Wynnstay Arms Hotel, Wrexham
The Wynnstay Arms is a hotel and pub in Wrexham city centre, Wales. It is located on Yorke Street and directly on the western end of Wrexham's High Street. The building is a Grade II listed building for its surviving Georgian red brick façade, while most of the building was demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s. The Football Association of Wales was formed at the hotel in 1876, and Prime Minister, David Lloyd George is said to have announced the end of World War I from the building's balcony in 1918. Description The front of the three-storey Georgian red brick building dates to the mid 18th century. The original façade of the building is protected and was built in 1780, in place of an earlier inn. The façade has an ornate cast-iron balcony with Grecian motifs for its first floor. The façade contributes to its Grade II listing. Parts of the street frontage to the right of its entrance date to the early 19th century. The building also houses a Jacobean ballroom and an Adam fireplace. History A small inn on the existing building's site was first known as "the George" in 1702. It became known as "the Eagles" in 1730, following the inn's enlargement and under the ownership of the Williams-Wynn family of Wynnstay, a country house near Wrexham. Also known by the derivatives "Eagles Inn", "The Three Eagles" or "The Three Spread Eagles", referencing the Williams-Wynn family coat of arms. It still retained the name "The Eagles" by 1822. The hotel's name gave the area the term "Eagles Meadow", which is since used by a shopping centre near the hotel. The name "Wynnstay Arms" (or "Wynnstay Hall") was said to be first used in 1822, but the previous name "the Eagles" still was pre-dominant, with it later referred to in a 1844 tithe schedule as "The Eagles Inn". In the 18th century, it served as the meeting place for the "Circle of the White Rose" ("The Cycle") a Jacobite society which included members of the Williams-Wynn, family of Wynnstay and the founding meeting for the Football Association of Wales, the latter taking place in February 1876, and is commemorated with a plaque on the building. The Freemasons, Rotary Club and Round Table were also said to have met in the hotel. David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is said to have announced the end of World War I in 1918 from the building's balcony. William Gladstone, another British Prime Minister, who lived in Hawarden was also said to have delivered speeches from the building's first floor cast-iron balcony. Partial demolition The building was sold in the 1960s and plans were made to completely demolish the building. A campaign was launched to prevent the demolition of the building. Following increased pressure on the owners, a compromise was reached, where the Georgian façade of the building facing High Street would be preserved and not demolished, while the remaining rear of the building would be demolished and replaced