Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn - Interesting Facts

Introduction | History | Beaumaris - A Potted History

One of the original hoppers dated 1766

1880 Antique Sampler

History - Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn

The original Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn was built in 1472 although some of the cellar walls are thought to date from medieval times. It soon became an important gathering place, used for both socialising and trading.

Tradition has it that General Thomas Mytton (1608-1665) made The Bull his headquarters at the siege of Beaumaris and its castle during the second English Civil War in 1648.

In June 1733 John Kelsall (1683-1743) of Dolgellau, a prominent North Wales Quaker, made a missionary journey to Anglesey seeking to have houses and other buildings legally recorded as Quaker meeting houses. On 13 June 1733 he rode from Holyhead to Llangefni and then on to Beaumaris. He lodged at The Bull, and met Lord Bulkeley, owner of the Baron Hill estate, who agreed that The Bull, amongst other estate properties, could be noted on his register. The Bull was recorded at the next Quaker session and thus, Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn, became one of the first Quaker Meeting Houses to be legally recorded on Anglesey.

One of the social highlights of the year at Beaumaris was the hunt week organised by the Anglesey Hunt. Established in 1757, and usually regarded as the oldest hunt in Britain, it was formally dissolved in the second half of the 20th century. In the 1780’s events during the hunt week included a procession on horseback through the Borough led by two mounted French horn players. In celebration of the activities, balls and dinners were almost always held at The Bull, with Hunt members hunting by day and socialising by night.

Another visitor was the Rev. John Elias (1774–1841). It is said that he took refuge in The Bull during the 1812 riots. John Elias was one of the first ordained ministers of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist denomination and became one of its leading preachers. He was regarded as an arch Tory and would have been despised by the rioters! Some upheaval must have occurred in Beaumaris in 1812 for the following year the Mayor and Bailiffs issued a proclamation threatening further rioters in Beaumaris with dire punishment.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries Beaumaris had a new kind of visitor. British gentry who would normally have travelled through Europe, were remaining at home because of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. This was good for British tourism, and many discovered the delights of their homeland.

Such travellers visited Beaumaris, a number of them staying at Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn. One of them was Edward Pugh originally of Ruthin, but who lived mostly in London (1761–1813). Pugh was the author of one of the finest early travel books to have been written and illustrated by a Welshman – Cambria Depicta: A Tour Through North Wales.

Interesting Facts

Innkeepers often put up the arms or part of the arms of the ground landlord, the owner of the building housing the Inn, as a sign. A bull’s head was the crest of the coat of arms of the Bulkeley family of Baron Hill, owners of The Bull for many centuries.

The Baron Hill estate accounts record the rent paid by the landlords of Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn. In 1719, John Davies, a mariner, paid £5.15s annual rent for his house in Castle Street called The Bull’s Head Inn and adjoining gardens. In 1765 the landlord of The Bull was William Williams: he paid £9 annually. In 1767 the landlord was David Braillard: he paid £22 annually. Later in the 18th century the rent had risen to £35 annually and by 1804 James Harris paid £77.

Many parts of the building, including the roof timbers, are very old. The original timber construction was re-built in stone in 1617 and although it has been extended and modernised, many of these features remain today. The staircase dates from the 17th and 18th centuries but has been reconstructed and parts of the cellar walls bear comparison with medieval walls in other secular buildings and constructions in Beaumaris.

There are few recorded details of the development of The Bull. A survey of 1788 gives an insight into the shape of the building. At that time the building comprised a kitchen; a back parlour; a big parlour; a coach house; a little parlour; a back kitchen; a dining room; a bedroom over the little parlour; a bedchamber at the end of the dining room; a bed chamber over the back parlour; a room over the brewhouse; a garret over the brewhouse and a bar!

In 1802 The Bull became the Headquarters for the Beaumaris Book Society. This enterprising group charged members 6d (2½p) towards the purchase of books and incidentals, this being the cost associated with entertainment and accommodation. The group enjoyed the hospitality of The Bull - using the room that is now the Residents Lounge - for some 24 years before moving on No. 6 Green Edge, Beaumaris. The Society always played a key role in the activities of the town, and in 1930 masterminded the Beaumaris Regatta. It was not until 1885 that the move was made to transform the Society into a Yacht Club. On 18th June 1885 the Marquess of Anglesey received a letter from the Home Office stating that the Queen had acceded to the request for Royal patronage; from that date onwards the Club became known as the Royal Anglesey Yacht Club.

The Bull must have undergone a major refurbishment in the period 1816 to 1818. At that time the Baron Hill Estate laid out £150 12s 7d for “improvements at the Bull Inn”.

Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn has undergone extensive refurbishment since 1818 yet retaining many of the original features. In the 21st Century The Bull is a comfortable, warm and convivial place. Where people formerly converged from all parts of Anglesey they now come from all parts of the world.

We would like to thank Tomos Roberts (former Archivist, University of Wales, Bangor) for his detailed study of the history of The Bull. His work has given us a greater insight into historical significance of the building and its place in the history of Beaumaris.

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Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn. Castle Street. Beaumaris. Anglesey. LL58 8AP
telephone: 01248 810329 email: info@bullsheadinn.co.uk

Company Registration: 1291866 | Rothwell & Robertson Ltd