Black Boy Inn

In Caernarfon's heyday as a port-town, Northgate Street – on which the Black Boy Inn is situated – was the heart of the red-light district. Northgate Street's Welsh name Stryd Pedwar a Chwech translates to "Four [shillings] and Six [pence] Street": what the sailors are reputed to have paid for a room, a bottle of gin, and the services of a woman for the night. The 'North Gate' archway found at the end of Northgate Street was added in or about the 1820s. It was designed to help facilitate the flow of traffic in and out of the old town, and is not part of the original town wall design. The earliest reference to the "Black Boy" can be found in Caernarfon's archives dated 1717, a Deed of Sale…

The Black Boy Inn is one of the few remaining free houses owned by an independent family business in the United Kingdom. In 1990 an archaeological excavation was carried out alongside the Black Boy Inn. Archaeologists discovered the skeleton of an old woman, believed to have been buried there to save the expense of a funeral. In 2008 and 2009, the Black Boy Inn was presented with the Cask Marque award for its cask ales. It is also included in CAMRA's 2010 edition of its annual Good Beer Guide, which features the best real ale venues in the United Kingdom.