Crown, Coalway

The Crown Inn is a well-proportioned building with a distinctive ironwork balustrade on the front elevation. The Crown Inn was once tied to Arnold Perrett & Co. Ltd. Wickwar Brewery. Ownership of most of Arnold Perrett’s tied houses passed to the Cheltenham Original Brewery in 1924, and then through West Country Breweries to the takeover of Whitbread in the early 1960’s. A legacy of the past is a ‘Best in the West’ ceramic plaque advertising West Country Ales.

In 1993 the local CAMRA branch described the Crown as ‘recently refurbished with a wide range of food. Karaoke every Tuesday and live music every Sunday evening.’ Marston’s Pedigree and Wadworth 6X were available. When landlord Ian Davidson took over the running of the pub in January 2012 he said ‘The Crown Inn has got to be the prettiest pub in the Forest. People think of how nice country pubs are in places like Devon and I say why can’t we have one like that here.’

The front bar is essentially unchanged in character, but the open plan design extends beyond into a larger drinking and dining area. Good wholesome food is served, and sports are shown on television. The attractive front garden is popular with families in fair weather.