The claim
A thick-walled, thatched limestone inn near the coast at East Aberthaw, painted with 'Est. 1380', though Cadw dates it to the mid-1500s. Inside are low oak beams, worn flagstones and open hearths, which survived fires in 1922, 2004 and 2009. Downstairs is a real-ale pub, with a restaurant upstairs.
What the records show
Cadw notes the 'Est. 1380' claim but dates the thatched limestone house to the mid-16th century. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales records the same house as an inn in its national database and adds a reading of its own: it was probably built as a house, and its position and the way it grew suggest it became a public house early in its life. Two bodies therefore date the standing building two centuries after the year on the sign, and no 14th-century record of an alehouse here is cited by either, so the 1380 is recorded as tradition rather than as a building of the claimed age. The fire of 2004 destroyed the roof and part of the interior.
What to look for inside
- Thatched roof damaged by fires in 1922, 2004 and 2009
- Massive chamfered beams and oak-lintelled fireplaces
Visiting
The Blue Anchor Inn is in East Aberthaw, Wales, at East Aberthaw, near Barry CF62 3DD. 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.blueanchoraberthaw.com/
- britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/300013614
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Anchor_Inn
- camra.org.uk/pubs/blue-anchor-east-aberthaw-127949
- ratings.food.gov.uk/business/966136
- www.coflein.gov.uk/en/sites/18058
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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