The Crown and Greyhound facts for kids
The Crown and Greyhound is a historic building in Dulwich Village, London. It's a type of building called a pub, which is a place where people gather. Locals often call it "The Dog" or "The Dog and Hat." This pub is special because it has a long history and was a meeting spot for many famous poets after World War II. A well-known expert, Nikolaus Pevsner, once described it as a "cheerfully cross gabled pub," meaning it has a happy look with its criss-cross roof design.
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History of the Crown and Greyhound
The name "Crown and Greyhound" comes from two older pubs in Dulwich Village, called The Crown and The Greyhound. These two pubs were located across the street from each other until the 1890s. The Crown is a very common pub name in Britain, showing support for the king or queen. Pubs named The Greyhound are usually linked to hunting, which fits Dulwich Village because it still feels a bit like the countryside.
How the Pubs Changed Over Time
The two old inns used to attract different kinds of people. The Greyhound was popular with the Dulwich Club and middle-class visitors. The Crown was more for the many farm workers in the area. For many years, the Goodman family ran The Crown pub. By the late 1800s, as more buildings appeared in East Dulwich, the customers of both pubs started to mix. So, just before 1900, both old pubs were taken down, and the current Crown & Greyhound Hotel was built in their place.
Building the Current Pub
The building you see today was built around 1897 in an old English style, on the spot where The Crown used to be. If you look closely at the left entrance, you can still see mosaic tiles that say "The Crown," though they are now covered by carpet. The original designers for The Crown and Greyhound were Eedle and Meyers, who were experts at designing pubs. The first plans for the building included a billiards room, a skittle alley (for a bowling-like game), and a coffee room. When it first opened, the Cannon Brewery Company Ltd ran the new pub.
Inside the Crown and Greyhound
The pub still has special screens that were used to separate different areas. The main floor of the pub is divided into about four different rooms. These rooms have a nice feel with their wood panels, ceiling beams, fancy etched glass, and a curved bar that runs through them. The decorations on the ceilings and walls of the Crown and Greyhound are especially impressive. The pub also has a special blue plaque from Taylor Walker Pubs, which means it's recognized for its historical importance.
People and Events at the Pub
From the 1950s, Dorene and Sydney Kitching ran the Crown and Greyhound for over twenty years. Sydney had been a fighter pilot in the RAF during World War II. They made the pub more open by removing some walls, which meant everyone could enjoy the same space.
In the 1970s, the famous professional wrestler Mick McManus, known as "The Dulwich Destroyer," lived nearby and was often seen at the Crown and Greyhound. In 2001, Tessa Jowell, a politician, was in the pub's garden when she received a phone call from the Prime Minister's office, inviting her to join the government.
The Crown and Greyhound's village setting makes it a popular spot for Morris dancers in the summer. It's also a tradition for the pub to be open on Christmas Day for locals in Dulwich Village to gather and celebrate.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club
The old Crown Inn, which was on the same site as the current Crown and Greyhound, was a regular hangout for the players of Dulwich Hamlet F.C.. This started when the club was founded in 1893. Players used to carry their goal posts through the pub's grounds and stop for a drink after their games. A fan named Bill Kirby, who was 97, remembered the Dulwich Hamlet players coming back to the Crown and Greyhound after winning the 1937 FA Amateur Cup Final. He said the cup was filled with drinks, and even though he was underage, he took a sip! At that time, the team would visit the Crown and Greyhound after every home game.
Literary Connections
The old Greyhound pub, which was torn down to build the Crown and Greyhound, was where the Dulwich Club held its meetings. This club started in 1772 for "literary gentlemen" to chat and have fun. Many famous guests visited, including Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and Mark Lemon.
The Dulwich Poetry Group
The Crown and Greyhound became home to a local branch of the British Poetry Society, started by poet Lionel Monteith in 1949. Another local poet, Howard Sergeant, was very important in setting up the Dulwich Poetry Group in 1949, and again when it restarted in 1959. Famous guest poets like Stephen Spender, Laurie Lee, and Dannie Abse came to meetings at the pub during the group's first years. People could listen to poets read for about an hour and three-quarters for a small donation.
The Crown and Greyhound is especially known for the "Bards in the Boozer," who met there every month in the 1960s. B. S. Johnson and Zulfikar Ghose helped organize some of these meetings. Well-known writers and poets who read at the pub during this time included Alan Sillitoe, Ted Hughes, and Jenny Joseph. A photo even shows B. S. Johnson looking a bit bored at a poetry reading upstairs!
B. S. Johnson wrote in an article that the first meeting of the restarted Dulwich Poetry Group happened in September 1959. He described the readings upstairs at the Crown and Greyhound as the best in London. He said that audiences were often over a hundred people, and sometimes even three hundred! He thought this success was because of the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that the audience could meet the poets in the bar afterward.
Poets like George MacBeth and Edwin Morgan also read their poems at the pub in the 1960s and 1970s. Patricia Doubell, who was a leader of the Dulwich Poetry Group, remembered readings by Ivor Cutler and Seamus Heaney. The last reading of the Dulwich Poetry Group took place on July 28, 1983.
Recent History of the Pub
From 2013 until it closed for updates in September 2014, The Crown and Greyhound hosted "The Goose Is Out" folk music club. Before its closure in 2014, the pub was also home to the Dulwich Chess Club on Monday nights. It was also a place for the yearly Dulwich Festival in May. The local acting group, The Dulwich Players, also used the pub as their regular meeting spot.
In 2014, The Crown and Greyhound was a runner-up for the best pub or bar in the "Dulwich" area in Time Out magazine's "Love London Awards."
In April 2013, the local council approved plans to update and expand the Crown and Greyhound to create a 20-bedroom hotel. The pub reopened in June 2017.
