Glantaff pub, Quakers Yard

From Drop Box

Glantaff Inn, Cardiff Road, Quakers' Yard, CF46 5AH

Bus Nos X78, 78 from Pontypridd-Merthyr Tydfil

The Glantaff is a two-story stone-built building, situated just uphill from the centre of Quakers' Yard. Situated not far from the Taff Trail, the Glantaff is close to a bus stop and there is a car park outside the pub.

The old Courage emblem of a cockerel hangs on the outside of the pub as well as  'Free House' in lettering underneath. The original name of Quakers' Yard was 'Rhyd y Grug' or 'Ford of the Rustling Waters' and the sound of the Bargoed Taff can still be heard rustling across the weir below the pub.

The interior of the Glantaff Inn features bare stone walls decorated with gleaming brasswork and some fascinating old photographs of the local area including the building of the Quakers' Yard viaduct and tunnel in the nineteenth century. Open fireplaces are also features in the pub, a welcoming warm fire or two are ideal for the winter nights.

Although there are only two bar servery areas, the internal layout with a central stairwell and a raised area to the rear offer distinct and different areas for drinkers and drivers to seek out and enjoy. The smaller lounge, to the side of the bar features boxing memorabilia on the walls, Jimmy Wide, World Flyweight champion 1916-21 was born nearby.

The ceiling of the bar and lounge is dominated by a collection of dozens old water jugs, some of which bare the names of long-gone breweries and distilleries such as Buckley's Brewery and Booth's gin. The bar itself is a reminder of the 1970s as it features a tiled roof on it, a throwback to the late 1960s/1970s pub refurbishments of which very few survive in any amount.

The permanent real ale on the bar is Bevan's Bitter from the Rhymney Brewery at Dowlais, a 4.2% mid-brown malty bitter and guest ales from as far away as Hydes in Manchester or Batemans Lincolnshire regularly feature on the bar as well. Real ales from the Tudor Brewery in Abergavenny have also been seen on the handpumps recently. The wooden bar itself features intricately carved heads and looks a bit too well-designed for a pub bar, it turns out that it was made from wooden panelling salvaged from a country house in Gloucestershire, certainly a bit of a surprise to find in a Welsh pub.

Food is served from a comprehensive menu between 12-2 and 6-9.

More on the history of Quakers Yard at Welsh Icons here

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