Brown's Hotel, Laugharne
Brown’s Hotel, King Street, Laugharne
The dates 1752 and 1938 are displayed on this building. The first refers to its construction and the second to a major renovation. It was once known as the Green Dragon Hotel and Commercial Inn. In 1833 proprietor John Sedger urged “tourists and families visiting Tenby” to stop overnight in the spacious well-aired bedrooms and take advantage of the stabling and lock-up coach houses.
The building had been renamed by a Somerset farmer called James Brown by 1868, when he placed an advert in a newspaper promising “hot and cold baths at the shortest notice” in his “more commodious Premises”.
By the start of the 20th century, the building was owned by William David, who included cyclists and commercial travellers in his target market. When it changed hands again in 1914, the hotel was described as “Carnarvon slated” with stables, a lock-up shop, a coach house and yard. It was bought by William Griffiths of the Ship and Castle Inn, across the road, for £610.
Brown’s was one of the favourite watering holes of poet Dylan Thomas when he lived in Laugharne in the mid-20th century, latterly at the Boathouse. He could often be seen at one of the tables, drinking, listening to gossip, playing cards or jotting down notes.
Brown’s Hotel stopped catering for overnight visitors in the 1950s but continued as a pub. It was bought in 2004 by actor Neil Morrissey, who had narrated the animated children’s TV show Bob the Builder and starred in a popular 1990s sitcom called Men Behaving Badly. He sold the building two years later. In 2012 Brown’s Hotel reopened after refurbishment under the ownership of Nigel Short, providing overnight accommodation for guests once again.
Postcode: SA33 4RY View Location Map