The Railway Inn

Also known as The Railway Tavern

​From busy pub to courtroom downfall

The Railway Tavern appears repeatedly in Conwy court records during the 19th century.

In 1865, landlady Elizabeth Jones was fined for permitting drunkenness.

In 1893, landlord Edward Parry was fined for selling beer to a drunk customer.

Weeks later, the licence came under review. Police claimed the pub was poorly managed, often left to a 17 year old boy, and sat among several other nearby pubs.

David Lloyd George, MP, even called it a “miserable little pothouse.”

The magistrates refused renewal - and the Railway Tavern closed as a licensed inn.

One of Conwy’s lost pubs ended not in fire or decline, but in the courtroom.

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Railway Tavern Licence Refused (1893)

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At the Adjourned Licensing Sessions at Conway in 1893, the licence of the Railway Tavern, kept by Edward Parry, came under review.

The police opposed the renewal, claiming that:

the pub was frequently left in the care of the landlord's 17-year-old son;
Parry often worked elsewhere during the day while his wife was at Gyffin;
the landlord had previously been convicted of permitting drunkenness;
the premises were very small, with only two public rooms, one of which was also used by the family for meals;
there were already three public houses within 20 yards of the Railway Tavern.

The police also stated that Conwy had far more licensed houses than were needed.

Speaking on behalf of local ratepayers, David Lloyd George MP argued that the Railway Tavern was unnecessary. He described it as a "miserable little pothouse", unsuitable as a licensed premises because it lacked stabling and other facilities expected of an inn. He pointed out that Conwy had one licensed house for about every 165 residents, which he considered excessive.

Former Mayor Alderman Hugh Hughes agreed, saying that the town had far too many public houses and that only a few were really needed.

Edward Parry defended his application, explaining that members of his family slept at the tavern every night and that, although his son looked after the premises in the mornings, he himself took charge from 5.30 p.m. until closing time.

After hearing the evidence, the magistrates refused to renew the Railway Tavern's licence, while almost all the other licences considered that day were renewed.

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