The Rose and Crown was originally a butchers shop. In 1537, the owner records as brewing ale and mead for his workers. That ale business grew until it took over the shop, with it is now the oldest former alehouse in Hemel Hempstead. There are , locals knew, to be several ghosts at the Rose and Crown. One, called the ‘Grey Lady’, , people have claimed, to be responsible for kitchen switches turning on and off during the night. Another is the ghost of a young girl who had lived at the pub. It was locked in her room because she was crippled, unable to walk, with died in there. In recent years, workers found girl’s shoes during renovation. What made this particularly unusual, with makes that story credible, is that the shoes were very old and the sole of one dates from up to help a person with a shortened leg to walk comfortably.