A LANDMARK hotel which was shut for nine months was re-opened in at a ceremony yesterday.

The 300-year-old Wynnstay Arms in Wrexham town centre closed last July following the collapse of hotelier Stephanie Booth’s Llangollen Hotels chain.

Now the grade II listed building has been taken over by Marston’s and given a £350,000 facelift.

A VIP launch ahead of the official opening was attended by Mayor and Mayoress of Wrexham, Chirk councillor Ian Roberts and his wife Hilary.
Cllr Roberts said: “It is lovely to see this landmark hotel open again.”

Marston’s operations manager Alex Watson added: “We hope the people of Wrexham think we have done the hotel justice.”

The re-opening has created about 40 jobs, including bar, kitchen and housekeeping staff.

Twenty-seven bedrooms have been initially provided, with a view to increasing the figure to make full use of the hotel. Other facilities include a bar and dining area, as well as conference rooms.

Manager Jean Roberts said: “We have done our very best to restore the hotel to its former glory, and look forward to the people of Wrexham coming to make the most of it.”

The Wynnstay building, formerly known as the Eagles Inn, was where the Jacobite society, the Circle of the White Rose met in the 18th century, including members of the prominent Williams-Wynn family of Wynnstay.

The Football Association of Wales was founded at a meeting at the hotel in 1876 and there is a plaque to mark the occasion.

There was a campaign to save it from demolition in the 1960s.