Old Public Houses in Bwlchgwyn
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In the Bwlchgwyn of the pre-1960s there was actually a night life! Men walking to and from the pubs and beer houses, people visiting each other. We had street lights, of course, but it still seemed to be very dark. I was too young to go into the pubs, but at night the streets always seemed to be busy, every few minutes I would hear another set of footsteps and I would listen for the high heels and try to guess, by the muffled sound of conversation, who was passing and in which direction. Then at 10.30 the sounds of people going home, "goodnight", "nos da", footsteps, chatter, car doors opening and closing then the last few stragglers, and all quiet save for the fox walking along the white line.
King's Head |
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The King's Head deserves to be first on the
list because not only is it said to be one of the oldest houses, but it is
(or was?) still open to customers!
http://www.kings-head-inn.co.uk/ This used to be two separate properties, the pub on the left and a cottage on the right. Old Mr Davies, who lived in the cottage, had a lovely vegetable garden (where the car park is now) - it even had an air-raid shelter. |
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Westminster Arms |
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There was always a good sing-song at the "West", which was situated further up the main road, towards the War Memorial. Here is a rare, older, picture of the Westminster Arms and a recent photograph. |
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Another rare, old, picture, this time of the Joiner's Arms in Bwlchgwyn
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Joiner's ArmsThe Joiner's Arms was originally a beer house and did not have a spirits licence. This old house was situated at the top of Nebo Hill on the junction with Stryt Maelor.
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Hwntw ArmsThis public house faced onto the main road just beyond its junction with Nant Road. The Bwlchgwyn Resident's Assoc. published a picture of the Hwntw together with a group of drinkers and the landlord in front of the pub. It is likely that they were celebrating a success at the recent Bwlchgwyn eisteddfod. |
This is the only picture I have of the Hwntw and it has been magnified many times to get this result. The Hwntw is the white building in the centre, facing the camera.
I've since come across this fragment of an image of the Hwntw Arms, the picture was taken in the garden of our old house on Wesley Road.
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Red LionSituated on the main road, close to the junction with Brymbo Road and Fronheulog Hill, the Red Lion was built in 1866 with a mortgage from Mr Charles Evans of Burton Brewery, Wrexham. The pub sold beer from Soames' Brewery, Wrexham. Times changed and the Red Lion later became Brooklyn Stores and Garage, as shown opposite. In those days the road level was lower, there was no porch and there were steps up to the door. |
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Four CrossesThis view shows the Four Crosses with the Old Road to the left and the straight road across the moors to the right. The pub was recently renamed "The Moors". |
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| You're quite right: The Gors, on Glascoed Road, was never a pub or a beerhouse. It was intended to be a pub but it never opened. |
The GorsInteresting point: the correct spelling is Gors, but over time this has changed to Gorse. The land, which was originally waste land and marshy ("gors" in Welsh) was cultivated and farmed by Wilkinson of iron fame. |
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Mount Pleasant |
The Mount Pleasant was right on the furthest edge of the village, on Llanarmon Road, close to the bridge and county boundary. | |
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Dog and PartridgeThe Dog and Partridge was the last building on Ruthin Road before the Four Crosses.
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Traveller'sThe Traveller's was on Pant Y Ffo / Pant Y For, not an easy place to identify. |
Importantly, the streets and roads used to have different names; Pant y For was a small row of cottages and a blacksmith's almost opposite High View - the tollgate for the turnpike road now known as Ruthin Road. It seems likely that the road was originally a continuation of Glascoed Road at the same time that the lower part of Ruthin Road (by the King's Head) and Nebo Hill (to the Joiner's Arms) was known as Rhos Street. |
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| Technically, the Gegin is in Minera but it is on the Ruthin Road between Coedpoeth and Bwlchgwyn. The level of the main road on that corner has changed so much that passing traffic now looks down on the building whereas, originally, there were steps from the road up to the door and a hitching rail for the horses. |
Gegin |
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Hand |
The Hand was near King's Head and appears to have closed c1871 | |
| Somewhere in Bwlchgwyn, the only reference I have found to it is in J C Davies' book "Pubs and Inquests in Coedpoeth, Minera and Bwlchgwyn" |
Three Jolly Miners |
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I shall be adding more details soon |
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