Site of The Three Mariners Inn, Cardigan
Site of The Three Mariners Inn, Cardigan
The site of the Cardigan-Broude Twinning Garden is where an ancient tavern called The Three Mariners Inn stood until c.1942. There is a local tradition that Henry Tudor visited the inn during his march through Wales to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The Three Mariners was recorded in the early 20th century as having 17th-century features, with little remaining of any earlier building. The inn and neighbouring buildings were demolished during the Second World War to enable the road to be widened. This process had begun in the 1930s with clearance of houses alongside the castle wall so that the rapid growth of motor vehicles could be accommodated.
Henry Tudor and his small army landed at Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, on 7 August 1485 after living in exile in France. He set a blistering pace for the march through West Wales, but a story has been told for centuries that he gave his men time to relax when they reached Cardigan and that Henry visited The Three Mariners Inn, sleeping the night there or in the castle.
However, it is unlikely that the inn existed in Henry Tudor’s time because no buildings would have been permitted so close to the castle, which remained in defensive use until the 17th century.
The garden we see here today celebrates the twinning of Cardigan with Brioude, a town in the Auvergne region of France. The relationship has been maintained since the twinning agreement was signed in 1972, with Cardigan representatives attending the biennial Foire Expo (trade fair) in Brioude. There’s even a restaurant called Cardigan’s in Brioude!
With thanks to Keith Ladd
Postcode: SA43 1HE View Location Map