Cross House
The Cross House (above in 1970) was fully refurbished in May 2014.
It was always a busy pub due to its location on the Grist and was Caitlin Thomas' favourite drinking hole.
She used to call the landlord Crossmouse, (he was one of her lovers) but her daughter Aeronwy Thomas in her wonderful book, 'My Father's Places'
remembered that he was more, '...ferret than mouse'.
The Cross House first appeared in the records in 1844 when the landlord was a Mr Robert Powell.
It was named after its proximity to the old Celtic cross outside.
However, the current cross was put on the ancient stone platform in 1911, but clearly due to the name of the pub, there was a cross there previously.
Was this the original cross and was it in storage for some reason? If anyone knows please get in touch!
The pics that predate 1911 (below) just show the circular platform.
However, according to Mary Curtis (Redford House) there seems to have been some sort of monastery on the site centuries ago,
covering the Grist and Frogmore St, but the stump is all that remains.
This pic above is of the cross in the 1920s, and you can see the Cockle Factory and the Weighbridge shed in the background. To this day coffins are carried three times around it on the way to the 'upstreet' graveyards, following the monks' tradition.
Here's the view today
The pub made the BBC News in May 2012 when a car reversed into the beer garden at the front of the building.
A local man, Peter Brown, was trapped under the car, but fellow drinkers helped lift the car off him.
Thankfully Peter is a large jolly fellow, and has made a good recovery.
The pub also features in Jeff Towns' excellent book, 'Dylan Thomas: The Pubs'.
Apparently, there was once a small chapel behind the Cross Inn, and the barrel area has a substantial wall which suggests a previous use. The burial ground was on Stoneyway.
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