One of the oldest pubs in Cardiff, the Model Inn on Quay Street will be closing for good on Christmas Eve. Originally called the Ship on Launch, this building is clearly marked on John Speed’s map of 1610 and was renamed the Model Inn, according to tradition, after Cromwell’s New Model Army were bileted there during the civil war.
The Model Inn has seen better days, the pub has been in a slow decline for years with its dark and dingy interior hardly providing a warm welcome to customers. The pub stopped doing food some years ago, though the tiled roof of the food servery is a classic example of late 1960s/early 1970s pub refurbishments. The odd bits of wood around the bar do nothing to attract customers into this surprisingly spacious City Centre bar, though the Brains Bitter was spot on when visited the other night. In the week before Christmas, other pubs were packed; the Old Arcade, Duke of Wellington, City Arms, Goat Major, yet the Model shut early at half six due to lack of custom.
Owners of the Model Inn, SA Brain, were asked to comment on the closure of this old inn but it came as a surprise to the PR department and they have been unable to find anyone in the company to willing to make a statement about the closure.
