The Groes Inn

The Groes Inn is a historic pub, inn and hotel with rooms located on Llanrwst Road in Conwy, North Wales, United Kingdom. It presents itself as "the oldest licensed pub in Wales" and combines a traditional Welsh pub with en-suite accommodation, seasonal food and locally brewed cask ales. The building is Grade II listed and is prominently sited on the west side of the Llanrwst Road, approximately 1.5 km south-east of Henryd village in Conwy County Borough. The inn's origins are described as a small two-storey house of fifteenth-century construction. It flourished as an inn during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, was modernised and extended, and was re-roofed in the eighteenth century. Interior timbers and walls may date to the sixteenth or seventeenth century. Over the centuries it served as a commercial inn used for business and court transactions, and in the nineteenth century it was still known as the "Commercial Inn" at Groesynyd. In 1889 the purchase of the Inn was witnessed by the Hon. Arthur Charles, fourth Duke of Wellington and grandson of the Iron Duke; the event is commemorated by the Wellington Room upstairs, and the deeds signed by Wellington are kept at the top of the stairs. At the turn of the twentieth century a neighbouring house was demolished, allowing further expansion, and road widening along the B5106 from Conwy through Tyn-y-groes in the 1930s gave the Groes its present location and historic setting. Today The Groes Inn operates as a pub with rooms, offering traditional Welsh pub food, locally sourced seasonal menus, cask ales and dog-friendly accommodation. Its menu highlights include the "legendary Three Cheese & Onion Pie", and the bar serves JW Lees Bitter alongside local ales. The inn is owned and managed by JW Lees, a family brewery with a reputation for ales and service. It markets itself as a cosy inn near Conwy Castle and a base for exploring walking routes near Snowdonia, positioning itself at the intersection of heritage hospitality, local food and Welsh brewing tradition.

The Groes Inn describes its origins as a small two-storey house of fifteenth-century construction. As the inn flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was modernised and extended, and it was re-roofed in the eighteenth century. The interior contains some sixteenth- or seventeenth-century timbers, and walls may be of sixteenth-century origin. Over the centuries the Groes Inn was used as a commercial inn for business and court transactions. It continued to be known as the "Commercial Inn" at Groesynyd in the nineteenth century. A notable episode in its history occurred in 1889, when the Hon. Arthur Charles, fourth Duke of Wellington and grandson of the Iron Duke, witnessed the purchase of the Inn. This event is commemorated by the Wellington Room upstairs at the present Groes Inn, and the actual deeds signed by Wellington can be found at the top of the stairs. At the turn of the twentieth century the house on the right, next to the Inn, was pulled down, which gave further opportunity for expansion. A further road improvement with the widening of the road from Conwy through Tyn-y-groes (B5106) during the 1930s gave the Groes its present location in the Welsh countryside and its historic setting. The inn is a Grade II listed building, prominently sited immediately on the west side of the Llanrwst Road approximately 1.5 km south-east of Henryd village in Conwy County Borough. It is now owned and managed by JW Lees, a family brewery with an excellent reputation for ales and service. The Groes Inn presents itself as the first and best licensed pub in Wales, and some historians say it had a lot to do with the creation of the pancake as we know it today, as well as Britain's oldest pancake celebrations. Today it operates as a historic Conwy pub and hotel with rooms, serving traditional Welsh pub food, locally brewed cask ales and offering cosy accommodation just minutes from Conwy Castle.

• 1889

  The Hon. Arthur Charles, fourth Duke of Wellington, witnessed the purchase of the Inn; commemorated by the Wellington Room.

• Originally a small two-storey house of fifteenth-century construction.

• Modernised and extended as an inn during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

• Re-roofed in the eighteenth century.

• At the turn of the twentieth century the house next to the Inn was pulled down, allowing further expansion.

• Road widening of the B5106 from Conwy through Tyn-y-groes during the 1930s gave the Groes its present location and setting.

• Now owned and managed by JW Lees, a family brewery.

Historic Welsh inn and pub with rooms, marketed as the oldest licensed pub in Wales, offering traditional pub food, local ales and accommodation near Conwy Castle and Snowdonia.

• Three Cheese & Onion Pie

  A signature dish described as legendary and a firm favourite for traditional pub grub.

• JW Lees Bitter

  A cask ale served at the inn's bar.

• En-suite rooms

  Cosy accommodation offered at the inn.

• Seasonal menus

  Menus featuring dishes made with locally sourced ingredients.

1. 1The Groes Inn | Traditional Inn in Conwy Historic Pub with Roomsgroesinn.com
2. 2Groes Inn | Family owned Inn in stunning Conwy, North Wales.groesinn.com
3. 3The Groes Innwikidata.org