The Tudor Rose, Beaumaris

Link to French translationLink to Russian translationThe Tudor Rose, 32 Castle Street, Beaumaris

This building, home to the offices of estate agency Joan Hopkin, dates from the 1480s. Today it looks rather out of place among the larger buildings which line Castle Street, but at one time most of the buildings along the street would have been of similar timber-frame construction.

beaumaris_tudor_roseThe building is not as small as the frontage might suggest. It was originally a hall house, the centre of which was a high room with no ceiling. A two-storey solar wing at the south side – the section you can see from the street – accommodated family living accommodation and storage. The hall survives behind this wing. A floor at first-floor level was added in the 16th century. Originally there was probably also a north wing, at the far end of the hall.

There have been local stories that timbers from Beaumaris Castle and a 12th-century house were used in construction of the hall’s upper floor and the solar wing respectively. However, analysis of wood samples and examination of carpentry have shown that this is unlikely. Timbers used for the solar wing were found to have grown in North-west Wales. One was felled in winter 1485-86. It was not possible to date timbers in the hall, which could pre-date the solar wing.

With thanks to Margaret Dunn of the Discovering Old Welsh Houses Group

Postcode: LL58 8AP View Location Map

Website of estate agency Joan Hopkin