Right royal mystery of lost crown

EDENBRIDGE'S crown has slipped – well, disappeared in fact – royally baffling residents and the town's business community.

The missing crown sign, which has hung over the High Street for hundreds of years, was reported missing by a council officer who assumed it had been taken down with the Christmas lights.

But Peter Bolton, chairman of the chamber of commerce, told the Courier this week: "It has gone missing but nobody knows when or where. We have talked to all sorts of different people but they can't remember when they saw it last.

"It is very rare, there are only a few pubs in the country that have a sign spanning the high street."

Mr Bolton felt it was such a shame that the icon was missing that he spoke to the former landlord of the pub and they agreed to share the cost to commission local business Falcon Forge to create a new work.

An impressive new crown worth £1,000 is in place but the hunt is still on for the old one which is considered part of the town's history.

Since making the agreement, the landlord has moved on, so it is hoped the new brewery will still split the bill which has been reduced to £500 by the craftsman.

Mr Bolton said: "Did someone find it in the road? Is it sitting in someone's garage?"

Danielle Majer, barmaid at Ye Old Crown Inn, said: "The sign was around for nearly 400 years as far as I know, but I didn't realise part of it had gone missing. It's not the easiest thing to dislodge without people noticing.

"It's part of the town and has been here since the town was civilised so I think if someone took it that's stupid and selfish."

Sevenoaks District Council spokesman Daniel Whitmarsh said: "About a year ago, the council became aware that part of Ye Old Crown Inn sign was missing, and asked that the missing part be reinstated.

"The sign is a two-star listed structure and is of significant historical importance as it is believed to be one of the very last remaining cross-road pub signs in England."