The Crown, Didcot

Set back from the road, this is recent a community rescue pub (April 2019). It’s had a clean-up inside though it’s a rather bland Farrow & Ball by numbers interior with a central fireplace as the only real bit of eye catching note; I hope there are plans for more homeliness. Three pumps all on; sadly a mixed bag of Pride (tasted old, NBSS 2), Loose Cannon Longest Day (flat and taken off at my behest) and Cotswold Jumping Jack Flash (NBSS 3). Packed out for a quiz night, so the locals are doing their bit, now the staff and cellar team must do theirs. Good luck to them but there is a bit of a journey to come.

Official site of The Crown - www.crown-inn.pub

Official site of The Crown - www.crown-inn.pub

The Crown became the ninth such community-owned pub to open in Oxfordshire in the April of 2019. Our visit coincided with their first week of trading, so a few things hadn't yet been finished off - food is to follow as well as tables and chairs(!) - a merry gaggle of various seating was commandeered by happy locals on our Sunday arvo visit. It looks like they've cleared away a lot of the foliage from outside the pub (compare my two photos) and the interior owes a lot to Farrow & Ball paint schemes, but fair play to anyone who has had a hand in resurrecting a lost cause. Two ales - Fuller's London Pride and Oxbrew 'Community Endeavour' Session IPA with a third unclipped. Service with a smile as you'd expect and give them a couple of months to bed in before passing judgement. A slightly above average mark on this showing for the fact that it's yet another Oxfordshire turnaround.