A beloved 18th-century pub in a quaint Gower village has reopened three years after it closed down. The Dolphin Inn in Llanrhidian has reopened to the public and is being run by two gents from the village who have run Llanrhidian's other pub Welcome for several years.
Residents were left gutted in July 2020 when the then-owners of the pub announced they were shutting it for good. No reason was given at the time and the pub has stood empty despite failed plans by local members of Swansea's branch of Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) to take it on.
But the owner of Llanrhidian's other pub the Welcome Country Pub & Kitchen Mark Stevens and his uncle Russell Halliday have now taken over the Dolphin Inn and have reopened it to the public initially from Thursdays to Sundays. In the coming weeks the pub's opening hours will be extended with the pair hoping to be open every day of the week in time for the summer. You can subscribe to one of our WalesOnline newsletters here.
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The duo plan to run the pub as it is for around six months before temporarily closing it for refurbishment, with Mark telling WalesOnline the pub area will be renovated and rooms will be added upstairs. "We opened it on April 1," he said. "The pub and the beer garden is going to be open for about six months and then in October we're going to close it and have work done - we'll be adding rooms."
"I've had the other pub in Llanrhidian, Welcome, for five years. I'd been trying to take-on The Dolphin for a while and finally have!" Mark said the pub's opening hours are Thursday to Sunday from 12pm to late but would be extended soon and will eventually be open seven days a week.
"I want to make Llanrhidian somewhere to go, somewhere to visit," he added. "I wanted to expand and offer another place for local people."
The pub's launch event on April 1 was well-attended and Mark and his team said they were looking forward to welcoming old and new customers in the coming weeks.
An update on social media added: "A huge thanks to everyone who made it for our opening weekend. It was great to see support in the village for both pubs! Our current opening times are Thursday, April 6 from 3pm to 10pm and Friday 7, Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Monday 10 April from 12pm to late.
"Plenty of outside seating for the Bank Holiday weekend. No food served, but tables are available for food this weekend at Welcome Country Pub & Kitchen. Hope to see you all this weekend, and a big thanks from Mark Stevens, Ffion Chislett and Grant Corrick."
The Dolphin Inn can be found on Mill Lane in Llanrhidian, north Gower. You can follow the pub on Facebook here.
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