The Earlier Eagles (pre-1860s)

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The earliest references to 'The Eagles' in Conwy do not relate to the Castle Street building. Instead, they point to a separate inn located on the corner of High Street and Berry Street.

By the late eighteenth century, the Eagles was already functioning as a licensed alehouse. In 1777, Jane Hughes is recorded as innholder of 'The Eagles', responsible for keeping good order in the premises. Further records from 1795 and 1798 confirm that she continued to operate the establishment, appearing in recognizances as an alehouse keeper required to maintain proper conduct at the inn.

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By the early nineteenth century, the Eagles was clearly established enough to appear in administrative correspondence. In 1816, William Jones of the Eagle Inn, Conwy, wrote regarding payment of costs, further confirming the continued existence of the earlier premises.

These records demonstrate that the name 'Eagles' was already embedded in Conwy’s hospitality landscape well before the mid-nineteenth century. However, the documents do not provide a detailed description of the building itself.

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At some point before the 1860s, this earlier Eagles disappears from the surviving record. The reasons are unclear: it may have closed, changed name, or transferred its licence elsewhere. What is clear is that this was a distinct establishment on a different site from the later 'Eagles Inn'

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The Castle Street Eagles Inn and Later Development (1860s onwards)

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By the 1860s, a different building - the present Castle Street property — had become known as the Eagles Inn. This marks a clear shift in location for the name, rather than a continuation of the earlier High Street establishment.

The building itself contains evidence of much earlier construction. Renovation work in 2016 revealed a section of timber framing associated with a wattle-and-daub wall. This surviving fabric, now hidden behind modern interior alterations, indicates that the structure incorporates elements of a much earlier building, comparable in construction technique to medieval survivals elsewhere in Conwy such as Aberconwy House. There may have been an even older inn on the site before it became the 'Eagles Inn'.

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By the late nineteenth century, the Eagles Inn was a fully functioning Victorian public house with a working yard behind it. In 1882, Humphrey Williams, landlord of the Eagles, is recorded keeping cows in a cow-house at the rear of the premises. Williams also held the role of sexton at St Benedict’s Church in Gyffin, illustrating how closely intertwined public and civic responsibilities could be in small towns.

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By 1889, a later landlord, Thomas Jones, had established a pigsty behind the inn. In 1894, the local Sanitary Inspector reported that the sty was kept “quite clean”, reflecting increasing regulation of urban sanitation during this period.

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The inn also appears frequently in court records relating to disorderly behaviour. In 1888 and the early 1890s, several individuals were fined or imprisoned for drunkenness, riotous conduct, or refusing to leave the premises. These cases illustrate the role of the pub as a social space where tensions, alcohol, and policing frequently intersected.

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The landlord himself also appears in the legal record. In 1898, Humphrey Williams of the Eagles Inn is named in a bond concerning the maintenance of a child.

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Around 1900, the Eagles Inn closed. The building was subsequently renamed “Eagles Buildings”, a name still visible on the frontage today. It was later divided into separate commercial units. Number 3 Castle Street became J. T. Jones Butchers, operating from 1901 to 1969, with an application made in 1901 to run a slaughterhouse in the backyard.

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In 1983, the Nolan family opened a café at the premises to serve fishermen returning from Conwy Quay. This developed into a fish and chip shop, now known as the Fisherman’s Chip Shop, which remains in operation today. In later years, the business expanded into the adjoining former shop space, continuing the building’s long tradition of adapting to changing patterns of local trade and consumption.