The Crown
Now stands derelict
By Carol Smiles
It was not until 1926 that Morden Unsderground Station opened as the terminus of a new extension of the City & South London Railway creating the final destination on the notorious Northern line and a direct route to central London which saw the beginning of a massive rise in residential development in the area. Adjacent to the railway , a garage was constructed on the other side of London Road, cutting and, in 1932, Morden Cinema was built next to it on the corner of Aberconway Road. Around the station a new commercial centre grew quickly as shops sprang up along London Road and Crown Lane, including a rebuilt and enlarged Crown public house opened in 1932 and a large Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) department store shortly afterwards.
Morden town centre
Charlotte Gilhooly
Little of the earlier rural character of Morden survived this mass suburban expansion, although the area has retained much of its parkland and playing fields, many of them created from remnants of the former country estates and farmland. It is, for the most part, a suburb now and usually teaming with commuters and tourists going to and from central London.
In its day the Crown held 'Blues Nights', a 'Rock Club' and a singles club for over thirties 'Mingles' every Saturday.
An anonymous contributor to the website “www.beering theevening.com” wrote:-
"I have known this pub to be one of the friendliest and social places that I have ever been to. The staff are always very helpful and polite, the regular customers are friendly and, like all pubs, there is a great variety of beverages. If this is not your opinion maybe in this case you are just too stuck up to be welcomed.
I take my kids to the Crown for a Sunday lunch. We don't go there a lot but it is OK and makes a nice change from cooking the roast myself. The Crown is good for kids there is enough room for them to roam around without annoying anyone."
So no standing on the fence then?
The Crown
Surrey pub guide
The original Crown public house was demolished in the early 1960s to make way for the fourteen-storey office block, Crown House, and a large supermarket. The supermarket was in turn demolished in the 1980s and replaced by the Civic Offices and library.
No admittance
Southern Driver's photostream
It is unclear when the Crown public house finally shut its doors, but it is believed to have been August 2007.
Not open for business
Southern Driver's photostream