The Hanbury Arms is a

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

, near

Newport, Wales Newport ( ) is a city and Principal areas of Wales, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 Unit ...

. In the 19th century,

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

stayed at the inn, and began writing the

Idylls of the King ''Idylls of the King'', published between 1859 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love f ...

during his stay.

Description

The Hanbury Arms has survived many renovations and the building's thick stone walls and stone fireplace remain intact. The roof is of local

Welsh slate The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then rapidly during the Industrial ...

. The windows were reformed in the 19th century and the interior remains in its Tudor style. The pub is formed from local

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

stone with a lime-wash. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The adjoining tower is listed at Grade II*.

History

Caerleon has its origins as an Iron Age

Silures The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Do ...

hill fort. Upon the arrival of the Roman outposts across Britain, including at nearby

Caerwent Caerwent () is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It was founded by the Romans as the market town of '' Venta Silurum'', an important settlement of th ...

, the

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or ''vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban town of Caerleon in the north of the city of ...

fortress at Caerleon developed on the River Usk as an important route for goods and men into the country. The River Usk served both as the port of Newport and as a medieval port of Caerleon, situated four miles upriver. The first known construction on the site is a Norman tower built around 1219. Two theories exist explaining the uncertain history of the tower. One suggests that the tower was twinned with another tower on the opposite bank of the River

Usk Usk () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks the ancient cr ...

. Together they served as a chain tower allowing access to the upper river. An alternative theory suggests it formed part of the outer bailey of the castle. In the 1600s, Caerleon's quay grew, similar to the earlier established Roman docks that are now buried, and the Hanbury Arms was established on the riverside. The Hanbury Arms was initially a townhouse for the wealthy Morgan family, known as Tŷ Glyndŵr. The oldest parts of the building date back to 1219. It is listed both as a building, and a scheduled Ancient Monument in the region of Caerleon. The building dates to 1565 and was later used in the 17th century as a Magistrate's Court. At that time the tower was thought to be of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

origin and was used to house criminals. The Hanbury family became the owners of the building in the 1720s. It became a pub around the 1750s and adopted the Hanbury family's coat of arms. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the pub brewed its own beer. In 1856

began the

while staying at the inn. The medieval tower and the town of Caerleon are mentioned many times in the poem. The Hanbury Arms brewery merged with Eastern Valleys brewery of Pontnewynydd in 1910 before being taken over by Hancock's Brewery in 1914. In 2001 it was purchased by SA Brain. The business operates until 11.30pm during weekends. It hosts regular live performances from local and international musicians, especially so during the yearly Caerleon Arts Festival each summer.

Gallery

File:Caerleon-Round Tower.jpg , Caerleon-Round Tower File:Caerleon.jpeg , John Skinner Prout - Caerleon File:River and woods view, Caerleon - geograph.org.uk - 1594564.jpg , River and woods view, Caerleon - geograph.org.uk - 1594564

References

{{Culture of Newport Music venues in Newport, Wales Pubs in Newport, Wales Culture in Newport, Wales Commercial buildings completed in the 16th century Grade II listed pubs in Wales Landmarks in Newport, Wales Caerleon History of Monmouthshire History of Newport, Wales Grade II listed buildings in Caerleon, Wales