The Crown and Greyhound

The Crown and Greyhound is a historic public house at 73 Dulwich Village in Dulwich, south London. The premises combine a traditional pub with boutique-hotel accommodation and occupy a prominent position in the village centre. The building is Grade II listed and has been identified by the Campaign for Real Ale as a pub with a regionally important historic interior. Locals commonly call it “The Dog,” while “The Dog and Hat” is another informal name. The present establishment takes its name from two earlier inns, The Crown and The Greyhound, which stood opposite one another in Dulwich Village until the late nineteenth century. The two houses historically served somewhat different social groups: The Greyhound was associated with the Dulwich Club and more middle-class patrons, while The Crown served local agricultural workers and other village residents. As urban development brought their customer bases closer together, both inns were demolished shortly before 1900 and replaced by the current Crown and Greyhound Hotel. The existing building was constructed in approximately 1897 in an Old English style by the pub specialists Eedle and Meyers. Its original design included a billiards room, a skittle alley, a coffee room and a first-floor masonic temple room. The interior retains substantial historic fabric, including wood panelling, beams, etched glazing, decorative friezes, ceiling ornament, a continuous curved bar and remnants of former social divisions. A tiled inscription reading “The Crown” survives near the left-hand entrance, although it is now concealed beneath carpeting. The building’s gabled exterior has been described by architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner as a “cheerfully cross gabled pub.” The pub’s significance extends beyond architecture. The earlier Greyhound was connected with the Dulwich Club, a literary and social association founded in 1772 whose distinguished guests included Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray. Leigh Hunt also wrote about the Greyhound in an account of a journey from Dulwich. In the twentieth century, the Crown and Greyhound became an important meeting place for local poets and writers. A Dulwich branch of the British Poetry Society was established there in 1949, and the Dulwich Poetry Group later held readings and meetings at the venue. Participants and guests associated with these gatherings included Stephen Spender, Laurie Lee, Dannie Abse, Michael Croft, B. S. Johnson, Zulfikar Ghose, Alan Sillitoe, Ted Hughes, Jenny Joseph, Harold Pinter, Theodore Roethke, Seamus Heaney, Stevie Smith, Ivor Cutler and Edwin Morgan. The monthly “Bards in the Boozer” meetings of the 1960s helped reinforce the pub’s reputation as an informal literary venue. The establishment has also been embedded in Dulwich community life. Dulwich Hamlet Football Club players and supporters have used the site since the club’s early years, including celebrations after the team’s 1937 FA Amateur Cup victory. Morris dancers traditionally visit during the summer, and the pub has been associated with the Dulwich Festival, the Dulwich Players amateur dramatic group, the Dulwich Chess Club and the Goose Is Out folk club. It has also traditionally opened on Christmas Day for a local festive gathering. The Crown and Greyhound closed for refurbishment in September 2014 after Southwark Council had approved plans for a renovation and extension promoted by The Dulwich Estate. The proposals included the creation of a 20-bedroom boutique hotel. The venue reopened in June 2017. It therefore operates both as a hospitality destination and as a locally significant heritage pub, with its identity centred on historic architecture, food and drink, accommodation, community events and literary associations.

The history of the Crown and Greyhound is rooted in two earlier Dulwich Village inns: The Crown and The Greyhound. Both were established before the present building and stood opposite one another. Their names reflected common British pub traditions. “The Crown” evoked the monarchy and provided a stable sign that did not need to change whenever the sovereign changed, while “The Greyhound” referred to hunting culture and suited the village’s semi-rural character. The two inns served different constituencies. The Greyhound was associated with the Dulwich Club and attracted literary, professional and middle-class patrons. The Crown was more closely connected with local residents and agricultural workers. The Goodman family operated The Crown for many years, and several members of the family were buried nearby in the Old Burial Ground. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the growth of East Dulwich and the gradual urbanisation of the area had brought the inns’ clientele closer together. Both buildings were demolished shortly before 1900. The current Crown and Greyhound Hotel was built on the site of The Crown in about 1897. Eedle and Meyers, specialists in public-house architecture, designed it in an Old English style. The original scheme was unusually extensive for a village pub, with a billiards room, skittle alley, coffee room and masonic temple room. Early descriptions also record social divisions within the interior, including a screened area for more affluent drinkers and smaller bars for public-bar and off-sales trade. The Cannon Brewery Company Ltd initially ran the new establishment, while Robert J. Brinkley was recorded as its proprietor. Much of the historic interior survives. The ground floor is divided into several rooms, with panelling, beams, decorative glass, a continuous curved bar and elaborate ceiling and frieze work. The former snob screens have been repositioned but remain part of the building’s historic character. The pub has been recognised as a Grade II listed building and as having a regionally important historic interior. A heritage blue plaque associated with Taylor Walker’s Heritage Inns has also acknowledged its historical importance. The venue has experienced a succession of local licensees and changing patterns of use. Alfred Edward Shervell, recorded as proprietor in the early twentieth century, died in 1932 after being injured in a railway accident. Dorene and Sydney Kitching served as licensees for more than two decades from the 1950s. Sydney had previously been a Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Second World War. During their tenure, catering was restored and the interior was opened up, effectively removing the former public-bar separation and introducing uniform pricing. The change prompted a brief protest from two regulars who objected to a one-penny increase on their pints of Guinness. The pub’s cultural importance grew especially strongly after the Second World War. The Dulwich branch of the British Poetry Society was founded there in 1949, and the Dulwich Poetry Group developed through successive phases, including a re-formation in 1959. The pub hosted readings by prominent poets and writers and became known for an informal format in which audiences could meet performers in the bar after the readings. During the 1960s, “Bards in the Boozer” meetings brought together writers including B. S. Johnson and Zulfikar Ghose, as well as visiting figures such as Ted Hughes, Alan Sillitoe and Jenny Joseph. Later recollections mention readings by Seamus Heaney, Stevie Smith, Ivor Cutler and others. The final recorded Dulwich Poetry Group reading took place on 28 July 1983. The establishment has also been associated with Dulwich Hamlet Football Club since the club’s early period. Players reportedly visited the former Crown after matches, and local accounts describe post-match celebrations at the Crown and Greyhound, including the club’s return after its 1937 FA Amateur Cup Final victory. Other community uses have included chess, amateur theatre, folk music, Morris dancing and annual festival events. The pub’s garden was also mentioned in a contemporary political recollection by Tessa Jowell, who said she received the telephone call inviting her to join Tony Blair’s Cabinet while sitting there after the 2001 general election. In the early 2010s, the venue continued to function as a community pub and cultural meeting place. The Goose Is Out folk club used it from 2013 until the pub closed for refurbishment in September 2014. The Dulwich Estate’s redevelopment plans, approved by Southwark Council in April 2013, sought to refurbish and extend the building and add 20 hotel bedrooms. The Crown and Greyhound reopened in June 2017. Its modern identity consequently combines a listed historic pub, boutique accommodation and a long-standing role in Dulwich’s social, sporting and literary life.

• 2017

  Venue reopens

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The refurbished pub reopened in June with boutique-hotel accommodation.

• 2014

  Pub closes for refurbishment

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The Crown and Greyhound closed in September for redevelopment work.

• 2013

  Redevelopment plans are approved

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  Southwark Council approved plans for refurbishment, extension and a 20-bedroom boutique hotel.

• 1983

  Final recorded Dulwich Poetry Group reading

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The final recorded reading of the Dulwich Poetry Group took place at the venue on 28 July.

• 1959

  Dulwich Poetry Group is re-formed

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The re-formed Dulwich Poetry Group held readings at the pub, contributing to its post-war literary reputation.

• 1949

  Dulwich poetry activities become established at the pub

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  A Dulwich branch of the British Poetry Society was established at the Crown and Greyhound.

• 1937

  Dulwich Hamlet celebrates FA Amateur Cup victory

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  Local accounts place the club’s post-final celebrations at the Crown and Greyhound after its FA Amateur Cup win.

• 1897

  Present Crown and Greyhound building is constructed

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The current Old English-style pub was built on the site of The Crown after the two earlier inns were demolished.

• 1772

  Dulwich Club association begins at The Greyhound

  [1]The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org

  The Greyhound became associated with the Dulwich Club, a society formed for social and literary exchange that later hosted distinguished visitors.

A heritage-led village pub and boutique hospitality venue combining historic architecture, traditional food and drink, accommodation and a strong association with Dulwich’s literary and community life.

• Hospitality

  Pub food and beverages

  The core offering is a traditional British pub experience centred on draught and bottled drinks, wine, spirits, soft drinks and food served within a heritage interior. Specific current menus and signature dishes are not established by the supplied reference material.

• Accommodation · 2017

  Boutique hotel accommodation

  The redevelopment created a 20-bedroom boutique hotel integrated with the historic pub. The accommodation extends the venue from a day-and-evening local into a broader hospitality destination in Dulwich Village.

• Events

  Community and cultural venue

  The Crown and Greyhound has hosted poetry readings, folk music, chess, amateur theatre, Morris dancing, football-related gatherings and festival activities. These are venue services and recurring uses rather than packaged consumer products.

• 2013

  Refurbishment and boutique-hotel expansionStrategy

  Background

  The historic pub required refurbishment while its operators and estate owner sought to broaden the site’s hospitality use.

  Action taken

  The Dulwich Estate promoted plans approved by Southwark Council to refurbish and extend the pub and create 20 hotel bedrooms.

  Aftermath

  The venue closed in September 2014 and reopened in June 2017 as a combined heritage pub and boutique hotel.

  Source

1. 1The Crown and Greyhounden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official websitethecrownandgreyhound.co.uk