The Bull's Head Inn

Although the present building largely dates from the eighteenth century, the Bull's Head almost certainly has much earlier origins, with evidence suggesting an inn occupied the site by the sixteenth century.

For generations it stood at the heart of Conwy's commercial life, providing food, drink and accommodation for locals and travellers alike.

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The earliest known innkeeper is William Evans, who was buried at St Mary's Church in 1769. By 1780 the Bull's Head was being kept by Samuel Read, who appears in the Caernarfonshire Quarter Sessions records after local men entered into recognisances to ensure good order was maintained in the alehouse. Such records remind us that inns were closely regulated, reflecting their importance as centres of social life.

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By 1795 the Bull's Head was under the management of Mary Read, who was still running the inn six years later. While it may seem unusual today, female innkeepers were far from rare during the eighteenth century. Brewing had long been regarded as a domestic occupation, and many women successfully managed alehouses, particularly after the death or retirement of a husband.

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The Read family remained closely associated with the property for many years.

In 1897, Anne Fawcett, widow and owner of Manchester House, secured a mortgage on land that had formerly belonged to Mary Read. The deed describes the property as including messuages and buildings that had once formed part of the Bull's Head Inn, offering a glimpse into how the site evolved over the nineteenth century as Conwy itself changed.

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