| Number | AMHAM: OBJECT.252 |
|---|---|
| Date | c.1935 |
| About this object | The cockatoo saved the lives of the inhabitants of the Crown Hotel, a public house on the High Street in Old Amersham, when a fire broke out. It made a lot of noise! It was stuffed and displayed in The Crown thereafter but as it had got rather tatty the Crown gave it to the Museum. In 1933, the landlord of The Crown had a pet white sulphur-crested cockatoo which the press reported as ‘a very dignified and friendly old gentleman, said to be 100 years of age.’ This bird became something of a local hero in 1935 when a serious fire began in the early hours, causing great damage to the stillroom, the saloon bar, the lounge, the office and almost all of the upstairs rooms. The screeching of the cockatoo alerted staff and guests who escaped unharmed. The firemen saved the bird but the landlord’s treasured Persian cat, its inseparable companion, was found dead under a table in the dining room. The bird lived for a further few years and on its demise was mounted by a taxidermist and for many years sat under a glass dome in the bar. |
| Physical Description | A white sulphur-crested cockatoo, mounted in a glass case. The stuffed bird is perched on a branch. It is a large, white feathered parrot with a dark grey-black beak and a distinctive sulphur-yellow crest. |
| Find Out More | Crown Hotel (14 Market Square) |