The Grapes Inn

5 High Street, Conwy

Also known as The Grapes Tavern

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Before it became shops, this building was home to one of Conwy's forgotten taverns.

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A CADW report suggests that the present building dates from the early nineteenth century, but local records reveal that it has had a fascinating history.

The Grapes Tavern, a public house that flourished during the first half of the nineteenth century.

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In the 1830s we have the earliest occupants who were Thomas and Harriet Vaughan, spirit dealers and publicans.

Harriet continued to run the tavern for several years, after her husband's death.

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Although little is now known about the tavern itself, it once formed part of the busy network of inns that served townspeople, travellers and merchants within

By the 1870s the days of the Grapes were over.

For almost forty years, the building became the surgery and home of Dr Richard Arthur Prichard, one of Conwy's best-known physicians.

Dr Prichard served the town from about 1874 until his death in 1912. As well as being a physician and surgeon, he was:

a Justice of the Peace (JP), a member of the Conway School Board, and one of the town's leading medical practitioners.

Following the death of his wife, Lucy, in 1908, Dr Prichard continued to practise from the building until his own death in 1912.

His successor, Dr Joseph R. Williams, continued the surgery for a short period before moving elsewhere.

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During the 1920s the former surgery was occupied by:

John Lewis Meredith, a mono operator.

Miss M. E. Davies, a dressmaker.

By 1929 the building stood vacant, and plans were submitted to convert the property into a single shop.

A further redevelopment in 1938 created two lock-up shops, the premises now known as 5A and 5B High Street.

Timeline

1830s–1844: The Grapes Tavern, kept by Thomas and Harriet Vaughan.

1874–1912: Surgery and residence of Dr Richard Arthur Prichard, physician and surgeon.

1911–1914: Surgery of Dr Joseph R. Williams.

1920s: Occupied by John Lewis Meredith and dressmaker Miss M. E. Davies.

1929: Building converted for retail use.

1938: Divided into two lock-up shops, now numbered 5A and 5B High Street.

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