The Royal Oak is a
Grade II listed
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 ...
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 ...
on
Newport Road
Newport Road is a 4.7 mi (7.5 km) road leading east from the centre of Cardiff, Wales, towards Newport, Wales, Newport, until it joins the A48 road, A48 at St Mellons.
Description
Newport Road follows the route of the A4161 road, ...
in the
Adamsdown
Adamsdown (sometimes or , ) is an inner city area and community in the south of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Adamsdown is generally located between Newport Road, to the north and the mainline railway to the south. The area includes C ...
/
Roath
Roath () is a district and Community (Wales), community to the north-east of the Cardiff city centre, city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales.
The area is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdown in the so ...
area of
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
History
The pub dates from the late 19th century. In the early part of the 20th century it was run by a cousin of the boxer,
Jim Driscoll
James Driscoll (15 December 1880 – 30 January 1925), commonly known as Peerless Jim, was a Welsh boxer who learned his trade in the boxing ring and used it to fight his way out of poverty. Driscoll was British featherweight champion an ...
, who on his death bequeathed his
Lonsdale Belt
The Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, commonly known as the Lonsdale Belt, is the oldest championship belt in British professional boxing. Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, The 5th Earl of Lonsdale introduced the prize on behalf of the National S ...
to the pub.
The pub developed a boxing theme, with memorabilia on the walls and, unusually, a professional boxing gym above the function room.
In the 1980s the Royal Oak had a vibrant
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
music scene.
It was given listed status in 2006 as a "well-preserved late C19 purpose-built public house particularly rare in preserving much of its original planning in the bar areas".
The pub was known for serving its
Brains
The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for special senses s ...
SA beer by gravity from barrels behind the bar, though in the 21st century it is pumped from the cellar, still 'flat' without a creamy
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
.
In 2010 the Royal Oak was the only Cardiff pub to make it onto list of the Top 100 Famous UK pubs, compiled by whisky maker
Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended whisky, blended Scotch whisky produced by Edrington (spirits company), The Edrington Group in Scotland. It was first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son in 1896. The single malt whiskies used in The Famous Gro ...
.
See also
*
Pub names#Royal Oak
References
External links
Royal Oak webpage
{{coord, 51.4903, N, 3.1492, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Pubs in Cardiff
Grade II listed buildings in Cardiff
Commercial buildings completed in the 19th century
Grade II listed pubs in Wales