The Crown pub, just off the A232 in Shirley, has re-opened following what the owners describe as “an extensive” three-week refurb.

Cosy bar: the owners say that they has retained The Crown’s traditional bar area
The Crown, owned by Ember Inns, is on Wickham Road, and now offers customers “a fresher, modern design”.
The owners say: “The makeover has seen the pub undergo a complete transformation.”
This includes a revamped bar, enlarged dining space and refreshed beer garden.
The food offer now includes a fixed-price menu with three courses available for £14.29 from noon to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays, or £17.49 after 5pm on weekdays.
There is also a fixed-price Sunday lunch menu.
The beer garden lays claim to being “the largest in the area”, with room for 300 customers. The pub is also dog-friendly, with treats and water bowls available for their customers’ pets, perhaps after walks in the Addington Hills or other nearby open spaces.

Open for business: The Crown has psychic nights once a month. Though psychics probably already knew that
There are two quiz nights each week at The Crown – on Sundays and Wednesday evenings at 8.30pm. There’s a poker night on Tuesdays from 7.30pm. And “psychic nights on Mondays once a month”. Seriously. “Keep an eye on The Crown’s Facebook page for further details,” the owners say, although those with psychic powers probably know what’s going on already….
“We are delighted to invite both our regulars and new visitors to experience the fresh new look of The Crown, while still enjoying the familiar, cosy atmosphere that makes our pub special,” said Kieran Russell, The Crown’s manager.
The Crown is at 28 Wickham Road, CR0 8BA.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network



The Crown has always been a nice looking pub (and I’m going back to the 1980s). However, every time I’ve eaten there over those decades, I’ve always waited ages for food if it’s busy and I’m talking about over an hour after ordering. The owners had changed over time and there have been numerous refurbs, but the issue seemed to persist. I can only presume that all the work was front of house and the kitchen was simply too small. As a result, I’ve not been for ages. Is this another example of that, or has there been work to improve the kitchen capacity? 300 in a garden does sound horrendous though!
The only way to find out, reliably, Dave, is to do a reader review.