White Hart Inn, Crawley
Encyclopedia
The White Hart Inn, also known as the White Hart Hotel, is a coaching inn
on the High Street in Crawley
, a town and borough
in West Sussex
, England
. Built in the late 18th century to replace an older inn also under the sign of the White Hart
, it also served as Crawley's main post office
for most of the 19th century, and still operates as a public house
in the 21st century. Its partly timber-framed
structure, which incorporates part of an early 17th-century building, is characteristic of the area. English Heritage
has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
en market town and ironmaking centre, focused on its north–south High Street, from the 13th century onwards. This street formed part of the main road from the capital city, London
, to the increasingly fashionable seaside resort of Brighton
. After the road was turnpiked
in stages between the late 17th century and the mid-18th century, Crawley's position almost exactly halfway between the two allowed it to develop a prominent new role as a convenient stop for stagecoach
passengers and drivers. By the late 18th century, it had become Sussex
's main staging-post for journeys to and from London, as the neighbouring towns of Horsham
and East Grinstead
fell out of favour.
To fulfil this role, Crawley needed plenty of venues to entertain guests for a few hours or overnight, with rooms to accommodate overnight stops and facilities for changing teams of horses. Several medieval buildings on the High Street, such as the George Hotel
, the Ancient Priors
and the Old Punch Bowl
, met this need to some extent, but none were built for that purpose: all had been adapted from existing structures with different uses. The Ancient Priors was built as a house with a small agricultural plot; the Old Punch Bowl had been a large farmhouse; and although the George had always been an inn, it expanded gradually and haphazardly across several neighbouring buildings. The Ancient Priors in particular was too small to meet the demand for its facilities. In 1753—at which point it was operating under the name The White Hart—it was sold, and soon afterwards became a farm. The proceeds were used to build a new White Hart Inn. A site 70 yard further north on the High Street was selected; this was large enough to provide both a bigger building and a substantial area at the rear for the stabling of horses. Most sources agree that the new White Hart Inn opened in 1770, although some identify 1790 as the date. Architectural studies made in 1995 and 2003 attributed a date of around 1600 to the southern part of the building, suggesting that the inn was built around the core of an older structure.
The inn was immediately successful at meeting the requirements of the greatly increased coaching traffic, which had grown from one daily service in 1756 to five by 1790 and 30 by 1815. Its facilities included accommodation for 180 horses. It was also one of Crawley's centres of commercial activity throughout the 19th century: the town's main post office was based there between 1810 (when a daily mail coach
service between London and Brighton began) and 1895, and a corn exchange
existed between 1800 and 1883. The post office was attached to the north side of the inn, and was demolished in th 1950s to make way for the Boardwalk—a pedestrian thoroughfare which formed an integral part of Crawley New Town's shopping centre. Crawley's oldest friendly society
was founded in the White Hart in 1827, and it was also the venue for the events of the "Crawley Feast Day"—an annual celebratory gathering for the town's businesspeople, popular throughout the 19th century. In 1863, Mark Lemon
, the founder of Punch
magazine and a prominent Crawley resident, organised celebrations at the inn after the marriage of Edward, Prince of Wales
(later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra
.
Stagecoach traffic declined in the late 19th century as trains, motor buses and cars successively became more popular, but some coaches continued to run until the 1940s. The White Hart Inn adapted and became a standard public house. As of 2009, it retains its original name, and is now in the ownership of Harveys Brewery
(Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd.), a brewery based in Lewes
in East Sussex
. It is therefore a tied house
. Harveys identify it as the busiest public house they own.
The White Hart Inn was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
on 23 February 1983; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 85 Grade II structures, and 100 listed buildings and structures of all grades, in the Borough of Crawley.
on a north–south orientation. The exterior is clad in stucco
ed brickwork, the roof is tiled, and there are three brick chimneys. The southern section is the remnants of a timber-framed house dating from about 1600 (original estimates attributed an 18th-century date, in line with the actual opening of the inn). This had a stair turret at the rear leading into the attic, but only the topmost steps of this structure remain. The attic is still a separate space, now two rooms with one external window under the roof gable
at the south end. Later, the building was extended to the rear. In about 1830, an extension was built to the north; this is of two storeys, like the earlier part, but is slightly taller and has a separate roofline. It is of brick and has no timber-framing. Similarly, no timber is now visible on the lower storey of the older section of the building.
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
on the High Street in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, a town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Built in the late 18th century to replace an older inn also under the sign of the White Hart
White Hart
The White Hart was the personal emblem and livery of Richard II, who derived it from the arms of his mother, Joan "The Fair Maid of Kent", heiress of Edmund of Woodstock...
, it also served as Crawley's main post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
for most of the 19th century, and still operates as a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the 21st century. Its partly timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
structure, which incorporates part of an early 17th-century building, is characteristic of the area. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Crawley developed slowly as a WealdWeald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
en market town and ironmaking centre, focused on its north–south High Street, from the 13th century onwards. This street formed part of the main road from the capital city, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to the increasingly fashionable seaside resort of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. After the road was turnpiked
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
in stages between the late 17th century and the mid-18th century, Crawley's position almost exactly halfway between the two allowed it to develop a prominent new role as a convenient stop for stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
passengers and drivers. By the late 18th century, it had become Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
's main staging-post for journeys to and from London, as the neighbouring towns of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
and East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
fell out of favour.
To fulfil this role, Crawley needed plenty of venues to entertain guests for a few hours or overnight, with rooms to accommodate overnight stops and facilities for changing teams of horses. Several medieval buildings on the High Street, such as the George Hotel
The George Hotel, Crawley
The George Hotel, also known as The George Inn and now marketed as the Ramada Crawley Gatwick, is a hotel and former coaching inn on the High Street in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England....
, the Ancient Priors
Ancient Priors
The Ancient Priors is a medieval timber-framed hall-house on the High Street in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. It was built in approximately 1450, partly replacing an older structure—although part of this survives behind the present street frontage...
and the Old Punch Bowl
Old Punch Bowl
The Old Punch Bowl is a medieval timber-framed hall-house on the High Street in Crawley, a town and borough in West Sussex, England. Built in the early 15th century, it was used as a farmhouse by about 1600, passing through various owners and sometimes being used for other purposes...
, met this need to some extent, but none were built for that purpose: all had been adapted from existing structures with different uses. The Ancient Priors was built as a house with a small agricultural plot; the Old Punch Bowl had been a large farmhouse; and although the George had always been an inn, it expanded gradually and haphazardly across several neighbouring buildings. The Ancient Priors in particular was too small to meet the demand for its facilities. In 1753—at which point it was operating under the name The White Hart—it was sold, and soon afterwards became a farm. The proceeds were used to build a new White Hart Inn. A site 70 yard further north on the High Street was selected; this was large enough to provide both a bigger building and a substantial area at the rear for the stabling of horses. Most sources agree that the new White Hart Inn opened in 1770, although some identify 1790 as the date. Architectural studies made in 1995 and 2003 attributed a date of around 1600 to the southern part of the building, suggesting that the inn was built around the core of an older structure.
The inn was immediately successful at meeting the requirements of the greatly increased coaching traffic, which had grown from one daily service in 1756 to five by 1790 and 30 by 1815. Its facilities included accommodation for 180 horses. It was also one of Crawley's centres of commercial activity throughout the 19th century: the town's main post office was based there between 1810 (when a daily mail coach
Mail coach
In Great Britain, the mail coach or post coach was a horse-drawn carriage that carried mail deliveries, from 1784. In Ireland, the first mail coach began service from Dublin in 1789. The coach was drawn by four horses and had seating for four passengers inside. Further passengers were later allowed...
service between London and Brighton began) and 1895, and a corn exchange
Corn exchange
A corn exchange or grain exchange was a building where farmers and merchants traded cereal grains. Such trade was common in towns and cities across Great Britain and Ireland until the 19th century, but as the trade became centralised in the 20th century many such buildings were used for other...
existed between 1800 and 1883. The post office was attached to the north side of the inn, and was demolished in th 1950s to make way for the Boardwalk—a pedestrian thoroughfare which formed an integral part of Crawley New Town's shopping centre. Crawley's oldest friendly society
Friendly society
A friendly society is a mutual association for insurance, pensions or savings and loan-like purposes, or cooperative banking. It is a mutual organization or benefit society composed of a body of people who join together for a common financial or social purpose...
was founded in the White Hart in 1827, and it was also the venue for the events of the "Crawley Feast Day"—an annual celebratory gathering for the town's businesspeople, popular throughout the 19th century. In 1863, Mark Lemon
Mark Lemon
Mark Lemon was founding editor of both Punch and The Field.-Biography:Lemon was born in London on the 30 November 1809. He was the son of Martin Lemon, a hop merchant, and Alice Collis. His parents married on 26 December 1808 at St Mary, Marylebone, London...
, the founder of Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
magazine and a prominent Crawley resident, organised celebrations at the inn after the marriage of Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
.
Stagecoach traffic declined in the late 19th century as trains, motor buses and cars successively became more popular, but some coaches continued to run until the 1940s. The White Hart Inn adapted and became a standard public house. As of 2009, it retains its original name, and is now in the ownership of Harveys Brewery
Harveys Brewery
Harveys Brewery is a brewery situated in Lewes, in the county of East Sussex, England.As of 2008, Harvey's estate includes 50 tied houses, almost all in East Sussex and neighbouring counties...
(Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd.), a brewery based in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. It is therefore a tied house
Tied house
In the UK a tied house is a public house that is required to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery. This is in contrast to a free house, which is able to choose the beers it stocks freely.- Definition of "tied" :...
. Harveys identify it as the busiest public house they own.
The White Hart Inn was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 23 February 1983; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 85 Grade II structures, and 100 listed buildings and structures of all grades, in the Borough of Crawley.
Architecture
The White Hart Inn is a timber-framed building consisting of three baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
on a north–south orientation. The exterior is clad in stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed brickwork, the roof is tiled, and there are three brick chimneys. The southern section is the remnants of a timber-framed house dating from about 1600 (original estimates attributed an 18th-century date, in line with the actual opening of the inn). This had a stair turret at the rear leading into the attic, but only the topmost steps of this structure remain. The attic is still a separate space, now two rooms with one external window under the roof gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
at the south end. Later, the building was extended to the rear. In about 1830, an extension was built to the north; this is of two storeys, like the earlier part, but is slightly taller and has a separate roofline. It is of brick and has no timber-framing. Similarly, no timber is now visible on the lower storey of the older section of the building.