Windows boarded with metal sheets and weeds growing out of the chimney, The Unicorn Inn is a far cry from how Martin Gilbert remembers it in the 1990s. "The place looks an absolute eyesore," he said. "The car park is just full of weeds, there's awful fencing at the front and these yellow-type security cameras - I don't think they even work anymore."
The pub has stood empty for five years and the Grade II listed building in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff is now boarded up and surrounded by metal fencing. Martin rings the bells at the historic St Edeyrn's church next door, is the chair for the Monmouth Diocese of Bell Ringing, and has sat on the church council for a number of years.
For bell ringers, he says, it is common to have a local pub to frequent and for those at St Edeyrn's this used to be The Unicorn. Now, he says their options are limited. "We've had to travel to junction 30 to the Toby Carvery - it's a restaurant, it's a carvery, so you don't get that same atmosphere that you do with a pub. The other closest one is the Village Inn [approximately a mile-and-a-half away from the church]," Martin said. But, for Martin, the atmosphere isn't the same as a village pub.
READ MORE: Cardiff pub to close as landlord says emotional goodbye to 'brilliant and loyal' regulars
"Even on a Saturday morning, when people would get married at midday, at 11 o'clock [...] you almost had six to ten deep [at the bar]. The locals used to have to create an opening for the wedding party so we could get a quick drink in before we got married, just to settle the nerves," Martin, who got married in St Edeyrn's in 1990 recalled.
The Unicorn Inn has been closed since 2017, but, more recently, north Cardiff has lost more beloved pubs, with Martin saying that the industry has fallen on hard times. "We're seeing that even more. [In] the neighbouring village to us, Llanedeyrn, the Pennsylvania pub has closed down and now the Retreat pub has closed down." Indeed, the Retreat closed its doors last month after originally opening in 1973. Apart from a Harvester just over a mile away, the nearest pubs are in Roath, Llanrumney, and Rumney - all around two miles away.
Some Cardiff pubs that recently faced closure, however, have successfully been saved by their communities. The Willows in Trowbridge, for instance, closed on August 5 but owner Stuart Field was able to reach a compromise to keep the pub up and running until a new development for the building has been decided. You can read more about that here.
For residents of St Edeyrn's village, however, Martin says their nearest pub is now around a half an hour walk away. "You've got a large community in St Edeyr'ns and Pontprennau and so to have The Unicorn Inn re-opened just seems to be something that would be very successful, even though other pubs local to the area are closing. You've got a very good captive audience," he said.
Just down the road, the new St Edeyrn's village is under development by Persimmon Homes, with work on over 1,000 beginning back in 2016. Martin thinks that re-opening the pub could finish off the village. "If you look at St Edeyrn's village as a whole, you've got an ancient church, which is lovely. I think having a pub would be great. They're building a primary school, the shops opened last year - there are a lot of good things going forward. Having this pub in the area will give it that extra community feel and almost complete the area," he said.
Next door to the pub sits the Medieval St Edeyrn's church, itself a Grade II* listed building. It too is feeling the impact of the loss of the pub. The church is a popular site for weddings, but Martin says that brides and grooms visiting are now being 'put off'. "When the potential brides and grooms have come to visit the church for their wedding, they take one look at this complete eye-sore and decide it's not what they want. It just puts people off.
"For the last three years, or really since pre-Covid, we've not had a single wedding, we have very few baptisms, sadly we seem to have quite a few funerals. But it's the weddings that brings in the revenue for the church," he said. Martin says that people who visit the church for potential weddings have said that if the pub was opened and there was scope for a marquee in the grounds, they would continue their celebrations there.
Steeped in history, the core of the building is thought to date back to the 17th century with a 19th century listing describing it as "a comfortable old thatched house, with an inn-kitchen of the picturesque sort, open chimney, oak settle and flitches of bacon under the beams; and a native Welsh-speaking landlady."
The pub was acquired by Star Pubs & Bars from Punch Taverns in 2017 and the company has published an investment plan for a proposed refurbishment of the pub. The proposals would "transform The Unicorn into a standout country-style pub with a modern finish, becoming Star Pubs & Bar’s flagship venue in Wales." Star Pubs' investment plan for the building states that there are "500,000 adults living within a 20 minute drive" of the building.
The plans include a refurbishment of the bar, lounge, dining, and kitchen areas as well as a new outdoor terrace for al fresco dining in the summer months. Planning permission for the site was granted by Cardiff Council in 2020 after Star Pubs submitted an application to add extension to rear of the building, as well as a new entrance porch, landscaping works, and internal redecoration.
But, with the doors to their local still shut, residents have been running a Facebook community group since 2019 to discuss the re-opening of The Unicorn. Anna McMorrin, MP for Cardiff North, has also been in contact with Star Pubs about the re-opening of the building and has met with members of the local community to discuss their concerns about the pub.
"I asked a whole series of questions about why they have this investment here but they're leaving it to fall into disrepair, causing issues for the local church, preventing the church from holding weddings, losing revenue, and becoming a real eyesore for the community. £800,000 of investment was announced a long time ago, but there is no timescale or recruitment for management.
"I've been working with the local community to raise their concerns directly with Star Pubs, arranging a street surgery in the area so that I can speak to all residents, but, firstly, I've called for a site visit so Star Pubs will come to discuss recruitment, ensure the community's voice is heard, and answer critical questions at that meeting. So, why hasn't the pub re-opened when planning permission was approved along with the finance? What barriers are they facing in terms of recruitment - they need to tell us that? Are they planning on selling the pub? If so, what conditions are they placing on it so the land wouldn't be sold to a housing developer and making sure that urgent external remedial work is carried out, so at least it looks better while plans are being put into place to deal with it in the long term."
Ms McMorrin added that the community wants to urge Star Pubs on with the plans and work with local residents to ensure that the pub becomes an asset to the community. "It's there at the heart of the community, and it's a very, very active community that works well together. This is a real eye sore, but it could be a real enhanced community asset, that brings jobs, that brings the community together. We know now more than ever the benefit of having pubs that bring people together. This Unicorn pub has been left to rot for far too long and the local community has had enough."
On Monday, October 10, a meeting is set to be held with community representatives, Ms McMorrin, and Star Pubs and Bars about the future of The Unicorn. Ms McMorrin continued: "I think it's important that it becomes a place for the local community that really serves the local community. There are not many cafes or pubs or local community centres around that area that really bring people together so this is walkable for many residents and it's a well-loved pub in the heart of the community. It would be wonderful to see a Grade II listed building properly restored, but also bringing jobs and bringing the heart back into the community."
Martin, who approached Ms McMorrin about the pub, says that the area has become a 'haven' for fly-tipping and litter. "I said to Anna, 'Even if they can't give you a date for refurbishment, surely they can tidy up the car park and remove the fence.' A lot of the community have said that they would even help to tidy up," he said.
"It puts pressure on the church because no one wants to get married there, no one wants to have their kids baptised. No one even wants to come along to the church services. Pre-Covid we were getting 40-50 people in every Sunday. Now, we're lucky if we get 16-20, so you can imagine the revenue drop on top of losing the weddings," he continued.
A spokesperson from Star Pubs & Bars says: “Subject to recruiting a new experienced operator, we would like to undertake a major refurbishment of The Unicorn Inn, Cardiff to create a fantastic pub for the expanding local community it is at the heart of. This is a significant co-investment opportunity for the right operator who shares our vision for its future, which is to breathe new life into the pub and see it transformed into a great quality local offering a warm, welcoming atmosphere, serving excellent food and drinks.
"We look forward to meeting Anna McMorrin and community representatives on Monday to share our plans for the pub and would very much welcome their support in helping to find a licensee to take the pub forward.”
Over the last couple of decades, Cardiff has seen many of its beloved pubs close their doors for good. While some of the city's oldest pubs, such as the Corporation in Canton, have been transformed into new ventures, pubs that had ceased trading have successfully re-opened as pubs under new ownership. The Barons Court pub on Penarth Road in Llandough, for instance, re-opened in August last year after it ceased trading in 2018.
"When you look at other pubs in the area - take the Ty Mawr or the Black Griffin - they're doing roaring trades," Martin said. "If you don't book a table, you can't just walk in anymore - it's absolutely chocka and it's down to the brilliant management of the landlords and landladies in both those pubs. If it's a viable business and it's done properly, then The Unicorn Inn could be equally successful because you've got a massive amount of footfall in the local area."
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