The claim
A thatched village inn at Henllan near Denbigh that is regularly listed among Wales's oldest pubs, with a claimed 13th-century origin that Cadw's listing does not reach: it dates the earliest phase to probably the late 16th century. It is known for its fireplace and the ghost of 'Sylvia', said to haunt the upstairs, and it once hosted actor Kit Harington's stag party.
What the records show
North Wales Live, Visit Wales and a 2024 holiday-cottage blog repeat a 13th-century date. Cadw's full report for the Llindir, read on 17 September 2026, gives a different reading: a storeyed building of several phases, the earliest probably late 16th-century, traditionally always an inn though perhaps beginning as a farmhouse, with a crow-stepped gable now swallowed by a raised roofline, the stone walling of the right-hand section and the roof and ceiling timbers surviving from that first period, and extensions to the left and rear in the early or second quarter of the 19th century. Cadw designated it on 2 February 1981 for its interest as a thatched inn with sub-medieval origins at the western approach to the village. Sub-medieval is not medieval, and nothing traced records drink sold here in the 13th century, so the claim stays tradition.
What to look for inside
- Reputed ghost 'Sylvia'
- Thatched roof
Visiting
Llindir Inn is in Henllan, Wales, at Llindir Street, Henllan LL16 5BH. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-waless-oldest-pubsand-ghosts-14818052
- www.visitwales.com/things-do/food-and-drink/places-eat-and-drink/welsh-inns-pint-past
- www.northwalesholidaycottages.co.uk/other-information/blog/things-to-do/historic-pubs-of-north-wales/
- www.llindirinn.com/
- camra.org.uk/pubs/llindir-inn-henllan-136359
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/974414
- cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=en&id=1074
- find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14712544
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Oct 2026
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