01/06/2026
No pub of the week this week! Because we have a more interesting article (we think!) that covers a lot of pubs in Pembrokeshire...
🍺 What’s in a Pembrokeshire pub name? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Pembrokeshire pub names are not just labels above a door. They are little history books with beer mats. They tell us about sailors, bishops, farmers, ferries, quarries, castles, smugglers, saints, railways, rivers, royal loyalties and the odd bit of local myth that has clearly had a pint or two itself.
Across the county, you start to notice patterns. Coastal pubs often lean nautical. Country pubs often lean agricultural. Old town pubs often lean royal, heraldic or coaching-inn. Some names are practical. Some are proud. Some are poetic. Some basically say: “There was a river, a thirsty sailor and a signwriter. Job done.”
Let’s go on a little pub-name crawl around Pembrokeshire.
The Royal Oak, Fishguard (SA65 9HA) is one of the big beasts. The name “Royal Oak” is common across Britain and is linked to King Charles II hiding in an oak tree after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. In Fishguard, though, the pub has its own heavyweight story. It is associated with the Last Invasion of Britain in 1797, when French troops landed near Fishguard and were later forced to surrender. Local tradition says the peace treaty was signed in the bar. So yes, this is not just a pub name. This is a pub that can look most history books straight in the eye.
The Sloop Inn, Porthgain (SA62 5BN) is wonderfully Pembrokeshire. A sloop was a small sailing vessel, which fits Porthgain perfectly. The village was once a busy industrial port with quarrying, brickmaking and shipping all around it. The Sloop Inn, Porthgain (SA62 5BN) carries that maritime and industrial memory in its name. You can almost hear the clink of stone, the slap of water and someone saying: “One quick pint before loading the boat.” Famous last words.
The Ship Inn, Trefin (SA62 5AX) follows the same coastal logic. “Ship” is one of those classic pub names that works especially well near the sea. In Trefin, it suits a village close to the coast path, with generations of walkers, locals and visitors passing through. The Ship Inn, Trefin (SA62 5AX) has been described as a long-standing stone-built country pub, and its name feels like a nod to the wider seafaring world that shaped north Pembrokeshire.
The Hope and Anchor, Tenby (SA70 7AX) is another classic nautical pairing. “Hope” and “Anchor” together are not subtle, but they are brilliant. The anchor means safety, stability and the sea. Hope is what every sailor, fisherman and harbour family needed in large quantities. Sitting near Tenby harbour, The Hope and Anchor, Tenby (SA70 7AX) is exactly where a name like that belongs. It is basically a maritime hug in signboard form.
Harbwr Tap & Kitchen, Tenby (SA70 7AS) shows how modern pub names can still carry old local meaning. “Harbwr” is Welsh for harbour, and Tenby’s harbour is one of the most recognisable scenes in Wales. The building was formerly known as The Buccaneer, which itself leaned into pirate and seafaring imagery. So the newer name has not abandoned the past. It has tidied it up, made it Welsh, and put craft beer behind it. Very 21st century. Very Pembrokeshire.
The Lifeboat Tavern, Tenby (SA70 7AS) is another name that could hardly exist anywhere but a coastal town. Lifeboats are not decoration in places like Tenby. They are part of community identity, courage and memory. A pub called The Lifeboat Tavern, Tenby (SA70 7AS) carries that atmosphere, even if the main business is now food, drink and a good night out rather than launching into a storm.
The Jolly Sailor, Burton (SA73 1NX) is a proper estuary name. Burton sits by the Cleddau, looking across towards Pembroke Dock, so a sailor-themed pub makes perfect sense. “Jolly Sailor” is also a classic old inn name, cheerful, salty and slightly suspicious in the best possible way. You can imagine someone choosing it because “Mildly Damp Boatman” lacked commercial sparkle.
The Bristol Trader, Haverfordwest (SA61 1BE) is one of the best local examples of a pub name tied to trade. Haverfordwest sits on the River Cleddau, and the old quay was once part of a working river port. The Bristol Trader, Haverfordwest (SA61 1BE) points to the days when goods, people and news moved by water. It is a reminder that Haverfordwest was not just a county town. It was connected to a bigger trading world.
The Mariners Hotel, Haverfordwest (SA61 2DU) is another name that keeps that river and sea connection alive. “Mariners” simply means sailors or seafarers, and in a county like Pembrokeshire, that word carries real weight. It belongs to a time when travel, trade, fishing and naval life were stitched into daily life.
The Harbour Inn, Solva (SA62 6UT) is beautifully direct. Solva was once a port of embarkation for North America, and its harbour is still central to the village’s character. The Harbour Inn, Solva (SA62 6UT) does exactly what it says on the tin: it names the place, the view and the reason people gather there. No gimmick required.
The Cambrian Inn, Solva (SA62 6UU) has a broader Welsh identity baked into the name. “Cambrian” is an old poetic term linked to Wales, from Cambria. It gives the pub a national rather than just local flavour. In Solva, a village with deep harbour history and a strong visitor trade, The Cambrian Inn, Solva (SA62 6UU) sounds like an old Welsh welcome in pub form.
The Bishops, St Davids (SA62 6SL) is a name with a lovely twist. You might think it is simply about St Davids Cathedral and the bishops of St Davids, and that is certainly the atmosphere it sits in. But the name is also linked to The Bishops and Clerks, the dangerous group of rocks west of Ramsey Island. That makes The Bishops, St Davids (SA62 6SL) both religious and maritime. Very St Davids. Very clever.
The Farmers Arms, St Davids (SA62 6RF) is a classic rural pub name. “Arms” in pub names often refers to heraldic coats of arms, but when paired with “Farmers”, it becomes more about community identity. This was the sort of name that told people exactly who the pub served: farmers, labourers, locals, market folk and anyone else who had earned a pint. The Farmers Arms, St Davids (SA62 6RF) is thought to date back to the 1830s and may be the oldest pub in St Davids.
Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush (SA66 7QU) might be the most wonderfully literal pub name in Pembrokeshire. “Tafarn Sinc” means “Zinc Tavern”, and the name comes from its corrugated metal construction. It was built in 1876 as the Precelly Hotel when the railway reached Rosebush, serving quarrymen and travellers. Later, after community ownership, it became Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush (SA66 7QU). It is one of those names that says: “Yes, I am made of metal. Problem?”
The Dyffryn Arms, Pontfaen (SA65 9SE), better known as Bessie’s, is another treasure. “Dyffryn” means valley, and the pub sits in the Gwaun Valley. The building dates from 1845 and later became a pub. Its interior is famous because beer is served through a hatch rather than over a normal bar. The Dyffryn Arms, Pontfaen (SA65 9SE) is less a theme pub and more a time machine with ale.
The Cresselly Arms, Cresswell Quay (SA68 0TE) carries an estate-style name. “Arms” often points to heraldry, landowning families or local gentry links. At Cresswell Quay, the name suits an old riverside hostelry in a place shaped by water, trade and rural life. The Cresselly Arms, Cresswell Quay (SA68 0TE) is famous for its old-fashioned feel, beer-only simplicity and riverside setting. No nonsense. No foam art. Just character.
The Carew Inn, Carew (SA70 8SL) takes its name from place, and what a place it is. Carew has a castle, a tidal mill, an ancient cross and a huge amount of history squeezed into one village. The Carew Inn, Carew (SA70 8SL) sits right by that historic landscape. Some pub names try to create atmosphere. This one just opens the curtains.
The Brewery Inn, Cosheston (SA72 4UD) is pleasingly honest. It was linked to brewing. Historic notes connect the site with brewery buildings added in the 19th century, and brewing is said to have ceased in 1889. The Brewery Inn, Cosheston (SA72 4UD) is a reminder that many pubs were once not just places that sold beer, but places where beer was part of the building’s working life.
The Freshwater Inn, Freshwater East (SA71 5LE) is a place-name pub, but the setting does most of the work. Freshwater East is one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known coastal spots, and the pub’s name anchors it to the beach and landscape. It began life in 1912 as the Grotto Country Club, which sounds like somewhere Hercule Poirot would investigate a suspicious prawn cocktail. Later, as The Freshwater Inn, Freshwater East (SA71 5LE), the name became much more Pembrokeshire and much less Agatha Christie.
The Stackpole Inn, Stackpole (SA71 5DF) is another place-name pub, tied to the Stackpole area and estate landscape. Stackpole has one of Pembrokeshire’s great mixtures of coastline, village, estate history and walking country. The Stackpole Inn, Stackpole (SA71 5DF) does not need a fancy name. It has Barafundle, Bosherston and the estate doing the heavy lifting nearby.
The Golden Lion, Newport (SA42 0SY) is pure heraldic pub naming. Lions appear all over royal and noble symbolism, and “Golden Lion” has the ring of coaching inns, travellers and market towns. The Golden Lion, Newport (SA42 0SY) has been welcoming travellers since the 1600s and was once a coach house. There is your name, your function and your history all in one.
The Castle Inn, Newport (SA42 0TB) is another simple but powerful name. Newport has Norman and medieval history in its bones, and a “Castle” name would have been easy for travellers to recognise. The Castle Inn, Newport (SA42 0TB) is a traditional stone pub in the heart of town, and the name does what old pub names often did best: it gave people a landmark before sat nav came along and started confidently sending everyone into hedges.
The Old Point House, Angle (SA71 5AS) is one of those names that feels like it belongs in a sea story. It sits near Angle Point, between Angle Bay and Milford Haven, in a place shaped by tides, boats and old coastal routes. Stories of pirates and smugglers are often attached to old coastal pubs, and while some of those tales may be more romance than record, you can see why people want to believe them. Some buildings just look like they know things.
The Wolfe Inn, Wolfscastle (SA62 5LS) is a lovely example of a pub name tied to a place-name. Wolfscastle itself has an old, dramatic sound, and the pub name plays on that local identity. The spelling “Wolfe” gives it a slightly grander feel, like the wolf put on a waistcoat.
So what do Pembrokeshire pub names tell us?
They tell us that the county has always faced two ways: inland to farms, quarries, castles and chapels, and outward to the sea, sailors, ports and faraway places. Names like The Farmers Arms, St Davids (SA62 6RF), Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush (SA66 7QU) and The Brewery Inn, Cosheston (SA72 4UD) speak of work. Names like The Sloop Inn, Porthgain (SA62 5BN), The Ship Inn, Trefin (SA62 5AX), The Harbour Inn, Solva (SA62 6UT) and The Jolly Sailor, Burton (SA73 1NX) speak of water. Names like The Royal Oak, Fishguard (SA65 9HA), The Golden Lion, Newport (SA42 0SY), The Cresselly Arms, Cresswell Quay (SA68 0TE) and The Castle Inn, Newport (SA42 0TB) speak of loyalty, land, power and old symbols.
And then there are the names that are simply local, practical and perfect. The Carew Inn, Carew (SA70 8SL). The Stackpole Inn, Stackpole (SA71 5DF). The Freshwater Inn, Freshwater East (SA71 5LE). No fuss. Just a sign saying: “You are here, and there is probably a fire inside.”
That is the beauty of Pembrokeshire pub names. They are not random. They are map pins from another age. Before Google Maps, before glossy branding, before someone in a meeting said “make it experiential”, a pub sign had to do the job quickly. A ship meant the sea. A lion meant power. An anchor meant harbour life. Farmers meant farming folk. A castle meant history. A brewery meant beer, which is refreshingly on-brand.
So next time you pass a Pembrokeshire pub, look up at the name before you walk in. There may be a castle, a quarry, a bishop, a railway, a lifeboat, a river, a royal escape or a long-forgotten sailor hiding in plain sight.
And if all else fails, go in and ask a local.
That is usually where the best version of the story starts. 🍻
Found a pub with an unusual name that you know the history of? Share it with us below.
