Crocker's Folly is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

at 24 Aberdeen Place,

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...

, London. It was built in 1898, in a

Northern Renaissance The Northern Renaissance was the Renaissance that occurred in Europe north of the Alps, developing later than the Italian Renaissance, and in most respects only beginning in the last years of the 15th century. It took different forms in the vari ...

style, and was previously called ''The Crown''. Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote's guide to heritage pubs in London describes it as "a truly magnificent pub-cum-hotel" with "superb fittings", including extensive use of marble. The architect was

Charles Worley Charles H Worley (1853–1906) was a British architect. Early life Allinson puts forward that Charles Worley was the son of the architect Robert James Worley (1850–1930), of the architectural practice Worley & Saunders, who was "involved ...

Interior

The highlight is the "grand saloon" as it was originally known. There is an exceptional marble fireplace, as well as a marble-topped bar counter. Altogether 50 different types of marble are used, with paired marble Corinthian pilasters supporting the opulent part-gilded beamed ceiling, and even the chimney and the saloon walls are faced with marble.

Frank Crocker

In 1987, the pub's name was changed to Crocker's Folly, which had been its nickname for many years. The story was that Frank Crocker, believing he had a reliable tip-off about the site of the new terminus of the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...

, built the pub on a lavish scale to serve it, however when the terminus was actually built it turned out to be over half a mile away at

Marylebone Station Marylebone station ( ) is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the Marylebone area of the City of Westminster. On the National Rail network, it is also known as London Marylebone a ...

– leading to Crocker's ruin, despair and eventual suicide, jumping from the window of an upper floor. In reality, Crocker died in 1904, aged only 41, but of natural causes, although the subsequent landlord, Charles Durden, did kill himself in the way described. Every wall, window and ceiling was decorated in ornate style, with soaring pillars, wood panelling and elaborate stucco featuring gambolling cherubs. Its grand saloon used 50 types of marble to create a magnificent bar-top, archways, an enormous fireplace and soaring pillars, which in turn supported the opulent part-gilded beamed ceiling. Even the chimney and walls were faced with marble.

Redevelopment

The pub closed in autumn 2004 and in November 2011,

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...

gave outline planning consent for the conversion of the three upper floors to residential use. It was noted that the building was on the English Heritage ''Buildings at Risk'' Register, and in need of urgent repair. In February 2014, ''London Drinker'' magazine reported that work had begun on the conversion of the upper floors to apartments and that the ground floor would be converted to a restaurant, perhaps with a bar. In 2014, it was acquired by Maroush, a group of Lebanese restaurants, and it reopened in October 2014 as a Lebanese restaurant and bar.

References

External links

* {{National Inventory Pubs Grade II* listed pubs in the City of Westminster National Inventory Pubs Buildings and structures completed in 1898 St John's Wood Buildings by Charles Worley