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Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham

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Not to be confused with Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Ruabon.

The Wynnstay Arms is a hotel and pub in Wrexham city centre, Wales. It is located on Yorke Street and directly on the western end of Wrexham's High Street. The building is a Grade II listed building for its surviving Georgian red brick façade, while most of the building was demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s.

Wynnstay Arms
The building's Georgian red brick façade
Map
Former namesThe George (1702; 1721)
The Eagles (1730; 1822)
Eagles Inn (derivative)
Wynnstay Hall (1822–1973)
The Crest (1973–1985)
Alternative namesThe Wynnstay
Hotel chainMarston's
General information
Architectural styleGeorgian red brick (frontage)
LocationYorke Street, Wrexham LL13 8LP[1]
Coordinates53°02′43″N 2°59′28″W / 53.0452°N 2.9912°W / 53.0452; -2.9912
Construction startedMid-18th Century
Technical details
Floor count3
Other information
Number of rooms47[3]
Website
wynnstayarmshotelwrexham.co.uk
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameWymmstay Arms Hotel
Designated30 May 1951; Amended 31 January 1994
Reference no.1759[2]

The Football Association of Wales was formed at the hotel in 1876, and Prime Minister, David Lloyd George is said to have announced the end of World War I from the building's balcony in 1918.

Description

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The front of the three-storey Georgian red brick building dates to the mid 18th century.[4][3][5] The original façade of the building is protected and was built in 1780, in place of an earlier inn.[6][7][8][2] The façade has an ornate cast-iron balcony with Grecian motifs for its first floor.[5][7] The façade contributes to its Grade II listing.[2] Parts of the street frontage to the right of its entrance date to the early 19th century.[8][2] The building also houses a Jacobean ballroom and an Adam fireplace.[5]

History

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A small inn on the existing building's site was first known as "the George" in 1702.[2][8][9][10] It became known as "the Eagles" in 1730, following the inn's enlargement and under the ownership of the Williams-Wynn family of Wynnstay, a country house near Wrexham.[8][10] Also known by the derivatives "Eagles Inn",[6][11] "The Three Eagles" or "The Three Spread Eagles", referencing the Williams-Wynn family coat of arms.[9] It still retained the name "The Eagles" by 1822.[10] The hotel's name gave the area the term "Eagles Meadow", which is since used by a shopping centre near the hotel.[8] The name "Wynnstay Arms" (or "Wynnstay Hall") was said to be first used in 1822, but the previous name "the Eagles" still was pre-dominant, with it later referred to in a 1844 tithe schedule as "The Eagles Inn".[8][9]

To the rear of the hotel, along Charles Street at No.23,[12] was another separate hotel known as the Blossoms Hotel. It also had a stable, located to Wynnstay's rear.[13] It was later demolished, with the site becoming part of the Wynnstay Arms.[14]

Prior to the railway reaching Wrexham, stagecoaches operated from the hotel.[15]

In the 18th century, it served as the meeting place for the "Circle of the White Rose" ("The Cycle")[10] a Jacobite society which included members of the Williams-Wynn, family of Wynnstay and the founding meeting for the Football Association of Wales, the latter taking place in February 1876, and is commemorated with a plaque on the building.[6][7][11][16] The Freemasons, Rotary Club and Round Table were also said to have met in the hotel.[10]

David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is said to have announced the end of World War I in 1918 from the building's balcony.[4][3][7] William Gladstone, another British Prime Minister, who lived in Hawarden was also said to have delivered speeches from the building's first floor cast-iron balcony.[7]

Partial demolition

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The rear side of the hotel, built following the 1970s demolition of the rear parts of the original building.

The building was sold in the 1960s and plans were made to completely demolish the building.[10] A campaign was launched to prevent the demolition of the building.[11] Following increased pressure on the owners, a compromise was reached, where the Georgian façade of the building facing High Street would be preserved and not demolished, while the remaining rear of the building would be demolished and replaced by a modern hotel and car park.[10] The old Yorke Street coaching entrance became the building's main street entrance.[10] The entire building except the façades were demolished between 1970 and 1973,[2] with the new hotel built behind the old façade, and opened in 1973 as "The Crest",[8] also termed "Crest Motel/Hotel",[5][17] or Wrexham Crest Hotel.[10] The hotel reverted to "The Wynnstay Arms Hotel" in May 1985, when it was sold to Burtonwood Brewery.[8][10]

Booth ownership

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In April 2010, the hotel was bought by Stephanie Booth, a local businesswoman. Booth promised to spend a minimum of £1 million in the first year on the hotel for refurbishment. Booth stated she wanted to restore the building's "past glories".[6] During Booth's ownership, she also organised street festivals and fun days in Wrexham.[18] The hotel featured in the second series of BBC documentary series "Hotel Stephanie" in 2011. The series documented Booth's experience in managing her hotels.[19][20]

In July 2011, the hotel and pub was forced to close when their owner Llangollen Hotels, owned by Booth, went into administration and citing "financial [difficulties]". It was the only hotel to shut, and was directed to shut before the administrators were appointed. The building was taken over by Marston's Brewery, who refurbished the building.[11][21][22][23]

The hotel reopened on 20 April 2012, following a £350,000 refurbishment by Marston's.[24][25] The building contains a restaurant, two conference rooms and a function room.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Find Us | Wynnstay Arms Hotel | Pub and Restaurant | Neighbourhood". www.wynnstayarmshotelwrexham.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cadw (30 May 1951). "Full Report for Listed Buildings - Wymmstay Arms Hotel (Grade II) (1759)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham | Marston's Inns". www.marstonsinns.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Our Pub | Wynnstay Arms Hotel | Pub and Restaurant | Neighbourhood". www.wynnstayarmshotelwrexham.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Wynnstay Arms Hotel;Crest Motel, Yorke Street (35616)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Historic hotel revamp after sale". 15 April 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham - History Points". historypoints.org. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "Yorke Street - The Wynnstay Arms". buildingsofwrexham.co.uk. 2013. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Palmer, Alfred Neobard (1893). A History of the Older Nonconformity of Wrexham and Its Neibourhood: Being the Third Part of "A History of the Town and Parish of Wrexham". Woodall, Minshall and Thomas. pp. 22, 24. We now come to speak of the Wynnstay Arms formerly called the Eagles and at an earlier time still the George; It was still the George in 1721 but it was called the Eagles in 1730 and oftentimes afterwards The Three Eagles or the Three Spread Eagles
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Buildings and Places of Wrexham Past and Present". chris-myers.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2023.[self-published source]
  11. ^ a b c d "Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham, due to reopen". BBC News. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Wrexham Pubs, Clubs and Hotels". Wrexham-history.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ Jones, David (10 November 2016). "Offa Community News - Walter Roberts" (PDF). Offa Community Council. p. 18.
  14. ^ "Historic Wrexham Inns | Clwyd Family History". www.clwydfhs.org.uk. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Big Town Story - Transport". Wrexham County Borough Council. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  16. ^ "FAW / THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF WALES – 140 YEARS". www.faw.cymru. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  17. ^ Bonnici, Tony (4 November 2016). "Gordon Angelsea files 3: A man exposed". North Wales Live. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. ^ Bagnall, Steve (19 September 2016). "Tributes pour in for 'charismatic' and 'lovely' businesswoman Stephanie Booth". North Wales Live. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Multi-millionaire leisure boss takes over town centre hotel". The Leader. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Hotel Stephanie makes a return". 14 September 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Stephanie Booth's Llangollen Hotels in administration". BBC News. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Administrators cut 70 jobs at Stephanie Booth's hotels". BBC News. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Wynnstay Hotel 'Closed With Immediate Effect'". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  24. ^ "Historic Wynnstay Arms hotel open for business". The Leader. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  25. ^ "Reopening Date Set For Wynnstay Arms Hotel". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Wynnstay Arms - Accommodation". www.gonorthwales.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

See also

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