Llantwit Major · Vale of Glamorgan
The Old White Hart, Llantwit Major: a guide to the inn on the town square
The Old White Hart stands on the old market square of Llantwit Major, a small town on the Glamorgan coast between Bridgend, Barry and Cardiff. This independent guide looks at the building, what the inn was known for, and how to make the most of a visit to the town around it.
Illustrative print: an inn on a market square, in an early 19th-century print of Guildford's Old Corn Market and Tuns Inn. Credits
An inn at the heart of the old town
When the inn presented itself online in the early 2010s, it described a building with parts dating back to the 15th century, a public bar warmed by a large wood-burning fire, an enclosed beer garden a short walk from St Illtud's Church, and outdoor seating on the square. Cask ale was served straight from the cask, and the pub advertised its Cask Marque accreditation, the independent scheme that checks cask beer quality in pubs (what the plaque means).
The square itself is one of the best-preserved parts of the medieval town, overlooked by a late-medieval Town Hall that is listed Grade II* today (Wikipedia); the history page tells how the square, the hall and the church grew together.
What this guide covers
This is not the inn's website, and it does not publish menus, prices or opening hours. It is a small, sourced guide for people who have heard of the Old White Hart, used to drink there, or are planning a day on the Glamorgan coast and want to understand what they are looking at. It is organised in three parts.
- The inn and its town. A short history of the market square, the Town Hall and St Illtud's Church, which gave the town its name; what the inn was known for when it described its own kitchen and bar in the 2010s; and how to get to the square by road and rail.
- Pubs and beer, explained. What the Cask Marque plaque by the door means, how cask ale is brought into condition in the cellar, and why so many inns are called the White Hart, from Richard II's badge to the inn sign.
- A day out. Llantwit Major in a day joins the church, the square and the Heritage Coast in one walk. The full list is on the articles page, and about this guide explains who writes it and how.
What to read next
HistoryThe square, the Town Hall and the church that gave the town its name.
Food & drinkWhat the inn was known for, from Sunday lunch to Thai evenings.
Getting hereDistances, roads and the walk to the beach.
Llantwit Major in a dayChurch, square and Heritage Coast on foot.