The History of The Old Crown Coaching Inn

The Old Crown Coaching Inn has stood in the heart of Faringdon since the early 16th century, built on the site of an even older hostelry. For more than 500 years, it has served as a coaching inn, a courthouse, an excise office, and a gathering place for the people of this small Oxfordshire market town. It has witnessed rebellion, civil war, and the slow turning of centuries. And through it all, it has remained what it was built to be: a place where travellers find food, drink, and a bed for the night.

This is not a building that has been preserved behind glass. It is a building that has been lived in, argued in, celebrated in, and occasionally fought in, continuously for half a millennium. When you walk through the front door of The Old Crown today, you are walking into a story that is still being written.

Origins: A Tudor Inn on an Ancient Road

The Old Crown was built in the early 1500s as a coaching inn on the road between London and the West Country. Faringdon was an important stopping point on this route, and The Crown, as it was then known, quickly became the chief inn in town. By 1681, when the traveller Thomas Baskerville visited Faringdon and recorded his impressions, The Crown was already the principal establishment in the area.

The building you see today retains its Tudor core but was re-fronted in the Georgian period, giving it the handsome stone facade it presents to the market square. Look closely and you can read the building's layers: the Georgian front, the Elizabethan staircase, the medieval glass, and the tunnels beneath your feet that predate them all.

The coach arch on the front of the building is still clearly visible. This was the entrance through which horses and coaches passed directly into the cobbled courtyard behind, where they would be stabled, watered, and fed before continuing their journey. The courtyard survives today as an outdoor seating area, and the garages and storerooms at the rear were once the stables that served the coaching trade.

The Judge's Staircase: One of Two Remaining in England

One of the most remarkable architectural features of The Old Crown is the Judge's Staircase, an Elizabethan external stairway that rises from the courtyard to the first floor. It is one of only two such staircases remaining in England.

The staircase gave access to the courtroom on the first floor, where Manorial Courts sat to dispense justice for the local area. The County Court held monthly sessions at The Old Crown for generations, only moving to the Court in the Police Station on Coach Lane later in the building's history. The inn also served as an Excise Office, collecting duties on goods passing through the town.

The courtroom itself survives. It is now The Courtroom Suite, our signature guest room, with a four-poster bed, an open fireplace, and the weight of history in every beam. Guests who sleep in The Courtroom are sleeping in the same room where justice was once administered for the entire district.

Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes

In 1685, the Duke of Monmouth led a rebellion against King James II. The rebellion was crushed at the Battle of Sedgemoor, and its aftermath was brutal. King James sent Judge Jeffreys on a circuit of the West Country and surrounding counties to try and punish those who had supported the uprising. This circuit became known as the Bloody Assizes, one of the most notorious episodes in English legal history.

Judge Jeffreys held court at The Old Crown. Sitting in the courtroom on the first floor, accessed by the Judge's Staircase that still stands today, he passed sentence on local residents accused of supporting the Monmouth Rebellion. Four or five Faringdon men were hanged as a result of his judgments at The Crown. The exact number is uncertain, as records from the period are incomplete, but the memory of the Bloody Assizes at The Old Crown has endured in Faringdon for more than three centuries.

The Civil War: Tunnels, Soldiers, and Siege

During the English Civil War (1642 to 1651), Faringdon was a Royalist stronghold. The town changed hands several times during the conflict, and The Old Crown played its part.

Beneath the cellars of The Old Crown, tunnels run out towards All Saints Church and onwards towards Wadley Manor. These tunnels allowed Royalist soldiers to move between strongpoints in safety, out of sight of Parliamentarian forces. The tunnels still exist beneath the building today, a physical reminder of a time when the town was a theatre of war and survival depended on being able to move unseen.

Ask a member of staff and we'd be happy to show you the tunnels!

The Mohun Incident: 1640

One of the most vivid episodes in The Old Crown's history took place in 1640, before the Civil War proper had begun. England had no standing army at this time, and men were pressed into military service against their will. A group of pressed men from Dorset were passing through Faringdon when they sought out a Lieutenant Mohun, an officer they blamed for striking off the hand of a drummer boy who had threatened him. The boy was believed to have died from his injuries.

The mob found Mohun and his fellow officers at The Crown. Mohun attempted to escape by climbing from an upstairs window and clinging to the pole of the inn sign. The Dorsetmen poked him off with an eighteen-foot pike. He fell into an open sewer, which ran along what is now the Cornmarket, and was half drowned. He survived the fall and the sewer, but a boy who witnessed the escape told the Dorsetmen where he was. They dragged him out and beat him to death.

A hue and cry was raised. Five of the Dorsetmen were subsequently caught, tried, and hanged in Abingdon for the murder. The incident is recorded in contemporary sources and remains one of the most dramatic events in the history of any English pub.

What is a Coaching Inn?

A coaching inn is a type of historic inn that was built to serve travellers on stagecoach routes. Before railways, the stagecoach was the primary means of long-distance travel in England, and coaching inns provided essential services along the major roads: food and drink for passengers, accommodation for overnight stays, and stabling and fresh horses for the coaches themselves.

Coaching inns were typically built around a courtyard, with the coach arch providing access from the street. Horses would be unhitched, watered, and fed in the courtyard while passengers ate, drank, and rested. The best coaching inns became the social centres of their towns, hosting courts, markets, meetings, and celebrations as well as serving travellers.

The arrival of the railway in the mid-19th century ended the stagecoach era, and many coaching inns fell into decline or were demolished. Those that survive, like The Old Crown, are among the most historically significant buildings in their communities. The Old Crown retains its coach arch, its courtyard, its stabling (now converted to other uses), and its essential character as a place where travellers are welcomed, fed, and given a place to rest.

The Old Crown Today

The Old Crown underwent an extensive renovation when the current owners took over at the end of 2021. The work was carried out with dedication and passion, restoring the building while updating it for modern hospitality. All 14 bedrooms were renovated, blending warm contemporary decor with the historical features that make the building unique.

Today, The Old Crown operates as it has for five centuries: as an inn. The ground floor is home to a proper pub and a Wine and Cocktail Bar. The kitchen, under Head Chef Jamie Whitting, holds an AA Rosette for the quality of its cooking. The Ballroom hosts weddings and celebrations for up to 80 guests. And upstairs, 14 individually designed bedrooms offer accommodation that ranges from comfortable doubles to The Courtroom Suite, with its four-poster bed in the room where judges once sat.

The tunnels still run beneath the cellars. The Judge's Staircase still rises from the courtyard. The medieval glass still glows in the bar window. And the front door still opens to anyone who walks in, just as it has since the reign of Henry VIII.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is The Old Crown Coaching Inn?

The Old Crown dates from the early 16th century, making it over 500 years old. It was built on the site of an even earlier hostelry. The building retains medieval stained glass that may date from the 14th century, predating the current structure.

What is the Judge's Staircase?

The Judge's Staircase is an Elizabethan external stairway in the courtyard of The Old Crown. It is one of only two such staircases remaining in England. It originally provided access to the courtroom on the first floor, where Manorial Courts and later the County Court held regular sessions.

Did Judge Jeffreys really hold court at The Old Crown?

Yes. In 1685, following the failed Monmouth Rebellion, Judge Jeffreys conducted trials at The Old Crown as part of the Bloody Assizes. Four or five local residents were hanged as a result of his judgments here.

Are there really tunnels beneath The Old Crown?

Yes. Tunnels run from the cellars of The Old Crown towards All Saints Church and onwards towards Wadley Manor. They were used during the English Civil War to allow Royalist soldiers to move between positions in safety.

What is a coaching inn?

A coaching inn is a historic inn built to serve travellers on stagecoach routes. Coaching inns provided food, drink, accommodation, and stabling for horses. They were typically built around a courtyard, with a coach arch for horse-drawn vehicles. The Old Crown retains its original coach arch, courtyard, and the essential character of a working coaching inn.

Can I see the medieval stained glass?

Yes. The 14th-century stained glass featuring the Lancastrian red rose is in the downstairs bar. It is visible to anyone visiting the pub. You do not need to be a guest to see it.