The Old Crown, 33 New Oxford Street

The Old Crown is a public house built around 1847 as part of New Oxford Street, which was laid out according to plans by Sir James Pennethorne (Joint Architect and Surveyor for the Metropolitan Improvements to the Commissioners of Woods and Forests) and Thomas Chawner. The architect was almost certainly Thomas Stead, surveyor to the Bedford Estate, and the builder was Hugh Welch Cooper. The building is constructed of London stock brick faced in stucco to the front elevation, with slate roof coverings and clay chimney pots. Ground floor and internal alterations were carried out in the twentieth century, and further alterations to the fourth floor offices were made around the 2010s.

The building is a five-storey corner terrace property with two bays fronting onto New Oxford Street and three bays onto Museum Street. It contains a public house occupying the ground, first and second floors, a kitchen on the third floor, and offices on the fourth floor. The basement contains a beer cellar which also occupies the former coal vaults.

The New Oxford Street elevation features granite pilasters separating the ground floor bays. The pub frontage once had a three-light window with a central arched light, but the cill has been removed to form French windows. Above the windows is a plain panel for pub signage topped by a cornice. The main entrance to the pub is set on the corner via a half-glazed panelled door beneath a transom light. A large decorative scrolled console surmounts the pilaster separating numbers 33 and 35 New Oxford Street.

The Museum Street elevation has a five-light window comprising one large arched central light flanked by four smaller lights, with the upper part divided into subsidiary lights. This is separated by two granite pilasters from a panelled door and single-light window to the south, set in a wooden surround with a transom light above. A further pilaster surmounted by a large decorative scrolled console separates the pub from 12 Museum Street. Large decorative lanterns are positioned at the end of each elevation and above the pub entrance.

The upper floors feature sash windows set in moulded architrave surrounds with fielded panels and scrolled consoles enriched with floral decoration supporting moulded cornices. The first and second floors have six-over-six sashes with narrow glazing bars, reflecting classical proportions with the piano nobile at first floor and shorter sashes to the third floor comprising three-over-six panes, and the fourth floor comprising three-over-three panes. Above the third floor is a heavy dentilled cornice supported by squared consoles, whilst above the fourth floor is a further cornice and parapet. Each elevation has large rusticated quoins. The rear south elevation is faced in brick with a single bay of sash windows to each floor.

The ground floor originally comprised a large saloon lounge and small public bar, now forming a single open-plan public bar with a servery set against the south wall. It has a wooden floor and a moulded coffered ceiling with chandeliers. A wooden double-L stairs with a later timber handrail leads to a small first floor lounge and male and female toilets. The lounge has a wooden floor, banquette leather seating, a plain brick fireplace without surround, and wall panelling. A winder stairs with decorative cast-iron balusters, a carved timber newel post, and wooden handrail leads to the second floor. The staircase wall has wainscoting and a dado rail. The second floor contains a public bar and small lavatory. The bar has a servery with a modern wooden counter with fielded panels and shelving behind. A quarter-turn stairs leads to a store room and kitchen on the third floor. The store room contains modern units and shelving; the kitchen is tiled with linoleum flooring and modern stainless steel units, extractor fans, a dumbwaiter and other modern fixtures. The fourth floor is approached by a winder stairs and contains a storeroom with a historic panelled door and two offices. Notably, one office retains an original fireplace containing a cast-iron Pantheon hob grate, and there is also a blocked brick fireplace. The basement contains original brick coal vaults and a beer cellar accessed by a winder stairs.