OUR STORY

The Groes Inn was originally a small two-storey house of fifteenth century construction. As the Inn flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was modernised and extended, being re-roofed in the eighteenth century. The interior contains some sixteenth or seventeenth century timbers and walls may be of sixteenth century origin. Over the centuries the Groes Inn has been used as a commercial inn for business and court transactions. It continued to be known as the “Commercial Inn” at Groesynyd in the nineteenth century when the Hon. Arthur Charles, fourth Duke of Wellington, grandson of the Iron Duke, witnessed the purchase of the Inn in 1889, an event commemorated by the Wellington Room upstairs at the present Groes Inn. The actual deeds signed by Wellington can be found at the top of the stairs. At the turn of the twentieth century the house on the right, next to the Inn, was pulled down which gave further opportunity for expansion. A further road improvement with the widening of the road from Conwy through Tyn-y-groes (B5106) during the 1930’s gave the Groes its present location in the Welsh countryside and its historic setting. We’re now owned and managed by JW Lees – a family brewery with an excellent reputation for fantastic ales and service.

The Groes Inn is historic, in many more ways than one. We come from humble beginnings – originally nothing but a house alike so many others in the area, our biggest claim to fame is that we are first (and the best) licensed pub in Wales. Some historians say that we had a lot to say in the creation of the pancake as we know it today, as well as Britain’s oldest pancake celebrations. Some even believe that the Groes Inn, in ancient times, had the very first Dydd Mawrth Ynyd (Shrove Tuesday) celebrations – where we marked the occasion by playing tricks on passers by.

We’re also very proud to have other firsts, only perhaps a little bit more modern than (good natured!) pancake related mischief. The Groes Inn has an integral part of a great British Pastime, the Evo Triangle. There are very many stories about the part that the Groes Inn played in the conception of a very coveted event in the racing calendar, the EVO Triangle. It’s the name of a driving route that has become very popular with driving enthusiasts. The EVO Triangle’s name comes from the writers over at the EVO Magazine and this route is what the writers use to test drive the cars for magazine features, and now seems to be one of the most talked about routes in the UK.