The Crown Inn
Also known as The Crown Tavern and The Crown Vaults
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The Crown Inn was one of the many public houses that once operated within Conwy's town walls. First recorded in the eighteenth century, it stood on the corner of what is now Crown Lane, where it provided food, drink and accommodation for travellers making the long journey along the Chester to Holyhead road.
Like many coaching inns, it also catered for horses and their drivers, making it an important stopping place before the age of the railway.
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The lane beside the building almost certainly takes its name from the inn, although it has a much older history. During the sixteenth century it was known as Jugglers Lane, or Jongleurs Lane, from the French word jongleur, meaning a travelling entertainer or juggler.
Today it forms one of the narrow passageways leading from Lancaster Square to the High Street, passing between the former Crown Inn and Plas Mawr.
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The Crown remained a familiar feature of the town for well over a century. One of its earliest known licensees was John Jones, who died in 1837 at the age of eighty-two. His memorial in St Mary's Church records his connection with the inn, providing a rare glimpse into the lives of those who kept Conwy's public houses.
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Not every story associated with the building is connected with the inn itself. In 1879, five-year-old Peter Wrench fell through the wooden cover of a nearby well in Crown Lane. After sinking twice beneath the water, he was rescued by Police Constable John Pritchard, who managed to pull him to safety.
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The Crown Inn closed temporarily following the death of its landlady, Jane Davies, in 1908. When the licence came up for renewal the following year, magistrates refused the application, ruling that the premises no longer provided accommodation for travellers and functioned only as a drinking house. Compensation of £400 was later awarded to the owners for the loss of the licence, bringing an end to the building's long history as an inn.
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Like many former public houses in Conwy, the building found a new purpose during the twentieth century. In 1925 it became the town's branch of Barclays Bank, before entering another chapter in 1995 when Edwards of Conwy opened its award-winning butcher's shop here. Today the building continues to play an important role in the life of the town, even if the days of coach passengers and stable yards are long gone.