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Where were Bwlchgwyn's pubs?
Where were Bwlchgwyn's pubs?
For a relatively small village, Bwlchgwyn once supported a remarkable number of pubs, inns and beerhouses. They were not all clustered around the village centre either, establishments could be found along the roads towards Nant-y-Ffrith, Glascoed, Llanarmon and beyond.
The map below brings together the locations we've been able to identify so far. Some are known precisely; others remain approximate as old road names, buildings and landmarks have changed.
🔵 Still open today | 🟣 Confirmed historic location | 🟡 Approximate location / still being researched
King's Head
King's Head
King's Head in the 1980s. Courtesy of Under a Welsh Sky
As Bwlchgwyn’s most enduring and memorable pub, there is plenty of the King’s Head story still to tell, from landlords and their families, village characters and ghost stories to generations of nights out and local memories.
Its strong connection with village football is already explored on our Bwlchgwyn Football page.
We’re still bringing the rest of its story together.
Have a photograph, story or memory of the King’s Head? We’d love to hear from you.
Dog and Partridge
Dog and Partridge
The Dog and Partridge was the last building on Ruthin Road before the Four Crosses. It is now called No.17, Ruthin Road.
First referenced in 1869 following the transfer of the license from John Kelly to John Evans, it is believed to have been a pub since 1850.
Four Crosses / Moors Inn
Four Crosses / Moors Inn
Known for many years as the Four Crosses, and later as the Moors Inn, this isolated roadside pub was a familiar landmark on the edge of Bwlchgwyn for generations. Old photographs survive from its days as the Four Crosses, while the photographs alongside show the Moors in its final years before closure.
You may also recognise the pub from the banner at the top of this page.
There is much more of its story still to uncover, from the landlords and families who ran it to its customers, characters and memories of life inside.
Do you remember the Four Crosses or the Moors? If you have a photograph, story or memory, we'd love to hear from you.
Hand Inn
Hand Inn
The pub was near the King's Head. The last person to hold the license was John Davies in 1871. There was no application for renewal of license in 1872.
Hwntw Arms
Hwntw Arms
Standing on Ruthin Road, just beyond the junction with Nant Road, the Hwntw Arms was a popular Bwlchgwyn pub and a familiar stopping place for travellers, cyclists and even the occasional charabanc excursion.
Its history contains some wonderful stories. In 1901, an application for a spirits licence was supported by a neighbour who recalled giving whisky to an injured coachman after an accident nearby, an intervention she said a doctor believed may have saved his life.
There is plenty more to uncover about the landlords, families, customers and characters who passed through the Hwntw over the years. The building itself survives today, preserving the Hwntw Arms name.
Do you remember the Hwntw, or have a photograph, story or family connection? We'd love to hear from you.
Joiner's Arms
Joiner's Arms
Image courtesy of Under a Welsh Sky
Advert for Sarga (Former Joiners Arms) in 1999
The Joiner’s Arms was originally a beer house, meaning that it was licensed to sell beer but not spirits. Standing at the top of Nebo Hill, at its junction with Stryt Maelor, it is recorded in 1871 with Robert Jones as landlord.
For much of the twentieth century, the Joiner’s was a familiar part of village life. But towards the end of the century it underwent a rather unusual transformation.
In 1998, a curry house opened as part of the pub. Contemporary newspaper coverage described the owners, Shiron and Anwar, serving Indian food alongside the traditional pub, with customers able to eat either in the lounge or take meals away.
By the following year the transformation was complete. The Joiner’s Arms had become the Sarga Balti Restaurant.
Sarga offered an extensive menu of Indian dishes, including balti, biryani, dopiaza, bhuna and rogan josh. Its 1999 menu advertised a five-course Sunday lunch for £5.95, with children eating for £2.95, while takeaway customers received a 10% discount.
Among the restaurant's more unusual dishes was the “Balti Exotica” — chicken, lamb and king prawn cooked in a medium spiced balti sauce — while the chef's recommendations included dishes such as Tandoori Chicken Masala and King Prawn Jalfrezi.
The restaurant's advertising proudly described it as:
“The finest Indian cuisine for the Millennium Celebrations.”
Sarga's time in Bwlchgwyn was short-lived. It closed in 2001, and the former Joiner’s Arms was demolished the following year.
This section is still under construction. Do you remember the Joiner’s Arms, or have a photograph, story or family connection? We’d love to hear from you and help preserve its story.
Milestone Inn
Milestone Inn
An advert inside the Wrexham leader for the Milestone, Christmas 2001
The Milestone was much more than a village pub. Over the years it operated as a hotel, housed a geological museum and a winding wheel from Gresford Colliery, and offered snooker alongside the more familiar life of the bar. It also became a venue for village events, gatherings and summer fairs.
We already have some fascinating material to explore, including an advert from 2001 welcoming new owners, but we're still piecing together the Milestone's full story.
Do you remember the Milestone, its museum, snooker tables or village events? If you have a photograph, story or family connection, we'd love to hear from you.
Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant
Situated on Llanarmon Road, the Mount Pleasant Inn stood on the left-hand side of the road before the dip towards the old Denbighshire–Flintshire boundary at the bridge known as Pont-y-Butcher. Although the inn itself has long since closed, the house survives today and retains the name Mount Pleasant.
“Beating a hasty retreat”
One Sunday morning in 1869, Mount Pleasant found itself on the wrong side of the licensing laws. Police Constable Moses called at the premises at around half past ten in the morning. As he passed the window, he noticed something — or rather somebody — suddenly “skelped away.”
Entering the house, the constable found four men sitting inside. Beneath a bench was a jug containing ale, while another three men were discovered hiding in the cellar.
The landlord, David Jones, told the court that he had been away from home when it happened and claimed that his servant had served the ale. Nevertheless, as the licence holder he was held responsible. He was fined £2 with 8 shillings costs.
The end of the Mount Pleasant
Nearly half a century later, the inn's future was decided for very different reasons.
In 1916, the licence of the Mount Pleasant Inn was extinguished by the County Court. Evidence given at the hearing suggested that this was not because the premises had a reputation for trouble. Indeed, it was noted that there had been no difficulties associated with drunkenness or drinking offences. Instead, the argument was that the inn was simply no longer necessary.
Although Mount Pleasant was larger than the nearby Four Crosses, it stood only a few yards from the Flintshire boundary in a sparsely populated area with relatively few houses nearby. Its modest trade perhaps illustrates the problem. At the time, the Mount Pleasant was reportedly selling around 1½ barrels of beer a week, together with 36 bottles of beer or stout and 24 bottles of mineral waters.
After decades serving this isolated corner of Bwlchgwyn, the Mount Pleasant's life as a public house came to an end.
Red Lion Inn
Red Lion Inn
Built in 1866, the Red Lion stood on Rhos Street, close to the junction with Brymbo Road and Fron Heulog Hill. The building was constructed with a mortgage from Charles Evans of Burton Brewery, Wrexham, and later sold beer supplied by Soames' Brewery.
The Red Lion also appears in some colourful episodes of village life. In 1887, members of the Order of Foresters met at the inn before parading through the upper part of Bwlchgwyn and into Gwynfryn, then known as Pentre Bais. The procession included seven horses, a Maid Marian and a Robin Hood.
The following year brought rather less welcome attention. In 1888, the landlord was fined £1 and had his licence endorsed for selling beer to four men on a Sunday. Each of the customers was fined ten shillings.
From pub to village shop
The Red Lion eventually closed as a public house, but the building found a new life as Brooklyn Stores and Garage, becoming part of Bwlchgwyn's everyday shopping life. The old photograph shows the premises during its time as Brooklyn Stores.
The building itself still survives today as a private house, although its appearance and surroundings have changed. The road was once at a lower level, there was no porch, and steps originally led up to the entrance.
Do you remember Brooklyn Stores, or does your family have any memories of the Red Lion? We'd love to hear from you.
Three Jolly Miners
Three Jolly Miners
'Assaulting a Publican'
Wrexham Advertiser - Sat, Jan 11, 1868
The Three Jolly Miners was established by at least the middle of the nineteenth century and stood close to the old Ruthin Turnpike Road. An advertisement from 1860 offered the premises to let with immediate possession, describing it as:
“that well accustomed Public House known as The Three Jolly Miners, Bwlchgwyn, adjacent to the Ruthin Turnpike road.”
An incident in 1867 between the landlord Thomas Daniel and local man David Edwards ended up in court.
In 1868, Thomas Daniel was one of few in the area to choose to close his pub on Sunday's in respect of 'the Lord's day'. There are no other recordings of this pub.
Traveller's
Traveller's
The Traveller’s was an early Bwlchgwyn public house, recorded at Pant y Ffor on or near Glascoed Road. Its precise location is difficult to identify today, partly because the names and routes of Bwlchgwyn's roads have changed considerably over time.
Pant y Ffor appears to have been a small group of cottages, with a blacksmith's nearby, roughly opposite High View and the former tollgate on what is now Ruthin Road. The road may once have continued towards Glascoed Road, while other nearby stretches were known as Rhos Street.
The Traveller’s was last recorded in 1872, when the licence was held by Mrs Susan Lewis.
Westminster Arms
Westminster Arms
The ‘West’ after its glory days, but before it was demolished.
Known locally simply as “the West”, the Westminster Arms stood on Ruthin Road, further up the village towards the War Memorial. It was remembered as a lively village pub, with a good sing-song apparently never far away.
The Westminster remained part of Bwlchgwyn life into comparatively recent times, before closing around 2005. The old pub was eventually demolished in 2015, with a house subsequently taking its place.
We're still piecing together the story of its landlords, customers, characters, music and memories, and are fortunate to have a rare older photograph of the pub.
Do you remember the West, or have a photograph, story or family connection? We'd love to hear from you.
The Gors - The pub that never was
The Gors - The pub that never was
The Gors, on Glascoed Road, is something of an oddity in Bwlchgwyn's pub history. It was apparently intended to become a public house, but never actually opened. Local historian Hilary Belton also recalled a possible connection with Soames Brewery of Wrexham.
Its name has an older story too. Rather than referring to the yellow-flowered gorse bush, Y Gors refers to marshy or boggy ground. The surrounding land was once part of Bwlchgwyn's upland common and was later associated with ironmaster John Wilkinson.
We're still looking for more information about the plans for The Gors. If you know anything about the building or have old photographs, we'd love to hear from you.
Many thanks to the wonderful book - Pubs and Inquests in Coedpoeth, Minera and Bwlchgwyn by J. Clifford Davies, from which I have gathered much of this information. Available in Coedpoeth library. ISBN 0-9516975-1-X. Additional thanks to Hilary's History page
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