26210

 

II  

Designated  

31/01/2002  

31/01/2002  

Britannia Inn  

 

Flintshire  

Halkyn  

Holywell  

Halkyn  

321123  

371115  

 

Approximately 200m E of the parish church, opposite Lygan-y-llan farm.  

Commercial  

 

The Britannia Inn was purchased by the Grosvenor Estate in 1807 and was a coaching inn on the Holyhead to Chester road. It is shown on the 1839 Tithe map but was rebuilt in the mid C19 in estate style, and is shown in its present form on the 1870 Ordnance Survey. The Grosvenor family owned an extensive estate and mineral rights in the Halkyn area. Halkyn Castle was built for the second Earl Grosvenor in 1824-7 and was used as an occasional residence. The Earl was later made Duke of Westminster.  

A 2-storey 3-window inn facing S, of rubble stone with bigger quoins, slate roof behind coped gables on moulded kneelers, and coursed stone stacks L of centre and to each end. Small-pane windows are replaced in original openings with hood moulds and stone sills. The castellated porch is R of centre and has a Tudor-headed doorway in a freestone surround. Within is a half-lit door. The rear has 5 replaced small-pane windows in the upper storey under hood moulds, beneath which is an added lean-to attached to a single-storey wing on the W side. Rear windows with hood moulds are retained in the lean-to at the rear.  

The interior has been altered by removal of a partition wall, but the central room retains a fireplace with timber lintel.  

Listed, notwithstanding replacement of windows, as a public house retaining estate character and with interesting earlier origins as a coaching inn, and for its important contribution to the historic character of Halkyn village.