Historical

The core of the building was a “hall” house built in 1441-42, there was a “make-over” in 1589, when a first floor and chimneys were inserted. It was lived in at the time by the vicar and his family, who sold some land in 1588-89 to Robert Wynn, which land was incorporated into Plas Mawr, Conwy. The sale of this land presumably funded the “modernisation”  in 1589 of Brickdall House (as it was then called). (EAS Ltd/Govannon Consultancy)

 

Further alterations and extensions were carried out in the 18th Century and 19th Century.
In the 18thC a vehicle passageway was driven through one room of the house to provide access to the back yard – this is assumed to be associated to the time it became a pub, posting house and pig market.  There was also a 4-storey 18C addition between the main house and a service wing in the back yard.  The 19C addition, also at the back, was a two story extension. There were two further buildings in the back yard, one of which was demolished and the other truncated sometime between 1935 and 1960s. There are jointed cruck beams at first floor level of the main house, a Tudor doorway and wattle and daube areas. There is a large “simdde fawr” in one downstairs room in the main house and an 18C screen. There may be a filled-in cellar in the same room. There is an 18C staircase. There is an ancient well under the floor of the 19C extension (which would have been outside the building in earlier times). The outside service wing has an important stone fireplace believed to be associated with the 1589 make-over. Ind Coope (the brewery firm) owned it between 1897 and 1935.  They then built the Blue Bell Inn next door and sold No.11 (by now known as The Black Lion). To prevent competition, it was sold with an alcohol prohibition clause which lasts for all time.

From 1935 to the late 1970s various businesses were run from the building. It was then left empty (Ray Castle: Dating Old Welsh Houses Group)

 

More detailed information can be found from the two Archaeological Reports 2009 (House) and 2012 (yard) – the links are to be found under the heading “Archaeological”

Also please click here  (Ray Castle’s research : “A history of the house, its families and businesses”)