Robin Hood Inn, Monmouth Explained

The Robin Hood Inn
Native Name:Tafarn Robin Hood
Native Name Lang:cy
Building Type:Public house
Address:124 and 126, Monnow Street
Location Town:Monmouth
Location Country:Wales
Coordinates:51.8095°N -2.7193°W
Designations:Grade II* listed

The Robin Hood Inn, Nos. 124 and 126, Monnow Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a public house of late medieval origins. It was Grade II* listed in 1952.

History

The Robin Hood Inn building has late medieval origins.[1] It is constructed in stone, with a wide, four-centre doorway dating to the fifteenth century, and is a rare medieval survival in Monmouth. After the Reformation, the town was a centre for Catholicism[2] and the landlord in the 1770s, Michael Watkins, allowed Mass to be celebrated in an upper room of the pub. The Penal Laws against Catholics were in force until the Papists Act of 1778, and Watkins was amongst those who successfully petitioned Monmouth magistrates to allow a building that would become St Mary's Roman Catholic Church. This public house and the church that Michael Watkins lobbied for are two of the 24 buildings in the Monmouth Heritage Trail.[3] A blue plaque was added to the exterior of the building in 2009, which celebrated the religious history of the building.[4]

In 1882, the landlord, John Richards, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in his own house. He was found guilty and fined 10s and 7s costs.[5] It was designated as a Grade II* listed building on 27 June 1952.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Newman, John. John Newman (architectural historian). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. 410. 2000. Penguin Books. 0-14-071053-1.
  2. Book: Snell, K. D. M.. Rival Jerusalems: the geography of Victorian religion. 49. 2000. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-77155-9.
  3. Book: Kissack, Keith . Monmouth and its Buildings. 79. 2003. Logaston Press. 1-904396-01-1.
  4. Web site: The Robin Hood Inn. Open Plaques. 30 April 2016.
  5. News: Monmouth. 30 April 2016. South West Daily News. 20 October 1882. 3. subscription . British Newspaper Archive.