The Glynne Arms, Hawarden

The Glynne Arms, Hawarden

hawarden_glynne_armsThis building is named after the Glynne family, which owned the Hawarden Estate from the 1650s. It was built c.1812 and later extended at the back, where a two-storey Victorian coach house also survives. Adjoining the building are the shambles, former butchers’ stalls.

The old photo of the inn is shown here courtesy of Flintshire Record Office (image ref: PH/28N/60).

In 1815 Sir Stephen Glynne, the 8th Baronet, died suddenly in Nice, France. He was succeeded by his son Stephen, who had got to know William Ewart Gladstone – the future Prime Minister – while studying at Eton College and Oxford University. Gladstone married Stephen’s sister Catherine in 1839 and the couple lived in Hawarden Castle. Stephen had no children. In 1874 the estate passed to William Henry Gladstone, a keen singer, composer and organist. He was the eldest son of Catherine and William.

The Glynne Arms Hotel was part of the estate (and remains so today). Each year the estate’s rents were audited here, an event which included a dinner. WE Gladstone made several speeches at the dinner.

People attending Chester races often stayed at the Glynne Arms. In 1906 the hotel was let to the People’s Refreshment House Association, founded by the Bishop of Chester to improve the way taverns were run. Among the groups which met here in the early 20th century was the Mancot Male Voice Choir.

After the Second World War, the Glynne Arms was run by various breweries. It closed in 2010 after a brewery bankruptcy. Charlie Gladstone, great-great grandson of WE Gladstone, and his wife Caroline embarked on a renovation. The Glynne Arms reopened in 2012, and in 2013 comedian Peter Kay popped in for a lunch which included a Hawarden Estate pork pie.

Postcode: CH5 3NS    View Location Map

Website of the Glynne Arms

Website of Flintshire Record Office

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