Author Topic: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew  (Read 49479 times)

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Offline Nantyglyn72

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Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« on: August 22, 2015, 04:28:51 pm »
Hello Everyone

I'm a local born in Colwyn Bay and now living in Llanrhos ; and new to this website. I have only just discovered the site and am really impressed by the depth of information and knowledge.

I have a question I would like to ask.

When researching my family history it is apparent from gravestones in llangwstennin and census of the period aroynd the start of the last century that several ancestors ran the Red Lion public house in Bryn Pydew.

I have struggled to find a photograph of this public house and very little information such as when it was established and when it closed etc

Any photos and information would be very much appreciated.

Regards

Christian

Online SteveH

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2015, 04:37:00 pm »
Hello and welcome,
Not what you asked for but I found this link to the Red Lion... ££$

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/trying_to_find/thread/499419


Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2015, 06:21:03 pm »
In the 19th century the house was run as a pub called The Red Lion.  It is a now a private house called Islwyn and is in Ffordd Y pentre Bryn Pydew.
It's right in the centre of Bryn Pydew and is directly opposite these properties ( sorry but I haven't got a photo of Islwyn)   In that street was a school, a chapel and a shop and another pub called the Swan was around the corner but they are all closed now.

From memory, I think that Islwyn is behind the car on the right in the second photo.

Offline Nantyglyn72

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2015, 07:50:01 pm »
Thank you very much both, very helpful. Much appreciated

Offline spotty dog

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2015, 08:43:59 pm »
The Old Swan

Offline spotty dog

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2015, 08:48:53 pm »
Islwyn now owned by the Powel family

Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2015, 01:05:31 pm »
Nantyglyn72,   there are a number of people on the forum who my have the info you are looking for but I can't find out anything on Google that will give you the answers you are looking for.
At least you know that the former Red Lion is now a private house called Islwyn and where exactly it is in the village.
If I was you, , I would call at the property and introduce myself and tell the owners what you are hoping to find.  I'm sure that they would be interested to hear your story too.
Bryn Pydew is in the Parish of Llangystennin  for your searches and the Conwy Archives in Lloyd Street Llandudno ( next to the lifeboat house ) will have a lot of info for you to browse over.
They have a burial index for Llangystennin Church and all the people buried there that have headstones on their graves are listed in the book.
The people are listed alphabetically so are easy to find and the Archives is open to the public Monday to Thursday.
Good luck with your searches   $good$
The photo is of the entrance to Ffordd Y Pentre where Islwyn is and the cottage is the Swan which was once a pub, then a shop and post office

Offline Nantyglyn72

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2015, 08:56:28 pm »
Thanks all

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2015, 08:52:30 pm »
Swan which was once a pub, then a shop and post office

Old Swan was just a house for decades after being some sort of place with ale. I don't think it was ever a shop as such. 

At least from the 60s and possibly a lot longer, the shop was the second building from the left in your picture above the one of Old Swan. I think the shop started to struggle when people began shopping at supermarkets. It was run down to just the Post Office and I think the newspapers. 

The Wilson family in Old Swan took this over after Mrs Powell (not the same Powell family as mentioned in regards to Islwyn) packed in.  I'd guess this change occurred mid to later 80s.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2015, 10:33:23 pm »
According to Chris Draper in his book "Walks from Llandudno"   the old Swan was a public house before becoming a shop .  " It continues to
provide a basic Post Office service for the village and a small notice on the window indicates if it is open for business" according to the author.
The book was first published in 1999 but obviously that facility must have closed after that date

Karenza, the large painted house was Mister Evans' shop and he sold a variety of goods, perhaps the Swan continued it's business after Mr Evans' shop closed?

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2015, 10:58:57 pm »
I think he has got that wrong.  My family owned Old Swan between about 1966 and 1973 give or take a year.  The house was not a shop when they bought it, nor was it a shop when they sold it to the Wilsons.

---
One other bit of info.  If you went through the drive a few yards and pushed the chippings back, you could find part of an old tiled floor. If I remember correctly, there was supposed to have been a bakery there at some point in time. I've not seen a picture of this and can't work out how the road would have run.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2015, 01:45:29 am »
I've  managed to dig out a couple of old slides.  Not brilliant but they will do. These would have been taken around 1967.

This shows the village shop and Post Office:


This is Old Swan


Offline Hugo

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2015, 10:15:06 am »
Thanks very much for posting those photos, especially the one of the shop, school and Chapel.   Although I must have seen them when I was younger I had forgotten what the school and Chapel looked like.
I've tried to find out about the history of Bryn Pydew some time ago but can't find out anything on line so those photos help a lot.
With regard to what you have said about the Old Swan I don't know the history of the place but I have a very vague memory of something like a Post Office notice being in the window.    This would be around 1978 when I was interested in buying Granllyn the 18th Century cottage directly across the road to the Old Swan.
With regard to Chris Draper, the local author and historian, I would be extremely surprised if his facts were wrong.   From reading  six of his books on local history and speaking to him in Llandudno Library he seems a stickler for details. 
I know some historians have an artistic license to "manipulate" history but I can't say one way or another whether it happened with the Old Swan.
I do have a friend who is even older than me and has lived in Pydew all his life so I'll ask him when I go to a coffee morning next Tuesday.

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2015, 10:47:14 am »
I'll be interested to learn what your friend remembers.

We moved to Pydew  from Shropshire so don't have any family memories of the village prior to say 66/67.

We never really found anything out about Old Swan as a (presumably parlour) pub.  Sort of everyone know it (and Islwyn/Red Lion) was once a pub but no real indication of when or memories of anyone drinking there.  Sticking with beer a second, something in the back of my mind suggests beer may have been brewed at Bwlch Farm at some point...

My own memory is at odds with your 1978 date. We moved a second time round to Pydew in that year and I still feel that the shop/post office in the photo I gave was still open then.  As I indicated before, I thought that change happened some time after Mr Powell died.  But memory can be a funny thing...

Offline squiggle

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Re: Old Public Houses in Bryn Pydew
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2015, 12:05:04 pm »
Karenza, the large painted house was Mister Evans' shop and he sold a variety of goods, perhaps the Swan continued it's business after Mr Evans' shop closed?

Sorry, I'd missed to answer this. 

No.  It was owned by a Powell family and was a shop at least selling groceries and sweets, etc. when I first moved to Pydew. My understanding is that these Powells were relatively new to the village and I do remember references to prior owners.  I'd have guessed at Hughes but I'd feel sure you are right with Evans.  I'm not sure what I'd be guessing at in terms of "relatively new".  5-10 years?