Monmouth
Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
Grade II
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed building. The building was in use as an inn in 1700 and closed in 1985, the longest period of continuous history of any public house in Monmouth. The building is of three storeys, with a roof of
Welsh slate
The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the l ...
and a wooden
Doric Doric may refer to:
* Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece
** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians
* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture
* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode
* Doric dialect (Scotland)
* Doric ...
doorcase. During the late nineteenth century, the hotel was the headquarters of the Monmouth Branch of the Cyclists Touring Club. It is now a furniture shop, and one of 24 buildings on the
Monmouth Heritage Trail
The Monmouth Heritage Trail is a walking route which connects various sights in the town of Monmouth, Wales.
History
In 2009 Monmouth Civic Society identified 24 historic and interesting buildings in the town, and organised the production and fix ...
.Monmouth Civic Society, ''Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail'', n.d., p.19
History
This site began life as Robert le Ffrere's shop around 1240, rented by him for one pound of
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
), and he granted half a mark yearly, out of the profits, to maintain a lamp burning day and night before the altar of the Holy Cross in the parish church. It was said that the lamp was still burning two hundred years later, but by 1613 the shop had become the brew house for
St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth
St Mary's Priory Church, in Whitecross Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, is an Anglican church founded as a Benedictine priory in 1075. The current church dates mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was designated a Grade II* listed ...
. By 1700 it was an inn with the appropriate name of The Angel. It remained The Angel Inn until 1965, an extraordinarily long existence for an inn, when it was returned to its former use as a shop.
In 1720, when the landlord was John Roome, one of his customers stole two pewter plates and a flaxen napkin. She was caught and whipped at the cart's tail around the town. In 1804,
Charles Heath
Charles Theodosius Heath (1 March 1785 – 18 November 1848) was a British engraver, currency and stamp printer, book publisher and illustrator.
Life and career
He was the illegitimate son of James Heath, a successful engraver who enjoyed ...
was plainly impressed by the inn, since he wrote: "The Angel Inn kept by Mrs Pugh, has long been a house of great respectability, and frequented by the mercantile travellers of the kingdom, whose business connects them with the trading part of the borough, - and is but justice to add, that her kind attention to her guests, has long secured her the highest place in their good opinion".
The inn was nearly destroyed in 1857 when a disgruntled jockey, who had been beaten at Monmouth Races, tried to set fire to the winning horse which had been stabled there. He was caught in the act and convicted.
The Angel had several Friendly Societies, and a Society of Tradesmen and Others met there in 1794. Later, the Black Swan Friendly Society transferred to it, and in 1850 the Sons of Equity met there. In 1884, the landlady, Mrs Creeper, advertised the fact that "The omnibus passes the door to meet every train". These were the coaches from the King's Head Hotel and Beaufort Arms Hotel which called at the ''Angel Hotel'' to pick up passengers. At one time, cycle touring was a popular pastime along the Wye Valley, and the Angel became the headquarters of the Monmouth Branch of the Cyclists Touring Club. Together with the Beaufort and King's Head, the Angel became a Trust House Hotel in the mid- 20th century and closed around 1965. It remained The Angel Inn until 1985, when it closed and was extensively altered in its conversion to a furniture showroom.