Interested in Flintshire Pubs & Breweries?

Last week we were lucky enough to have author David Rowe in the Glan, launching his new book “Flintshire Pubs & Breweries”.

Flintshire has over seventy separate towns and villages, the largest being Mold, Buckley, Flint and Holywell. These mining communities were once home to numerous alehouses, coaching inns, taverns and independent breweries, many of which disappeared with the closure of the mines. Illustrated with over 100 old photographs, postcards and other memorabilia, this absorbing collection offers the reader an insight into the life of many Flintshire pubs and breweries past and present, and highlights some of the changes that have taken place during the last century. Glimpses of the area’s working and social life are featured; each image recalling the fascinating history of this part of North Wales. “Flintshire Pubs & Breweries” will delight all those who want to know more about the history of Flintshire’s public houses, their clientele, landlords and ladies and takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the past of their favorite local.

(Description taken from Amazon)

As well as finding out about David’s great book, we also learned some interesting facts.

Did you know:

• The name of the Holly Bush Inn goes back to the very early days of inns and taverns in Britain. This is because the Romans used the holly bush during their Saturnalia celebrations which often extended to seven days of unrestrained revelry that usually ended up with debauchery. On town fair days any house could put a sprig of holly over the door and serve hopme made brew without the need for a license
• In the 1820’s and 30’s the world price of lead was set in a small booth inside the ” Old Wine Vaults ” in Holywell ( still open ).
• The most popular pub names ( in Flintshire ) are – Red Lion, Royal Oak, Cross Keys, The Ship, Black Lion NB very few Welsh names !!

No? Neither did we! Buy David’s book to find out more!

A true story from the history of The Glan

The two Frenchmen lodging at the Glan Yr Afon Inn ( www.glanyrafoninn.co.uk ), Holywell had aroused the suspicions of the landlord by thier practice of taking the corner table in The Dining Room and talking in whispered tones to one another.

The trigger to his action was overhearing the words ” copper bottoming ” and ” formulas ” in the same conversation.

The smelting plants of Greenfield, Holywell were world renowned for producing copper keels for sea faring vessels. With such keels on British warships they were able to outrun and outfight the French.

Damage to the superiority and reputation of the Greenfield keels would affect the whole community – Mine owners, smelting plant owners, shipbuilders, sea captains, the Glan itself and might even effect the course of history itself.

The landlord sent a runner to the constable in Holywell who then contacted the local garrison.

The soldiers marched steadily up the hill from Holywell to Milwr. The steepness of the hill prevented a faster pace. At the crossroads they were met by the landlord and he briefed the officer in charge as to their last location.

The soldiers surrounded the Glan and burst in through every door, muskets at the ready with bayonets fixed. One of the local landowners nearly fell backwards off of his stool onto one of the bayonets in surprise as the soldier charged past.

The arrest of the Frenchmen became one of the first known cases of industrial espionage in Britain and the landlord of the Glan Yr Afon Inn was a local and national hero.

So when you stay at The Glan Yr Afon, you don’t just get great accommodation, great food, a great night’s sleep and great service – you get a little bit of history too!

Pubs & Hotels on Twitter – Join our Twitterleague!

We’re looking to put together a list of pubs and hotels on Twitter, with the aid of Twitterleague - if you’re not in our league here, send us a Twitter message and we’ll add you!

The idea is to gather together all of the pubs and hotels using Twiter in one easy place, in order that anyone interested can find out more about them – be sure to join us!

Coming to North Wales? Check out the Glan yr Afon Inn video!

This video shows the Glan Yr Afon Inn in Holywell.

The Glan is a 16th Century Inn which has traditional and contemporary elements.

The Glan has a beautiful restaurant serving fresh, good value, locally sourced food; a bar, serving traditional ales and a reasonably priced wine selection; a games room; a function room – for conferences, meetings and celebrations and also has a number of fully fittted, tradionally decorated rooms.

The Glan looks out over the River Dee and sits above the famous Milwr Tunnel