2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Ellie Gosley)
A historic pub in the Rhondda Valleys that is reputed to have been a favoured haunt of Hollywood megastars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor is undergoing a transformation to re-open as a new bar, restaurant and hotel. The Pencelli Hotel in Treorchy is a former public house that closed intermittently during the pandemic, before permanently closing in 2022. Despite the building being in poor condition, SGM Property and Hospitality Ltd bought the building at auction earlier this year.
The new owners are from the local area and were looking to take on a new project after successfully refurbishing The Town Crier in Tenby earlier this year when The Pencelli popped up on the market. The initial plan was to create a residential development, but after liaising with RCT Council, they decided to keep the building in the heart of the community as a pub space, while also adding the restaurant and hotel element. This opened up the owners to receive support from RCT in the form of grant funding from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund.
The refurbishment is already well underway and the owners are hoping for The Pencelli to be ready to open at the end of April or beginning of May 2025. The building has been completely renovated, with the owners explaining that “except for the four main walls, we’ve started from scratch really.” The upper floors will be converted into 11 guest rooms, consisting of a mix of twin and family rooms.
The owners added that there is a “massive shortage in the Rhondda for this type of accommodation”. For the latest Rhondda news, sign up to our newsletter here The ground floor is being reconfigured to create the new restaurant and bar area. Although the building is being transformed, the owners are also hoping to retain elements of The Pencelli's past as a "traditional pub" which made it popular with locals, including stocking cask beers and hosting acoustic band nights.
Councillor Mark Norris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Prosperity, said: “I’m pleased that the Council has been able to support this exciting project in Treorchy, to refurbish and reopen the prominent Pencelli Hotel building – that for many years served as a much-loved meeting point right in the heart of the community. The scheme will add to the town’s local hospitality offer, while bringing a large, vacant building back into use, and preventing the risk of it falling into further disrepair. “The development will provide a restaurant and bar on the ground floor, and a fully-functioning hotel upstairs – catering to the local community and visitors alike.
There’s a need for more visitor accommodation in the valleys, and we anticipate the hotel to be in demand – particularly as it’s a short walk from the centre of Treorchy, the train station, and the Park and Dare Theatre. “With grant funding now confirmed by the Council, I’m looking forward to seeing the refurbishment make progress in the weeks and months ahead.”.
