A FLINTSHIRE pub has won a prestigious national award.

The Glynne Arms in Hawarden has been named as Wales' 'Pub of the Year' in the AA's Hospitality Awards 2019.

The AA Pub of the Year is selected by a group of AA inspectors. A shortlist of pubs which are seen to stand out for being what the AA describes as 'great all-rounders, combining atmosphere, well-kept beers and ciders, excellent food, and of course, a warm welcome from the friendly and efficient hosts and their staff' are inspected.

The 2019 awards were held at Grosvenor House hotel in London on September 23 and was hosted by BBC news anchor Kate Silverton.

The event recognised and rewarded the excellence of hotels, restaurants and their respective teams across the length and breadth of the UK.

Announcing the award on its website, the AA describes the pub as a 'fine-looking old coaching inn'.

It said: "This is a charming pub with quite a deliberate unfinished feel to décor and ambience. Quite colourful in a lot of ways, quirky artwork abounds. Lots of dining space, though not detracting from its core function as a local pub – in evidence on a lunchtime visit with a busy bar of locals. Food is straightforward but very well executed – including wonderful fresh fish and chips."

A 200-year-old coaching inn at the heart Hawarden, the Glynne Arms is owned by the Gladstone family - descendants of the 19th Century prime minister William Gladstone, who lived on Hawarden Estate.

Charles Gladstone, owner of the Hawarden Estate, said: “We have a lot to thank for our local village of Hawarden. Hawarden is alive with history.

"But today it is as vibrant as ever with many independent businesses, the world-renowned centre of liberal thought - Gladstone’s Library, two annual festivals of culture and some of the Flintshire’s most beautiful wood and parkland.

"The Glynne Arms sits within a cluster of thriving independent businesses, all of whom support each other."