Blue Anchor Inn, East Aberthaw

button-theme-crimeBlue Anchor Inn, East Aberthaw

aberthaw_blue_anchorThis building is one of Wales’ oldest pubs. It’s said that an earlier building on the same site was erected in 1380. Much of the existing inn dates from the 16th century. The inn’s trade would have been connected with Aberthaw harbour, one of the region’s main ports for several centuries.

The pub retained its thatched roof when other buildings in the village were re-roofed with slates or tiles. Notice the thickness of the stone walls. Inside the original rooms you can see ancient beams, large fireplaces and spiral staircases.

In 1840 the Blue Anchor’s landlord was punished for opening the inn after the official closing time and for allowing farmhands to gamble on the premises.

The pub belonged to the Fonmon Estate when Mary Ann Liscombe ran it. She took over the licence after her husband Louis died, aged 41, in 1897. She continued running the pub after marrying John Jones.

aberthaw_blue_anchor_rearAs the First World War began in August 1914, a police officer ordered John and Mary to hand over a horse for army use. Many horses were obtained by the British army in the expectation that cavalry (soldiers on horseback) would fight much of the war. As it turned out, horses were mainly used to transport weapons and supplies.

The police officer alleged in court that John had rejected the order. John told magistrates that the horse was away on a long journey that day until 11pm. He said Mary had refused to give up the animal the following day, as she thought it needed to rest. The horse was handed over in Cowbridge two days late, for which John was fined 40 shillings (c.£250 in today’s money).

The Fonmon Estate sold the inn in 1941 to Bill Coleman. It has remained in the family ever since. The 80-seat restaurant, opened in the early 1990s, first featured in the Michelin Eating Out In Pubs Guide in 2007.

Postcode: CF62 3DD    View Location Map

Blue Anchor Inn website - including more history