Raising a glass to long-lost watering holes from city’s past
IT was in 1903 that The Black Lion in St Mary Street became known as the Sandringham Hotel. Many of the public houses were renamed around this time.
For instance, the Carpenter’s Arms on the Hayes became the Oxford Hotel, The Tennis Court, now the Owain Glyndwr, became the Green Dragon, while the Criterion in Church Street used to be the Shoulder of Mutton.
The Steam Mills Arms (1858) in St Mary Street was renamed The Terminus in 1882 it later became Sam’s Bar and later still was known as the Peppermint Bar.
The lower end of Castle Street was known as Broad Street and in this street stood the Cardiff Arms (17921878), Five Bells (1748-1855), The White Lion (1778-1858) and the Cowbridge Arms (1863-1900).
The Cardiff Arms was a very large hotel which was said to have “accommodation fit for a King.’’
The Five Bells was a corner house, standing within the boundary wall of the castle, and just left to the tower. In those far off days there was a court of a dozen houses alongside the Five Bells.
Immediately in front of the tower stood The White Lion. The Cowbridge Arms was situated at the end of a row of houses that ran right in the centre of Castle Street, thus making two streets Angel Street and Castle Street.
Angel Street had five pubs – The Globe, Ty Dderwyn Deg, The Angel, The Myrtle Tree and The Castle, the last two being next door to each other and right opposite The Angel, The Dderwyn Ddeg (or The Fair Oak) was a little lower down. In Duke street stood the Old Green Dragon (1770-1900), New Green Dragon (1792-1855), Glove and Shears (1782-1910) and the Rummer Tavern (1813). The Rummer Tavern was kept by a rather portly gentle
men named Hopkins who was a member of the Cardiff Cricket Club. He abhorred bad language and wouldn’t put up with it.
A house rule of his was that no-one should have more than one drink at a time. In Wharton Street the Hope and Anchor was kept by a local artist of some renown called Alexandra Wilson. The inns in Queen Street/Smith Street, included the Three Cranes (1770-1900), Mason’s Arms (17951920) Unicorn (1772-1813) New Inn (1768-1900) later known as Carey’s and the Cross Keys, later known as the Tivoli.
The Wheatsheaf was situated on land that was taken by James Howell in Trinity Street and the Sugar Loaf Arms (1858-1900) in High Street.
Other vanished High Street inns included the Cardiff Castle Tavern and The Three Horse Shoes (1798-1913). The Borough Arms (1873) in St Mary Street was known as the Bodegar.
As for the most pretty pub in town in those long gone days, a Mr Charles Evans tells us that: “A little farther up Crockherbtown (Queen Street), on the right hand side, as far as Mr Soloman Andrew’s shop,in the old days just about there stood the most picturesque little pub in town.
“You went about three steps off the pavement to enter this little house and a strip of garden ran the length of it, it was straw thatched, hence its name, the Thatched House Tavern, kept by Mr Herbert Rees, who like another landlord of his time, Mr Fred Armstrong, of Dderwyn Ddeg, was very partial to white hats.”
The following are just some of the inns that have vanished in the centre of our capital city:
■ Queen Street: Cross Keys, Farmers Arms, General Nott, London Tavern, Masons Arms, Prince Regent, Queens Chambers, Three Cranes, Unicorn.
■ Duke Street: Crown & Anchor, Glove & Shears,Old Green Dragon, Three Tuns.
■ Frederick Street: Burnham, Ivordes Arms, Joiner Arms, Jolly Mariners, Kings Head, Manchester Unity, Pembroke Castle, Royal Exchange, Shamrock & Leek, Spotted Dog.
■ The Hayes: Colliers Arms, Duke of Cornwall, Exhibition Inn, Grapes, N ew Inn, Plough, Rising Sun, Royal George.
■ St Mary Street: Bath Arms, Black Lion, Butcher’s Arms, Cornish Mount, Cottage Spring, Elliots Hotel, Garrick, Golden Boat, Hope & Anchor, Ivy Bush, King’s Head, Morning Star, Napier, Nelson Arms, Neptune, Old Sloop, Pilot, Pineapple, Rock & Fountain, St Fagans Castle, Ship & Castle, Steam Mill Arms, Stogumber, Sunderland Bridge, Talbot, Theatre Royal, The King, Valiant Soldier.
Please send your stories and pictures to Brian Lee,Cardiff Remembered, South Wales Echo, Six Park Street, Cardiff, CF10 1XR or e-mail: brianlee4@virgimedia.com.
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