1821

Pwllycrochan estate

In 1821 Lady Erskine married Sir David Erskine of Cambo, Fifeshire and they decided to make Pwllycrochan their home, demolishing and replacing the existing house. Acres of land, hitherto fields, were planted with trees and additions were made to the woods, in which were made paths and rustic bridges. Small fields were combined to form parkland either side of the private drive (now Pwllycrochan Avenue) which led to the turnpike at the foot of the hill – now Abergele/Conway Roads. After Sir David died in 1841, his widow continued to live there with her six children. However Lady Jane and her son, the new Sir Thomas, in turn demolished the house and replaced it with what is part of the present property. In 1865, as Sir Thomas found that he needed to spend more time on his Scottish properties, he decided to sell his Welsh properties.

The sale comprised the 1,850 acre Bodlondeb estate and 70 houses in Conwy (probably including the Erskine Arms) and the 1,191 acre Pwllycrochan estate. The brochure for the Pwllycrochan estate stated that the “property commands one of the finest marine prospects in this most popular neighbourhood, with a splendid sea bathing beach 1¼ mile in length forming a perfect amphitheatre. The mansion will be sold in one lot and the remaining portion fronting the sea will be sold in separate lots to meet the great and increasing demand for marine residences on this coast.”

1830/1840

'Erskine Family & Commercial Hotel'

The building is believed to have built around the 1830s/1840s.

It was owned for many years by the Erskine family who were significant landowners in the area during the 19^th century. The Dowager Lady Erskine was known for her philanthropy. During hard winter weather in 1864, for example, she gave £20 of coal to the poor of Conwy and Llandrillo-yn-Rhos. She was also the main supporter of the Conway Clothing Club, which helped to provide clothes to poor and elderly people.

Late 19th century

The Erskine Arms Hotel

'The Erskine Arms Hotel' was enlarged considerable during the late 19^th century. Mr R Roberts, landlord of the hotel during this time, was one of the first people to fall foul of the Welsh Sunday Closing Act 1881, which outlawed the sale of alcohol on Sundays to anyone except travellers who had journeyed more than a certain distance before stopping at a hostelry. In September 1881 Mr Roberts was fined £5 after a police officer discovered a couple of drunks at the Erskine who did not appear to be genuine travellers.

Famous guests of history - Another notable time at this hotel was when the well known author, Charlotte Bronte stayed on her wedding tour en route to Ireland on the 29th June 1854. Fifty years later, her husband Reverend Arthur Bell Nicholls wrote in reference to the hotel: “We found it very comfortable, and the accommodation very good”.

Early 20th century

Horse drawn sales

The Erskine Hotel kept its own stables into the early 20th century, when it would supply horses to pull Conwy’s new fire engine as required. Horse sales were often held in the Erskine Hotel yard. In 1907, buyers travelled from as far afield as the Midlands to buy some of the 55 “useful harness horses and cobs” which were for sale. Horse-drawn vehicles and harnesses also featured in the sales. The Conway Horse Show Society held its committee meetings and dinners at the Erskine.

During a livestock fair in 1899, a young heifer wandered into the hotel, walked around the billiard table and even climbed the stairs to the first landing before being shooed out!

1997

How we came to be

The Erskine was bought by Stange & Co. in 1997 and operated it largely as a community pub, which played host to the Conwy Folk Club for many many years. The pub was renamed as the Malt Loaf during this very popular period for the pub.

2017

'The Erskine Arms' returned

As public tastes and desires changed, the decision was made to give the old girl a top to bottom renovation and restoration, bring the moth-balled bedrooms back to life and up to date, and shoe-horning a top-notch kitchen into the cellars and restoring her name to ‘The Erskine Arms’.

We feel we have created a classic Welsh coaching inn offering great fresh food, cracking beer and boutique bedrooms that we'd love to stay in ourselves when away from home.

1846

'Y Capel' - Bethesda Baptist Chapel

Bethesda Baptist Chapel was founded in 1846 to service those wishing to attend a non-conformist place of worship and was an actively used congregational chapel until the late 1970s when it fell out of use due to social change and dwindling numbers attending services. The chapel remained untouched until our refurbishment and conversion in 2019.

The chapel is a grade II listed building due to its special architectural interest as one of the few surviving town-centre chapel buildings, well preserved and of definite 19^th century character with retention of original detail. When the chapel was originally built in the mid 19^th century it would have been quite simple and austere in appearance. Then some 30 years later, probably inspired by the movement of the time ‘The Victorian Restoration’, in 1875 the chapel received a remodelling and renovation and the addition of ornamentation to the front of the chapel in a Lombardic/Italian style. The remodelling being noted on the façade by the inscription of the date AD 1875. This inscription is accompanied along with the words ‘Addoldy y Bedyddwyr’ on the front of the building roughly translating to ‘Baptist place of worship’.

2019

Y Capel ('The Chapel') was born

Y Capel ('The Chapel') has been under Stange & Co.’s ownership since the 1970s when after falling attendances the chapel fell out of use. It formed part of several development ideas over the years, but none ever seemed to get off the ground until recently. Through the complete refurbishment of our neighbouring property the Erskine Arms in 2017, the success and popularity that the rooms have enjoyed there, gave us the confidence to tackle the slightly more challenging prospect of converting our rather derelict and neglected chapel.

There have been many hurdles and bridges to cross to develop the Baptist chapel, before we could even begin the restoration, we had to tackle rampant dry rot, serious water ingress, infestations, subsidence, party wall agreements, listed building and planning consent and worse. But a patient and some would say fool-hardy local contractor E&H Griffith & Sons has worked closely bringing this iconic and beautiful building back to life.