Home > Bedfordshire > Wilden > Rose & Crown Rose & Crown
Date of photo: 2025	Picture source: Trevor Stewart
The Rose & Crown was situated on Chequers Hill. There were a few isolated farm cottages nearby but it is hard to imagine that these provided sufficient trade to keep a man employed. The building was an attractive cottage like property probably with only one bar. It is certainly mentioned in the 1871 village census under the tenancy of William Draper and his wife Sarah. In the previous Census William had been an Agricultural Labourer. Newspaper reports of his later death indicate that he and his wife had celebrated over 50 years of marriage and had lived in the village for most of that time. So perhaps the Public House actually began as a Beerhouse which was of course a fairly common occurrence.. Draper was still there in 1881 and 1891 but in 1897 a William Bennett has the tenancy and Draper has moved to another location in the village. Newspaper reports of December 1946 record the death of the’’ oldest Licensee in the country’’ - Mrs Julia Bennett, widow of William of the Rose and Crown. Wilden, Beds. When her husband died in 1928 she had taken over the licence until her own death 18 years later. Interestingly the report also says that the Bennett’s daughter, now Mrs Annie Peet was the licensee of the Victoria Arms in the village. It has not been possible to locate anyone who actually used this pub or has memories of it but it is suggested that it ceased trading soon after Mrs. Bennett’s death in 1946. It is now a very pretty private house.
Source: Trevor Stewart
Do you have any anecdotes, historical information, updates or photos of this pub? Become a contributor by submitting them here. Like this site? Follow us on You can also make email contact with other ex-customers and landlords of this pub by adding your details to this page.