Cnapan Hotel

Cnapan Hotel
Location in Pembrokeshire
General information
Location	Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Coordinates	52°1′1″N 4°49′50″W / 52.01694°N 4.83056°W / 52.01694; -4.83056
Owner	Michael & Judith Cooper
Other information
Number of rooms	5
Number of restaurants	1

Cnapan, also known variously as Cnapan Country House or Cnapan Restaurant and Bed & Breakfast, is a Grade II listed hotel and restaurant in Newport, Pembrokeshire.^[1] It lies along the main road of the town, East Street, which is part of the A487 road, opposite The Golden Lion.^[2]

It is set in a Grade II listed pink painted Georgian townhouse named Ivy House,^[3][4] in a small seaside town,^[5] and takes its name from the medieval Celtic sport of Cnapan, although there is little to connect the two today.^[6] Dated to the early 19th century, architecturally Ivy House, two-storeys with attic, is described as "painted roughcast, with panelled doorcase and fanlight, the porch with the etiolated, debased classical columns popular all over the region".^[7] There are three bays on each floor at the front, with a French window on each floor on the western wing, where the restaurant is located. Next door is Sessions House, dated to 1900, but with a stucco front with windows in the late 18th-century style.^[7] As of 2001 it had five double rooms, a bar, and a restaurant; it is the restaurant for which it has earned its reputation.^[1][8] The interior consists of traditional Welsh oak furnishings.^[9] In the hallway is a traditional heavy oak Welsh dresser which contains items belonging to the owners. In the sitting room is a wood-burning stove and books and magazines, and in the dining room is a large stone fireplace, with pictures and pieces of armour on the walls and lace-covered tables. The bedrooms are small, with pine furniture and bright hues, with a "tiny shower".^[8] The hotel has been run by the Coopers since 1984; Judith Cooper and her daughter are the chief cooks.^[8] It became a Grade II listed building on 14 April 1992.^[3]

It has featured in The Good Hotel Guide and The Good Food Guide.^[4][8] The Western Mail said that it has a "restaurant that was 'large and well patronised', this hotel had an air of rural France, so generous and cheerful."^[10] The Christian Science Monitor similarly mentioned its "cozy atmosphere, delicious home cooking."^[11] In 1997 The Independent noted that the owners "scour the hills, beaches and local markets for herbs and fresh ingredients for their stunning creations."^[12] The restaurant serves Welsh cuisine and is noted mainly for its fish and meat dishes.^[13]

• Andrews, Robert; Teller, Matthew (2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 770. ISBN 978-1-84353-301-6.
• Balmer, Desmond; Raphael, Caroline (2001). The Good Hotel Guide 2002. Ebury Press London. ISBN 978-0091879679.
• Balmer, Desmond; Raphael, Caroline; Raphael, Adam (2004). Europe's Wonderful Little Hotels and Inns 2004: Great Britain and Ireland. Steerforth Press. ISBN 978-1-58642-073-4.
• Balmer, Desmond; Raphael, Adam; Raphael, Caroline (2005). The Good Hotel Guide 2006: Great Britain & Ireland. Steerforth Press. ISBN 978-1-58642-097-0.
• Dragicevich, Peter; Atkinson, David (2011). Galles (in Italian). EDT srl. ISBN 978-88-6040-749-8.
• Hornby, Hugh; Inglis, Simon (2008). Uppies and Downies: The Extraordinary Football Games of Britain. English Heritage. ISBN 978-1-905624-64-5.
• Leapman, Michael (2011). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Great Britain: Great Britain. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN 978-1-4053-6751-6.
• Lloyd, Thomas; Orbach, Julian; Scourfield, Richard (2004). Pembrokeshire: The Buildings of Wales. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10178-2.

• Official site