The Feathers Hotel is a former

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

and

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

Wrexham city centre Wrexham city centre is the administrative, cultural and historic city centre of Wrexham, in North Wales and is the area enclosed by the inner ring road of the city. It is the largest shopping area in north and mid Wales, and the administrative c ...

, North Wales. First known as The Plume of Feathers, the building was popular with drovers heading to

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

's Beast Market. The inn was remodelled in the mid-19th century to extend its frontage onto an adjacent property on Chester Street. It closed as a pub in 2001, and has since been converted into a grocery shop and apartments.

Description

The two-storey building was formerly a coaching inn, with remnants of the stables and coach house present behind the building, in painted brickwork and with a slate roof. Such remnants include a small round window in the side wall at the rear of the building used to transfer hay from a large hay wagon directly to the hay loft within the building. It was originally known as "''The Plume of Feathers''" and was owned by the Meredith family for over 200 years, with the building dating to possibly . The inn was located on a popular throughfare for drovers to Wrexham's Beast Market. Prior to the railway reaching Wrexham,

stagecoaches A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

operated from the inn. It was known as the ''Feathers Inn'' by 1848, while the name "''The Prince of Wales''" is also attached to the building. The current design of the building dates to a remodelling, where the newly added façade was extended onto a pre-existing adjoining property, No. 62 Chester Street. Although No. 62 is separately roofed, with its

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

appearing to be originally built facing the street and a

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

forms a partial false wall at its first floor level. No. 62 also houses the entrance to the present-day grocery shop, while the original building also retains their entrance. Both central entrances are recessed in an

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

. There are three upper windows in each of the two properties. Therefore, the building's current continuous frontage covers two original properties, which are two-storeyed and covered in original brickwork. The shop front dates to the late 19th century. The structure and some elements of the original building have survived and they suggest the building was once timber-framed. The

end of the building would have probably faced the street, with its roofline at a right angle to the street. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

, the building's stable yard was large enough to cater for 30 horses at the same time. In 1875, following the death of James Armstrong of the Feathers Hotel, leaving his widow and seven small children with little resources, a benefit concert was held in Wrexham to raise money for the bereaved family. By 1892, the building was owned by William Tickle, who greatly involved himself in the social life of Wrexham, leading to local societies holding their meeting inside the building. The pub in the building closed in 2001, with the building later becoming fully refurbished and home to a clothes shop for a few years. The building is now () a Polish grocery store, with the upper floors converted into apartments.

References

{{Wrexham, state=collapsed Grade II listed buildings in Wrexham County Borough Grade II listed hotels Grade II listed pubs in Wales Hotels established in the 17th century Defunct hotels in Wales Pubs in Wrexham 17th-century establishments in Wales Coaching inns Hotels in Wrexham County Borough

Description

See also

References