Opened in the 15th century, the Crown is famous for cherry brandy made to a secret recipe. On the façade of the inn are the names of famous individuals who have visited, including Rudyard Kipling, Ellen Terry, Charles Dickens and Sir George Robey. It is one of the many pubs throughout southern England to have a priest hole from the period when Roman Catholics were persecuted and pursued for their beliefs. One staircase can be accessed only from a bedroom that was once used to conceal smuggled goods. The legend is that the resident pub ghost was a smuggler, who , an assailant took this person’s life, here in the early 1800s. When he manifests, on numerous occasions, he is wearing seafaring clothing of that period and surrounded by a strong odour of rum.