New Crown
Crown & Horns, Compton Road / High Street, East Ilsley, RG20 7LH
Earlier name at the Crown & Horns site.
Opening
1759
Closing
1797
Recorded span
About 38 years
Photographs
Shown on the map venue sheet for this place.
History
- Opened
- 1759
- Closed
- 1797
No named events yet — open Facts for source snapshots.
Memories
Stories and pictures people have shared about this place. Contributions are reviewed before they appear publicly.
1944
Local recollection places General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery at the Crown & Horns in East Ilsley in the days immediately before the Normandy landings. The story was remembered by a former landlady of the pub, who recalled the two senior commanders meeting there during the tense final preparations for D-Day. For many years, the exact date was uncertain. But one surviving wartime diary provides a tantalising clue. Kay Summersby, Eisenhower’s driver and aide, recorded that on Friday, June 2, 1944, Eisenhower was due to dine with Montgomery at 8pm.