Crown House, Woolhampton, Berkshire.

One of many Ghost Signs in Woolhampton.

It is all too easy to miss clues about the history of some buildings. However, Ghost Signs, like this one on The Crown House, Woolhampton, and, indeed, the names of buildings themselves, can give a clue.

Some are obvious. The Old Post Office being a common one. Old pubs can be fairly easy to spot. Walking into Woolhampton from the canal, I noticed this building was called The Crown House, and wondered if this was a clue of its past.

On my return journey, my suspicions were confirmed by this Ghost Sign. Not a particularly clear one but, after studying it for a while, I worked out that the bottom three lines read: Superior Ales & Stouts.

This was on a visit last year. Whilst photographing some other interesting buildings in Station Road, a local resident mentioned some buildings of note. Including this one. It was indeed formerly the Rose & Crown. One of five pubs once in Woolhampton (four of which I have identified) – a very high proportion, considering how small the village is! Two still exist – the Rowbarge, just the other side of the canal from the Crown House, Woolhampton, and the Angel, on the main A4.

The gentleman did tell me the name of the brewery, which is obviously what the top line of the ghost sign reads. Unfortunately, I failed to make a note of the name (it was a local brewery that no longer exists). Note to self – always write things down!

The Crown House, Woolhampton is one of several buildings bearing Ghost Signs. Others may well feature in this blog in due course.

Further reading:

A brief history of Woolhampton on the Parish Council website:
Ghost Signs:

Photograph Details

• Taken: 10 Mar 2017
• Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
• Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
• Focal Length 70mm
• F/5.6
• 1/100 Sec
• ISO 100