festival featuring international brewers. The pub's address is Beacon Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1AF, and its telephone number is 01892 662555.

The building that houses The Crowborough Cross is a landmark at the busy crossroads in the middle of Crowborough, East Sussex. According to the pub's own history, it is the only listed building in the town centre. The listing text describes it as 'late 18th or early 19th century', and there is a late Victorian extension on the side of the building facing High Street. A plaque at the pub records that the building was grade II listed in 1953 and that it was renamed the Crowborough Cross around that time. It had long been known as the Red Cross, but the use of the red cross emblem was protected by the Geneva Conventions of 1949, prompting the change of name. The inn is thought to have been built in 1791, a date that can be seen above the side door in the late Victorian extension. Its name is believed to derive from the stopping places marked on maps by a red cross to help coachmen who were unable to read or write. The pub now operates as part of the J D Wetherspoon estate. Wetherspoon's own history begins in 1979, when its first pub — purchased from an entrepreneur who had converted it from a bookmaker's — opened in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December. For its first month it was called Martin's Free House, but it was renamed Wetherspoons early in 1980. In the early years the company's pubs were all in north London, with the head office above The Dog in Archway. In 1990 Wetherspoon's pubs hosted their first real-ale festival, lasting four days and featuring six beers; today each Wetherspoon pub takes part in the twice-yearly beer festivals, offering up to 50 beers each, 10 of which are from overseas. In 1991 The Tally Ho in North Finchley, London, opened with a dedicated non-smoking bar upstairs, one of several pioneering initiatives the company carried out before the smoking ban of July 2007. That same year the company started its CBS scheme, highlighting cleanliness, beer and service, and produced the first edition of Wetherspoon News, an eight-page black-and-white magazine offered free to customers. Also in 1991 it opened Hamilton Hall at Liverpool Street station in London, its first pub in central London and at a train station. In 1992 Wetherspoon opened its first two airport pubs, at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4, and the company was floated on the Stock Exchange, becoming J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. Within that wider estate, The Crowborough Cross follows the Wetherspoon formula: value-priced food and drink, a broad range of real ales and guest beers, and participation in the company's seasonal programmes. The official pub page lists facilities including Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, room hire, baby change and step-free access, and gives opening hours of 8:00am to midnight Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 8:00am to 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Customers can order food and drinks to their table using the Wetherspoon app. The pub takes part in Wetherspoon's autumn beer festival, which features international brewers and a range of 30 real ales over 12 days, and in the company's Christmas menu and spritz cocktail range. The pub is located on Beacon Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 1AF, and can be contacted on 01892 662555.

• 1992

  Wetherspoon is floated on the Stock Exchange and becomes J D Wetherspoon plc.

• 1990

  Wetherspoon's pubs host their first real-ale festival.

• 1979

  J D Wetherspoon's first pub opens in Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December.

• 1953

  The building is grade II listed and renamed the Crowborough Cross, having long been known as the Red Cross.

• 1791

  The inn is thought to have been built; the date is visible above the side door in the late Victorian extension.

A value-focused, high-street community pub within the J D Wetherspoon estate, housed in a Grade II listed landmark building at Crowborough's central crossroads.

• Real ale and guest beers

  A broad range of real ales and guest beers, including participation in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly beer festivals.

• Pub food menu

  Value-priced pub food, including breakfast and seasonal menus such as the Christmas menu.

• Spritz cocktail range

  A choice of nine classic and fruity spritz cocktail recipes.

1. 1The Crowborough Cross - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Crowborough Cross - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Crowborough Cross - Wikidatawikidata.org