Elsenham’s Crown Inn set to reopen for Easter festivities as publican Craig Bull returns to village where he grew up

Residents in Elsenham are eagerly awaiting the reopening of their village pub this Easter.

The Crown Inn is set to begin pulling pints again on Thursday April 17, followed the day after by a Good Friday Family Festival featuring face-painting, a disco, an Easter egg hunt and a children’s entertainer.

The pub has been taken over by former Bishop’s Stortford train driver Craig Bull, 44, and his brother Colin Smalls, 38.

The pair grew up in the village, attending Elsenham Primary School and later Newport Free Grammar, now Joyce Frankland Academy, and are excited to be heading back to their roots.

Craig lives with his fiancée, Emma, and their four-year-old daughter, Florence, in Coggeshall, where he runs the Chapel Inn.

Having grown up in the hospitality industry – he worked at his late father’s London restaurant cleaning cutlery from the age of 11 – he is confident he can turn the Crown into a thriving village pub once more.

He takes over as publican from Mick Willett, who left in January, and before that Aaron Fennell, former licensee of the Marne Inn at Thorley Park in Bishop’s Stortford.

Said Craig: “I grew up in Elsenham, moving from London when I was two, and bought my first house in De Mandeville Road.

“I then moved to Bishop’s Stortford, where I was a train driver for 13 years, but my dad used to have a restaurant so I grew up working in that.”

His father eventually sold his business and then took over the Chapel Inn. He died in 2015 and Craig decided to take over running the pub.

“I had a break and sold the lease, avoiding Covid and lockdown, and then it was sold back to me and I’ve been back two years, having opened on Easter weekend – so it’s funny that I was then offered the Crown and we’re opening on Easter weekend.

“I love the symmetry of everything going full circle. It came at the right time to take on a new challenge and was exactly what I was looking for.”

Craig reflected: “I spent a lot of my formative years in the Crown. I’ve known good landlords and bad landlords, so I know what works and what doesn’t.

“The vision for the pub is very similar to what we do at the Chapel Inn. I’m committed to making it a welcoming space where everyone can enjoy everything from good food, good beer, themed nights, live sport and exciting events.

“It’s very, very challenging at the moment for the pub industry, but I’ve been blown away by the many messages we’ve had wishing us all the best.”

Craig has plans to makeover the Crown’s garden area and to create an all-year-round, covered outdoor space, to start up regular quiz nights and host live events and karaoke. The pub is owned by Star Pubs and Bars, part of Heineken.

And, as with the Chapel Inn, he said he was particularly keen to support village and children’s charities and was keen to hear from villagers what they wanted from their local pub.