The Oakeley Arms Hotel

Cadw's description

Location

Set at the N side of the A487(T) at its junction with the B4410, to NE end of the small hamlet of Tan-y-bwlch.

History

There is a tradition that the inn occupies the site of the original house or 'plas' of the Tan-y-bwlch estate, but its principal history is that of an inn on the estate. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Pennant described it as ' a very neat small inn, for the reception of travellers who ought to think themselves much indebted to a nobleman, for the great improvement it received from his munificence'. By 1839, when it had presumably reached its present enlarged form, under the patronage of William Gruffydd Oakley, the Rev. William Bingley included it in a list of inns which 'few even in England will surpass in compfort, cleanliness and civility'. All of these were built under the auspices of the larger landed estates, seeking to encourage visitors to North Wales.
Recorded in the tithe apportionment of the parish, 1840, as Tanybwlch Inn; owned by Louisa Jane Oakeley of Plas Tan-y-bwlch and occupied by David Lloyd.

Exterior

Public house and hotel. 2 storeyed with cellars. Built of coursed local stone including massive stones as lintels; slate roof with overhanging eaves and verges and rectangular stone stacks with capping. The main part is a linear range with 3 advanced wings to front (SW); single storey porch entrances between the advanced wings. A storeyed wing has been built to rear to form an L-shaped plan.
The principal range faces the road to SW, each advanced wing ends in a 3-sided bay with a hipped roof and a single window in each side; windows are slightly recessed hornless sashes with slate sills, ground floor windows have 12-panes, 1st floor windows are unequal 9-pane sashes set under the eaves. There is a continuous band across the bays, just below the level of the first floor windows. The building is built on a slight slope with the cellar doors and windows (boarded) only visible in the 2 right hand bays.
Between the advanced bays there are single storey, flat roofed porch entrances with moulded parapet coping. Each entrance is in a round headed doorway flanked by similar round headed fixed lights. The walls of the main rectangular range to the rear of the porches appear to be faced with inferior stonework, probably of the original building and have first floor sash windows of 16-panes. The L (NW) return is a 2-window range of unequal sash windows and the opposite return is similarly detailed but with a blocked window to L end and the ground floor is obscured by a single storey, hipped roofed addition with 2, unequal sash windows of 9-panes to centre.
The rear wing is a 2-storey, 4-window range with the doorway offset to the L (SW) end of the range. Ground floor windows are 16-pane sashes, 1st floor has unequal sash windows of 12-panes set under the eaves.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of the survey (June/July 2003).

Reason for designation

Listed as a fine example of an estate-built inn (one of several associated with the major estates of north Wales); strong architectural character consistent with this patronage, not least in the quality of the masonry.