Sunday Lunch at The Crown & Cushion, Minley, Surrey

History of the venue

Meade Hall was built from the remains of two old barns, one being a 16th Century barn from the Salisbury area. Some of the timbers in the barn’s structure are even said to have come from ships defeated in the Spanish Armada.

The barn was discovered by Albion Taverns in the West Country in the 1970s. The brewery decided it was the perfect match to accompany The Crown & Cushion public house. The barn was transported from Salisbury in 1978 on a low-loader lorry and was reconstructed on site between 1978 and 1980. The newly built Meade Hall first opened on 21st March 1980 and the opening was attended by a number of local dignitaries.

The pub building itself dates from 1512 and was converted to an Ale House in 1596 so the two buildings originated from around the same period in the sixteenth century. The barn, like the original pub, has a flagstone floor, but the roof is made of modern materials as the original roof tiles had disintegrated. R S Contractors, the company chosen to achieve this massive project, had the difficult task of retaining the character of the original barn and at the same time had to meet with the building regulations of the 1970s.

Meade Hall, like the pub, is believed by many to be haunted – spirits have been seen by many local people over the years but are said to be friendly.