Historic former coaching inn to be brought back to life

Nation.Cymru staff

A landmark hotel dating back more than 150 years is being brought back to life as part of a wider programme to revive town centres across mid Wales.

Funding secured through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Programme will support the regeneration of the historic Cambrian Hotel in Aberystwyth, in a project aimed at restoring one of the town’s most recognisable buildings while creating new visitor accommodation.

Ceredigion County Council, working in partnership with Powys County Council and through the Growing Mid Wales Partnership, secured the investment as part of wider efforts to regenerate town centres across the region. Aberystwyth is one of six priority towns in Ceredigion to benefit, alongside Aberaeron, Cardigan, Lampeter, Llandysul and Tregaron.

Standing opposite the railway station on Alexandra Road, the Cambrian Hotel is regarded as a gateway building for visitors arriving in the town.

The building predates 1867 and originally operated as a coaching inn, previously known as the Commercial Inn and Commercial Vaults.

Although not listed, it sits within the Aberystwyth Town Conservation Area and is recognised for its architectural and cultural significance.

Its distinctive half timbered frontage, decorative roof details and surviving internal features have helped make it a familiar local landmark.

But in recent years the hotel’s upper floors fell out of use as changing visitor expectations, shared bathroom facilities and competition from larger modern hotels made traditional accommodation increasingly difficult to sustain.

The site continued operating only as a ground floor bar and restaurant.

Under the new scheme, the vacant upper floors will be restored and converted into self contained accommodation units, creating a new long term use for the building while helping meet local demand for places to stay.

The work will seek to retain the hotel’s historic character while introducing modern improvements including insulation upgrades, restoration of original sash windows using discreet energy saving measures, solar photovoltaic panels and secure cycle storage in line with Welsh Government guidance.

Project architect Paul Davies of DB3 Architecture and owner Jayne Fisher said the work would not have been possible without the Transforming Towns support.

Local craftsmen

They said: “Through the scheme’s support, it was possible to deliver the work to a high standard using local craftsmen who applied their skills to carry out a range of sensitive repair works, which is something the building deserved.”

Councillor Clive Davies, Ceredigion’s cabinet member for economy, regeneration and carbon management, said the project showed how targeted investment could secure the future of historic buildings while supporting local economies.

He said: “The regeneration of the Cambrian Hotel is a prime example of how this funding can bring historic buildings back into meaningful use.

“This project will safeguard a key landmark, provide high quality accommodation, and support the local visitor economy.”